12 teams competed in the championships for the “World Citizenship”, “Games” and “Innovation” categories and a place in the worldwide semi-final
Hong Kong, April 14, 2016 – The Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 Hong Kong Final was successfully held yesterday (April 13, 2016) at Hong Kong Science Park in Shatin. Organized by Microsoft Hong Kong and co-organized by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), the competition comprised three categories: “World citizenship”, “Games” and “Innovation”. RealME from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, HelloPlanet from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and KinectGarten from Hong Kong Polytechnic University won the “World citizenship”, “Games” and “Innovation” categories respectively.
The competition attracted 50 teams composed of 150 students from nine tertiary institutions. Riding on their technical knowledge, students came up with innovative ideas to either develop new technologies to address social issues (in the category “World citizenship”), exciting new games (“Games”) or innovative applications (“Innovation”).
Wheelman designed by the “World citizenship” winning team RealME, is an app built to help wheel-chair users identify the nearest barrier-free facility in order to provide more detailed information on barrier-free facilities. The champion of “Games” category designed HelloPlanet, an educational simulation game about realism that teaches users to interact with the living world. The winner of “Innovation” category created KinectGarten, an app built in response to the hectic school lives for students. It encourages children to do homework by making it fun and interactive. The app incorporates Kinect technology and requires children to make gestures to pick their answers, making learning more interactive and enjoyable.
Each champion team of the respective categories received a HK$20,000 cash prize, while the first runner-up and the second runner-up received HK$15,000 and HK$5,000 cash prizes respectively. The three winning teams will be nominated for the World Semi-Finals online to compete for the chance to attend the World Finals in Seattle in July 2016.
World-renowned scientist Dr. Harry Shum, Executive Vice President, Technology and Research of Microsoft was one of the judges of the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 Hong Kong Final. ”I am impressed by the high standard of work done by the Hong Kong students,” said Dr. Shum. “Microsoft has been active in driving innovation and empowering youth with creativity and knowledge of computer science. All students in the Hong Kong Final put up an excellent performance. Their projects demonstrated their ability to innovate and create applications that enhance our daily lives – thanks to their understanding of, and passion for technology.” Dr. Shum quoted Einstein’s “Imagination is more important than knowledge” to encourage the participants to continue using their creativity and technical knowledge to bring positive changes to the world.
“This competition provides valuable experiences to youngsters who are passionate about technological developments with the chance to turn their innovative ideas into reality with the support of technology,” said Ms. Joelle Woo, Director, Business Development & Developer Experience, Microsoft Hong Kong, “The Imagine Cup is one of Microsoft’s projects that empowers youngsters by uncovering their potential, and nurtures young talent for the information technology industry.”
Below are the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 Hong Kong Final results:
World Citizenship
| Ranking | Team | Project |
| Champion | RealME | Wheelman |
| First runner-up | VOID | VOID |
| Second runner-up | Human Nature | Human Nature |
Games
| Ranking | Team | Project |
| Champion | HelloPlanet | HelloPlanet |
| First runner-up | Pupil | InComplete |
| Second runner-up | VR Fitness | VR Fitness |
Innovation
| Ranking | Team | Project |
| Champion | KinectGarten | KinectGarten |
| First runner-up | Mindpal | Mindpal |
| Second runner-up | ShopInstant | ShopInstant |
With 14 years of history, the Imagine Cup is a global student technology program and competition organized by Microsoft, that provides opportunities for students across all disciplines to team up and use their creativity, passion and technological knowledge to create applications, games and integrated solutions that can change the way we live, work and play.
For more information on the Microsoft Imagine Cup, please visit http://imaginecup.com
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About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Hong Kong was established in 1991.
For further information, press only:
Microsoft
Jocelyn Cheung
Tel: +852 2804-4437
Email: [email protected]
Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Microsoft
Nicole Chan
Tel: (852) 2894 6207
Email: [email protected]
Raymond Woo
Tel: (852) 2894 6355
Email: [email protected]
