Imagine Cup & Social Good: Skills in Action

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Every day, students push themselves to develop their skills and build their futures. Through Imagine Cup contests students are not just inspired – they are driven to compete, to learn, to master.

Our Imagine Cup Grant programme, managed by Microsoft YouthSpark, awards cash, software and access to resources to a select number of Imagine Cup World Finalists who are ready to take the next step and bring their project to market. We choose projects that are poised to make a difference in the world by addressing a social problem in areas such as health, the environment and human rights.

All 2013 World Finalist teams who competed in St. Petersburg, Russia, with a project that focused on social good were invited to apply for this year’s grant programme. A panel of external judges have selected the following Imagine Cup 2013 Grant Winners:

Grand Prize Winner - $100,000: Team OHS, TaiwanTeam OHS created Omni Hearing Solution, a Windows Phone application that is affordable, easy-to-set-up and effective, ensuring everyone access to full hearing ability. OHS detects which sounds are out of one's hearing range, and modifies them for one to hear, allowing them to reconnect with the world. OHS can work with any earphone so users do not have to acquire any customized device. All they have to do is download the app and go through a set of simple hearing tests on the phone. Through this simple test, OHS helps users identify what their hearing difficulties are and creates customized settings to modify sounds that are out of hearing range to improve sound quality.

$50,000 Winner: Team Confufish, AustraliaTeam Confufish is changing the way Australia distributes food to those in need. Through Foodbank Local, a multiplatform mobile application, this team created a way to match local supply to local demand. This helps connect those individuals and businesses making donations with the groups in need, ensuring leftover food can be donated efficiently and without going to waste.

$50,000 Winner: Team RUOK, IrelandThis team from Ireland created RUOK, an engaging TV application that provides support to elderly people living independently. By connecting RUOK to the TV, users can interact with others through Skype, access exercise programmes and receive important notifications from their home alarm systems, heart rate monitors, medication reminders and more.

$50,000 Winner: Team Dora, SloveniaEliminating the need for surgeons to leave a sterile operating room mid-procedure, Team Dora created an interactive physician’s assistant that provides patient information before and during a surgical procedure. Ultimately, this team’s solution can increase efficiencies by reducing both cost and anesthesia time for a patient while under a surgeon’s care.

Congratulations to the Imagine Cup 2013 Grant winners! Your ideas and success are an inspiration!