2012 MICROSOFT SOFTWARE TALENT SEARCH

2012 Imagine cup:Microsoft begins search for software talents. The software giant,Microsoft has began search for software talents around the world even as it urges young Nigerians in the tertiary institutions around the country to
enter the world’s premier student technology
competition called Microsoft Imagine Cup software competition.
With the deadline for
the annual Imagine
Cup student
technology
competition
approaching, Microsoft Nigeria has called onNigerian students toparticipate and come
up with imaginative solutions to use
technology to help solve some of the
world’s toughest
problems.Running in its tenth year, the competition has grown to become the world’s premier student technology competition with more than 358,000 students representing 183 countries participating
 in last year’s event.For one thing, the annual software competition has gone a
long way in preparing software incubators for the global job market.According to the software giant,
students have until 13March 2012, 23:59:59
GMT to register for the
competition in one of
eight categories
including Software
Design; Game Design
(Xbox/Phone); Game
Design (Phone); IT
Challenge; Kinect Fun
Labs Challenge;
Windows Metro Style
App Challenge;
Windows Azure
Challenge; and
Windows Phone
Challenge.
In addition to the vast
opportunities
presented from
competing on the
world stage at the
premier student
technology
competition,
participants in Imagine
Cup stand to win cash
prizes and grants; and
each Worldwide
Finalist and one Mentor
per team will be
awarded a trip to
Sydney, Australia to
compete in the
Worldwide Finals in
July 2012.
The trip includes round
trip coach airfare from
the major airport
closest to the
competitor’s home,
standard hotel
accommodations, and
select meals during the
Worldwide Finals.
It would be recalled
that last year , the
success of Nigeria’s
Team Nerds Inc. – who
made it into the top
five for the People’s
Choice Award and
qualified to enter for
the Grants Award –
represented a
milestone for the
country in the
competition.
The team, made up of
four students from the
Federal University of
Technology Akure
(FUTA), represented the
country with their
entry, Medicare: an
application designed to
bridge the gap
between doctors and
patients when they are
miles apart.
Meanwhile, Shina
Oyetosho, Developer
and Platform
Evangelism Lead,
Microsoft Anglophone
West Africa, said in a
statement said that,
“Team Nerds did the
country, and continent,
proud last year, and we
are hoping to see this
year’s entries follow in
their footsteps.
There are so many
different challenges
faced by our country’s
people, and we believe
that the solution to
many of these
problems lies in the
power of technology
combined with the
potential and
imagination of our
youth. That’s why we
hope to see a record
number of entries for
this year’s
competition.”
To mark the official
launch of this year’s
competition in the
country, a kick-off
event will be held on
the 6th of March in
partnership with Rivers
State Government and
other stakeholders.
Speaking on the
partnership, Goodliffe
Nmekini, Special
Adviser to Rivers State
Governor said that the
decision by Rivers State
Government to support
the Imagine Cup
competition steps from
its current effort to
make Port Harcourt the
Technology Hub of the
country.
This year, for the first
time, two rounds of
regional finals will be
held in Nigeria instead
of just one ahead of
the national finals in
Port Harcourt on the
25th of April 2012, to
accommodate the
anticipated number of
entries. The Worldwide
Finals, previously
hosted in Spain, Brazil,
Japan, India, Korea,
France, Egypt, Poland,
and the USA; will be
hosted in Sydney,
Australia in July this
year.