Amman, May 2015 - The Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), H.E. Majd Shweikeh, has presented the Imagine Cup 2015 Jordan prizes on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah. The winners were handed the prizes during a ceremony organized by Microsoft Jordan on Tuesday 5 May, 2015, at the King Hussein Business Park. The ceremony was attended by H.R.H. Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan; Microsoft NEPA General Manager Leila Serhan; Microsoft Jordan Country Manager Hussein Malhas; as well as top executives from Zain, MenaITech and Pioneers Academy, among others. Also present were a group of students and academics from various Jordanian universities, in addition to a host of local media representatives.

As the world's premier student technology competition targeting individuals between the ages of 16 and 26, Imagine Cup 2015 Jordan featured the participation of 60 teams who competed under three different categories. As part of the competition, the participants were required to innovate solutions that help them realize their dreams and enrich the lives of others around them using Microsoft’s latest technology platforms. Team ‘Captiosus’ of the Jubilee School was announced as winner of the ‘World Citizenship’ category; team ‘Wadro’ of the Middle East University was named winner of the ‘Games’ category; and team ‘Welink’ of the University of Jordan was crowned as winner of the ‘Innovation’ category.

The ‘World Citizenship’ category honors developers of software applications that demonstrate the greatest potential to make a positive contribution to the betterment of the community, while the ‘Games’ category recognizes developers of outstanding games created using Microsoft platforms. Alternatively, the ‘Innovation’ category acknowledges developers of applications that deliver accessible innovations and advance major sectors such as social networks, search engines, classified advertisements or online shopping through new technologies based on unique, inventive and untapped concepts within the business sector.

The winning teams will go on to represent Jordan at this year’s Imagine Cup Arab Finals in Bahrain, during which they will compete against participants from 19 Arab countries. Winners of the Imagine Cup Arab Finals will qualify for the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals 2015, challenging hundreds of students from around the world. The Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals 2015 is slated to take place during June in Seattle, USA, where the winning team will receive a USD 50,000 cash prize.

H.E. Shweikeh elaborated that the royal patronage of the competition is testament to the invaluable support Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah have shown to young individuals across Jordan, motivating them to come up with new technology innovations. Furthermore, H.E. Shweikeh stated that Jordanian youth have enjoyed strong presence at both regional and international Microsoft competitions, coming in at third place in the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals several years ago.

Moreover, H.E. Shweikeh expressed her pride in this year’s host of creative young individuals, congratulating both the winning team and the finalists. She went on to thank Microsoft Jordan for launching Imagine Cup and presenting youth with the opportunity to unleash their unique ideas and establish revolutionary projects that are capable of changing the world.

In turn, Malhas said, “At Microsoft Jordan, we feel that it is our responsibility to help youth uncover their hidden potential and technology talents, and encourage them to come up with projects that positively impact their futures and local communities alike. As such, we are committed to launching Imagine Cup, which aims to recognize gifted and ambitious students, as well as advance the ICT sector, in line with His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision to activate the national plan aimed at supporting our youth and elevating the sector.”

Malhas went on to add, "At the conclusion of Imagine Cup 2015 Jordan, we are extremely proud of the impressive number of cutting-edge technology projects that have taken part, exceeding last year’s involvement by six-fold. This turnout is an indication of the competition’s success in supporting leadership and creative thinking. It also underscores the massive potential and talent of our youth, which requires us all as responsible national companies to intensify our efforts in backing students and developing their capacities for the betterment of the local community as a whole, and the IT sector in particular."

On their win, Anas Al Shaikh Khalil from team ‘Captiosus’, commented, “Taking part in this prestigious competition has been a dream come true. This experience has helped us build our mental and creative capabilities in the area of technology. Winning Imagine Cup 2015 Jordan is a distinct honor that spurs us to continue developing and improving our project in the best ways possible. On this occasion, we would like to extend our gratitude towards Microsoft Jordan for organizing this inspiring competition, and for giving us the chance to participate on the regional front, connect with fellow drivers of innovative projects, as well as enrich our experience with valuable knowledge that will benefit both our team and our society.”

Supported by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the competition has previously seen Jordan rank at third place in the Imagine Cup Arab Finals 2014 and the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals 2011. Imagine Cup was launched 12 years ago by Microsoft to emphasize students’ ability to bring about positive change in the world. This is achieved by rallying gifted students and providing them with the resources and opportunities they need to innovate using the latest technologies. The year-long competition commences with national online rounds covering more than 100 countries, after which finalists qualify to compete in the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals, which is held in a different country each year.