First published on MSDN on Feb 17, 2014
Each year, the Tech Museum in Silicon Valley, California, hosts the Tech Awards honoring technology projects to make the world a better place. Microsoft has been a sponsor of the Tech Awards for years and in 2013 Imagine Cup and Tech Awards began a partnership to get more great student technology projects submitted to their contest.
Most of the Tech Awards' categories are for companies and non-profits that have already deployed their technology in the field and can demonstrate measurable success. But one category, the Young Innovator award, is for projects made by people under the age of 27 and it recognizes innovation rather than impact -- which makes it very appropriate for Imagine Cup World Citizenship teams whose projects are still in the development stage.
Last year, we sent the winner of our 2013 World Citizenship competition, Ana Ferraz from Portugal, to be a special guest at the Tech Awards. Ana spent the week with the nominees attending special networking and training events around Silicon Valley. And at the Tech Awards ceremony, Ana and I demonstrated her project to the attendees and Ana joined the winners on stage for photographs.
At Imagine Cup we believe in and support the Tech Awards and we encourage Imagine Cup World Citizenship teams to
apply for the Young Innovator category
. The application deadline is May 6, 2014. The Tech Awards are run by the Tech Museum and not by Microsoft. Imagine Cup teams are welcome to apply to the Tech Awards in addition to Imagine Cup and you will not be disqualified from Imagine Cup if you are nominated by the Tech Awards. Everybody wins!
Please visit the Tech Awards' application website today and learn more about their program. Then submit your application for the Young Innovator award by May 6 and you could be visiting Silicon Valley this fall!
John Scott Tynes
Imagine Cup Program Lead
Microsoft Student Developers
