Active Dates (GMT):
Imagine Cup Earth is a new contest for students ages 6-18 in which you’ll use computer programming to create a game, simulation, or story inspired by the kinds of earth science that NASA and other researchers do every day. 18 winning students will win prizes totaling $36,000! You can read the official rules here.
For the Beginner challenge, no coding experience is necessary! You can learn to code with free online coding kits from Microsoft Imagine and make your first game, app, or science project in about half an hour using our free learn-to-code tools Kodu Game Lab, Microsoft Touch Develop, or Project Spark. After doing a couple of those coding kits, you should be ready to start thinking about your project for Imagine Cup Earth.
Here are some suggestions to get you started on your coding journey:
We know that around the world, students have many different school schedules. So we have three global deadlines and you can pick the one that’s right for you! They are:
First Round Deadline: 23:59 GMT December 15, 2015 (First Round Submissions Closed)
Second Round Deadline: 23:59 GMT March 31, 2016
Third Round Deadline: 23:59 GMT June 15, 2016
You can enter any round you want. You can even enter multiple rounds – if you don’t win one round you can make a new project or improve your old one and try again!
In the Beginner challenge, three students will win a prize for each round:
For the best earth-science themed game, app, or simulation using Kodu Game Lab, Microsoft Touch Develop, or Project Spark.
1st Prize: $3,000
2nd Prize: $2,000
3rd Prize: $1,000
Thanks to our partnership with NASA, we have some great inspirational material for you to start with.
If you’re competing in our Beginner skill bracket, please take a look at these four articles from NASA’s Earthdata website and choose one as the inspiration for your project. For each article we have provided some project ideas. You can use one of our ideas or make up your own! But you must pick one of these four articles for your project.
Zebras without borders: Zebras who have been unable to migrate for generations started doing so. How did they know where to go and when was the right time to leave?
Shadowing the tuna boats: Fishing boat captains have recorded data on fish harvests for hundreds of years and scientists use it to study the depletion of tuna. Scientists are taking that data and applying it to a simulation of how captains make decisions about when and where to fish.
Prosperity shining: Satellites have measured the amount of light generated by cities since the 1970s. Scientists can correlate light levels with prosperity – the richer the city, the brighter the lights.
Pedestrians of Eddy Avenue: Eddying currents in the ocean near Australia help create vibrant ecosystems.
Your entry will consist of the following:
If you use Kodu Game Lab, you will share your project to the Kodu community site: http://worlds.kodugamelab.com/browse
If you use Microsoft Touch Develop, you’ll share it at the Touch Develop community site:
If you use Project Spark, you’ll share it at the Spark community site:
Register now for Imagine Cup Earth! You’ll need to create a Microsoft Account first if you don’t already have one, and if you’re 13 years old or younger you’ll need your parents’ help. Then sign up for the contest and visit your Dashboard where you’ll find the submission form for your entry.