Oman: Microsoft Oman, Omantel and Information Technology Authority today announced the names of the 3 winners of the 2015 Imagine Cup in the Sultanate of Oman. “Team Bolster” won the Innovation category, “Kitabi Team” won the World Citizenship category and “Techno Tradition Team” won the Games category; all 3 teams will participate in the Pan-Arab Finals taking place in Manama, Bahrain between May 31st and June 3rd.
The award ceremony was attended by Saleem Abdullatif, Vice President for Corporate Strategy Unit, Omantel; Khalid Al Kharousi, Director General for Information and Awareness at Information Technology Authority (ITA) and Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Business Development Manager for Microsoft Oman.
“We congratulate the winning teams and all the participants,” said Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Business Development Manager for Microsoft Oman. “This year’s round of Imagine Cup in Oman received a number of remarkable projects in which the students have demonstrated high levels of maturity and creativity; they really impressed us.” He explained that all the contestants in the Final rounds of Imagine Cup are winners, saying “Moving to the regional and global rounds of Imagine Cup is amazing but it is not the most important thing, Imagine Cup aims to provide students the opportunity to learn through the different stages of the competition and help them acquire new skills. All nine teams have great potentials; armed with their enthusiasm and creativity, Imagine Cup is the first step in their journey to success.” He commended the local partners for their support and relentless efforts while extending Microsoft’s appreciation to all the universities and colleges for their collaboration and cooperation.
The three teams of students “Team Bolster” from the Higher College of Technology, “Team Kitabi”, a hybrid team from Ministry of Higher Education and German University of Technology (GUtech) and “Techno Tradition Team” from the Higher College of Technology raced their way through the qualifying stages of this competition and secured their place in the Pan-Arab Finals.
“This year’s projects and ideas revealed the skills and abilities of Oman’s youth in ICT; we are really optimistic about the future generation of Omani entrepreneurs,” Talal Said Al Mamari, Omantel’s CEO said.
He thanked Microsoft for their continued commitment to Oman and its people and reiterated that Omantel’s partnership with Microsoft on Imagine Cup comes to shed light on the vital role technology – combined with local innovation – is playing in improving the daily lifestyle of the community.
Over a hundred students participated in this year’s round of Imagine Cup in Oman and more than 29 team projects were received, representing most of the higher education institutions in the country. Nine teams qualified to the local finals in Oman.
“Microsoft Imagine Cup is a great platform for us to spot potential local talents and provide them the right tools, resources and guidance to help them develop throughout their entrepreneurial journey,” Dr. Salim Sultan Al Ruzaiqi, CEO of Information Technology Authority (ITA), said.
“We congratulate the winning teams and wish them all the best for the Pan-Arab Finals and beyond.” He also applauded the efforts of all participating students and praised their creativity and motivation.
The three winners will join more than 30 Arab teams, between May 31st and June 3rd in Bahrain, to compete for the Imagine Cup Pan-Arab title and the chance to represent the Arab nation at the Worldwide Finals taking place in Seattle late July.