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Unlock your startup’s potential with the Imagine Cup, the premier global technology competition for student founders using AI and the Microsoft Cloud to transform their innovative ideas into market-ready startups.

What do I need to know to participate in the Imagine Cup?

Here is a quick summary of what you need to participate in the Imagine Cup:

  • Students aged 18+ are eligible to participate. If you are 18 years of age or older but have not reached the age of majority in your legal place of residence, you must have the consent of a parent/legal guardian. Details about the requirements can be found in the official rules.
  • You can create any solution you are passionate about, but it must include at least one Microsoft AI service and consider diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Details about the requirements can be found in the official rules.
  • Each team can have a maximum of four (4) members. All must be students. Create and manage your team.
  • Submissions should include a pitch deck, recorded pitch, and demo video, all addressing the judging criteria outlined in the official rules.
  • Join Discord, our online student community for seeking technical help finding teammates and connecting with Imagine Cup participants.

What can you win?

Imagine Cup teams can win mentorship, networking opportunities, free travel, cash, and other great prizes!

  • Teams that win their National Final or Regional Online Semifinals win travel to the Regional Final (Asia, EMEA, and the Americas) in Singapore, Amsterdam, and Mexico City, respectively
  • The top two teams from each Regional Final win USD8,000 cash, Azure credits, a trip to Seattle, and a spot in the World Championship
  • The three runner-up teams from each Regional Final win USD2,500 cash and Azure credits
  • The 2020 Imagine Cup World Champion team wins USD100,000 cash, USD50,000 Azure credits, and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Official Rules

View the Imagine Cup Rules & Regulations to understand eligibility criteria, competition rules and schedule, and how to get started.

Get Started

Visit the Imagine Cup homepage and click 'Register Now' to sign up for the competition. Once you have registered, you will be able to see the competition on your account page. All team members will need to create an account and register.

Participants must be at least 18 years old as of October 1, 2024, and enrolled students at an accredited educational institution between October 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025. U.S. export regulations prohibit the export of goods and services to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Russia, and the Region of Crimea. Therefore, residents of these countries/regions are not eligible to participate. Mentors are not considered team members for the purpose of this competition. Please see the  rules and regulations  for full eligibility criteria.

All team members must be enrolled students at an accredited educational institution that grants high-school or college/university (or equivalent) degrees (including home schools) at any time between October 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025.

Navigate to your Imagine Cup account page to review your account details, check the status of your registration and submissions, and manage your team.

Absolutely! We encourage all students who are interested to apply. You can join the Discord community to connect with other students who are also focused on building their own businesses and interested in bringing an AI-driven solution to market.

If you have previously competed in an Imagine Cup event as a World Finalist or Regional Finalist, you are eligible to enter, but any entry submitted must be substantially new, unique, and different from anything you’ve brought to the Imagine Cup before.

Each competitor may only belong to one team within the competition. You may only submit one entry per round. If you make multiple submissions, we will use the last one you submitted as your official entry.

You are eligible to compete in Imagine Cup if you/your business has not received any dilutive funding and if you/your business has not received external, non-dilutive funding of more than $100,000 USD. For full eligibility criteria, please check the rules and regulations.

Engage with us on social to stay up to date on tips and deadlines for the competition, including Discord, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and X.

Contact us for additional support

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