Microsoft and Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission announced the winners and runners-up of the Imagine Cup 2023, which they co-organized. The announcements were made at the HEC headquarters during the closing ceremony.
Several Vice Chancellors and educational leaders from Pakistan attended the event, as did the Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Dr. Salim M. Almalik, the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, and Microsoft Country Manager Jibran Jamshad.
Chief Guest at the event was Dr. Salim M. Almalik. Speaking at the event, he noted, “Such partnerships with companies like Microsoft empower the students to use their creativity in addressing real societal problems using modern technology”.
Microsoft announced the winners of the Imagine Cup competition in all four categories: Earth, Lifestyle, Health, and Education.
- Team “Smart Fruity Bytes”
Team “Smart Fruity Bytes” from Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan (MNSUAM) won the Earth category, team “Journovolt” from Usman Institute of Technology Karachi won the Lifestyle category, team “Human Life Saviour’s” from FAST NUCES Lahore Campus won the Education category, and team “AR Learn” from University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Peshawar won the Education category.
In addition, 9 more university teams from the North, Center, South, and Baluchistan regions were named regional winners and runners-up in the Imagine Cup.
The four winning teams also received cash prizes and will now be representing Pakistan on the international level competing with the world top finalist teams.
Addressing the guests and team, Mr. Jibran Jamshad, Country Education Lead, Microsoft Pakistan said, “Imagine Cup is one of the successful and empowering examples of how Microsoft is enabling students to build 21st century skill sets through access to latest technology, training and mentorship. As a result, students now have access to new opportunities in the future.”
“The Imagine Cup gives tech students, software developers, and entrepreneurs new opportunities to innovate and solve some of the world’s most pressing social, environmental, and health challenges,” he added.
We chose outstanding local projects, and the champion team will now compete in the World Finals Competition for a $100,000 prize, an Azure grant, and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO.
At the event, the top teams presented their projects, and Vice Chancellors from the winning institutions and other universities discussed their experiences participating in the competition.
All participants unanimously agreed that Imagine Cup promoted a strong work ethic in students, allowed them to innovate and learn new skills, and awarded great prizes.”
In closing remarks, the Chairman HEC, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said, “Microsoft and HEC continuously work to introduce tech reforms in the education sector.
The Imagine Cup is one of the projects that both HEC and Microsoft are proud to have worked on. In the end these activities bring students together motivating them to contribute to the greater good of their country in an innovative way.”
It is worth noting that Microsoft has already signed an agreement with HEC to transform education at key higher education institutions in Pakistan.
Under this agreement, Microsoft provides FREE certifications to 100,000 eligible students, as well as organises several capacity building programmes and similar activities for education stakeholders across Pakistan.
The primary goal remains to empower the education sector through technology and the most recent Microsoft products and services.
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