Beside are the main rules and guidelines of the Imagine Us Competition. For the full Terms and Conditions, please click here.
Imagine Us is the premier technology competition for high school students in the United Arab Emirates. The competition encourages young high school students to apply their imagination, passion, and creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world. Students can choose to participate in one of three categories: Web Design, Digital Video, or Graphic Design. In each of the categories, there is a specified set of Microsoft software that should be used. The theme of this year’s competition is “Using Technology to Solve the World’s Toughest Problems.”
Student entries will be judged on a variety of criteria and winners will receive prizes. Expression software will be provided at no charge to participants’ high schools via a subscription to MSDN AA. To request the Expression software for your high school, please email imagine@microsoft.com. By using the teaching and learning materials that a team of educators developed, students will be able to create modern, attractive entries in a relatively short amount of time.
The theme is “Using Technology to Solve the World’s Toughest Problems.” Students will envision the world they would like to live in. Here are just a few of ideas:
Imagine how you will solve a local or global challenge: Dream big! Would you like to end world hunger, teach everyone to read, negotiate world peace, clean polluted oceans, provide drinking water for everyone, or cure or prevent a deadly disease? How will you do it? How will you improve your community? The planet?
For students of a school to be able to register, a sponsoring teacher must complete the “Teacher Registration Form”.
By participating in this competition, your high school will receive a free subscription to Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance (MSDN AA) which includes the Expression software. To request the Expression software for your high school, please email imagine@microsoft.com. The Expression suite of software includes the same graphic design and Web design tools that are currently used by professional Web designers. You will be allowed to install this software onto their home computers at no charge. In addition, students competing in the Digital Video category should download Windows Movie Maker.
In addition, Microsoft has created tutorials and learning materials that allow any beginner to create a potentially entry. These materials are available for no charge at: http://www.microsoft.com/facultyconnection/precollegiate
You must form a team of 3 to 4 people. The same person cannot be on multiple teams. Each team member must register online at http://www.imagineusgulf.com by the registration deadline (March 24, 2010). During registration each team member must visit the Web site, review the rules and register themselves to be on a team. One of the team members must identify themselves as team captain, and this person will be responsible for any communication with the contest organizers, and for uploading (submitting) the team’s entry.
No additional team members can be added after the competition registration deadline has passed.
If a team member withdraws from the competition before an entry is submitted, then the Team Captain must notify the sponsoring teacher at their high school. The sponsoring teacher must notify the organizers via email. Only participating and registered team members will be eligible for prizes.
Once registered, each team must use Expression suite of software and/or Windows Movie Maker to create an entry that best illustrates the theme “Using Technology to Solve the World’s Toughest Problems.” To submit their entry for judging, the team captain must navigate to http://www.imagineusgulf.com and click on the Submit link. They then must enter their email address and the password they created at registration. Once signed in, the team captain uploads one .zip file of their entire entry by May 3, 2010.
In addition, all members of teams that successfully submit an entry will be entered into a random drawing for a sweepstakes prize and will each receive a T-shirt and certificate of participation.
Participants must use the specified set of software to create their entries. Participants may include 3rd party content in their entry, but they must not violate any copyright or intellectual property laws. Teams will lose points for any content included on their Web site that violates copyright law or is inappropriately cited.
You must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required (for content on your Web site) before you submit your entry; and your entry must not otherwise violate the rights of any other person company by using their trademarks, music, logos, names or images without their consent.
There will be two rounds of judging. The first round will focus on the submission (150 points) and will be conducted by a panel of qualified judges from Microsoft. The top ten teams in each category will be invited to the final Imagine Us event on May 30th, 2010.
The second round of judging will take place during the final event. Points will not carry over from the first round. Student teams will be evaluated in three areas using a point system. Points will be assigned as follows: submission (150 points), and oral presentation (50 points). During the final Imagine Us event, Microsoft will convene a panel of volunteer judges to assign points in the above two areas for each team. There will be a first, second and third prize winning team in each category.
Points will be taken away for non-functioning aspects and copyright violations. All non-winning team members will be entered into a random drawing for the sweepstakes prize.
Please refer to the Judging Criteria section for more details.
Students have a chance to win fantastic prizes! Judges will select a first, second and third place winning team in each category. Each student part of the winning team as well as the sponsoring teacher will receive:
All students who have successfully made it to the final event will receive an Imagine Us shirt as well as a bag filled with fun items. In addition, there will be prizes that can be won through raffles.
Judging will occur in 2 stages. The top ten teams in each category will be invited to the final Imagine Us event. A letter will be sent to the school inviting these teams to the event. We will also notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, the phone number, or mailing address (if any) listed on your entry within 7 days following the determination of winners.
The second round of judging will take place during the final event. Points will not carry over from the first round. The Competition winners will be announced during the event, held May 30, 2010.
The winners will be announced during the final event, held on May 30, 2010. We will also post the names of confirmed winners online at www.imagineusgulf.com after the final event.
If cheating, a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this competition, Microsoft reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this competition. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the competition, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the competition.
If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this competition by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you, or your parent / legal guardian, and we may ban you from participating in any of our future Microsoft competition, so please play fairly.
Your entry must be you / your teammates own original work and
Your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest.
Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting your entry, you are granting us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this competition; and (ii) feature your entry and all into content in connection with the promotion of this competition in all media (now known or later developed);
You understand and acknowledge that Microsoft may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your entry and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry;
You understand that we cannot control the incoming information you will disclose to our representatives in the course of entering, or what our representatives will remember about your entry. You also understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry. By entering this competition, you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law;
You understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules.
Please note that following the end of this competition your entry may be posted on a Web site selected by us for viewing by visitors to that Web site. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this Web site. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry.
If you do not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this Contest.