Amman, June 2015 – For the second consecutive year, Microsoft Jordan celebrated a new batch of bright young app developers under its ‘Technology Rocks!’ Student Competition, during its award ceremony at Oasis500’s training facility in Amman. Tying for first place under the ‘Best App’ category were the teams from The Ahliyyah School for Girls (CMS) and Islamic Educational College. The winner of the ‘Best Game’ category was Feed Da Beast Team, a group of students from both Zaid Bin Haritha School and New Orthodox School-Madaba who participated through the Jordan Gaming Lab.

In addition to the main award categories, Microsoft Jordan granted the following Team Recognition Awards: Best Functioning Game, Best Utility App, Best Storyboard Game, Best Documentation, and Best User Interface Design. Furthermore, Individual Awards were handed out for: Best Logo Design, Best MS Movie Maker Video, Best MS Excel Analysis, and Best MS Word Document. The subcategories were won by teams from Al Ridwan Schools, The Baptist School, The Bishop's School for Boys, Islamic Educational College, Mashrek International School, as well as Team Antivolt from Sweileh Secondary School and Firas Al Ajlouni School.

The Competition drew more than 100 students from 10 public schools and 9 private schools from across the Kingdom. In addition to educating 11- to 17-year-old students how to design and develop applications for Microsoft Windows, the Competition aims to ignite their passion for technology by using creative and fun techniques to teach them about team collaboration, structural thinking, entrepreneurship and technological innovation. Over the course of the Competition, the students attended training sessions and tapped into Microsoft’s team of experts to learn about project design methodologies and how to successfully complete their projects.

Submissions were judged based on the criteria of: Uniqueness, Concept, Concept Justified with Research, Monetization Model, Growth Analysis, Usability of Layout and Design, and Execution. The evaluation was conducted by an expert panel of judges within the technology field, comprised of: Tamara Abdel-Jaber, Co-Founder and Executive Board Member of Palma Consulting/Chairman of Girls in Tech; Tamer Qarain, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Bee Labs; Noor El Alami, Interactive Designer at Bee Labs; Hagop Taminian, Principal at Silicon Badia; as well as Mohammad Al Battikhi, Acceleration Manager, and Majd Afghani, Acceleration Officer, from Oasis500.

“More than 77% of jobs in the next decade will require IT skills, which is why it’s important that we arm current and future generations with the tools and knowledge they need to build successful careers. We’re delighted that the Competition has gained popularity amongst public and private school students since last year, as evident by the large number of participants. ‘Technology Rocks!’ not only teaches students how to create applications, but it also offers them the chance to develop them into actual startups using their newly-acquired entrepreneurial skills. We look forward to creating more opportunities for our students to expand their horizons and challenge themselves in a positive and competitive environment,” commented Microsoft Jordan Country Manager, Hussein Malhas.

The ‘Technology Rocks!’ competition corresponds with Microsoft Jordan’s efforts to support the national plan for local education initiatives, promote innovation and creativity amongst school students, as well as integrate the latest technologies into the learning and teaching process.