DesignIT - get recognition for your innovative work and help a charity

Browse to the DesignIT website to find out how you can take part in a competition whereby you can showcase your design skills and possibly win a prize or help a charity of your choice. The top prize is a trip to the Ice Hotel in Sweden.

The following description was taken from the website....

DesignIT is a competition to showcase the vision, creativity and dedication of the IT community in the UK. This competition is split into two very different categories: 

DesignIT offers individuals the chance to be acknowledged for their ingenuity and innovation  

We are inviting IT professionals to submit a deployed or aspirational system design, appropriate for any size of organisation, either in the commercial or not for profit sectors. The system design submitted should not only display the integration of different technologies, but also demonstrate clear business benefits and return on investment. IT professionals can enter anything from a picture perfect Visio diagram to a sketch from a whiteboard.

*System designs should include more than just Microsoft technology.

The winner for the DesignIT category will receive a weekend for two at the Ice Hotel in Sweden 

DesignIT for a charity offers individuals the chance to help a charity of their choice using their ingenuity and innovation  

Many IT Professionals in the UK dedicate their time to a charity, either officially or on a voluntary basis, and this category offers them the opportunity to submit a proposed system design that will benefit the charity further.  In keeping with the often-limited resources of a charity, the budget for this system design must not exceed £15,000, and must demonstrate ingenuity together with cost savings.  

The winner for the DesignIT for a charity category will work with a team of MS specialists to deploy their system design in their chosen charity

In addition, 10 x designs from each category will be shortlisted, transferred to canvas and exhibited as part of the DesignIT exhibition at the Arndean Gallery in London.

Judges

All submissions will undergo two rounds of judging (judging panel shown below) before facing the public vote!

The judging panel includes: Robert Scoble (MS), Andy Watson(MS), Chris Green (Computing), John Craddock (Independent technical expert) and Fred Thwaites (NSPCC) 

How to enter

This competition is open to everyone, including Microsoft employees and partners.  To find out more visit www.microsoft.com/uk/designit

Dates and Timings

The competition will run from 22 February to 3 May 2006* and the public will choose the winners in both categories. The public vote will run from 17 May to 24 May 2006.

All system designs shortlisted in each category will be transferred to canvas and will form part of the DesignIT Exhibition at the Arndean Gallery, Cork Street, London.  The exhibition will open on 30 May and run for two weeks.

*The website shows the closing date as 26 April but this has been extended