Microsoft Imagine Cup (2025)

If you’ve been dreaming about a solution that shapes how we live, work, and play, this competition is for you. Here are 7 reasons why you should sign up for the 18th year of Imagine Cup: 

1. Shape our world

Driven by inspiration and a growing sense of purpose, students have created applications tackling some of the world’s biggest social, environmental, and health challenges ––one user at a time. From a machine learning algorithm that detects wildfires to a HoloLens app that helps children with dyslexia to improve their reading skills, anything is possible when you blend passion and purpose.

2. Get help from mentors and network with industry pros

With the goal to empower everyone to achieve more, we have the tools, resources, learning materials, and mentors to help you bring your project to life. Whether you’re hoping to accelerate with artificial intelligence, create with cognitive services, invent with intelligent systems, or master machine learning, Imagine Cup is the place to start for beginning coders and developer pros alike. All you need is an idea (and a few smart friends).

“The experience, the learning, is priceless. You can’t get…the mentorship that Microsoft provides anywhere else in the world.” – Team Ekko, 2019 regional finalists 

3. Win travel opportunities and other prizes

Teams selected to advance in the competition will travel across the globe to regional finals in Singapore, Amsterdam, and Mexico City to pitch their projects live, courtesy of Microsoft! Plus, the Imagine Cup Regional Finals are co-located with Microsoft Ignite | The Tour, where Microsoft shares the latest in cloud technologies and developer tools - providing additional opportunity for finalists to showcase their passion and network with industry professionals.  

4. Enhance your technology portfolio

Get hands-on with the latest and greatest in developer tools and resources while creating a project you can showcase in your personal portfolio. With advanced Microsoft Azure technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual machines, big data processing, computer vision, and more, almost anything is possible. 

5. Meet new friends

From Sydney to Sao Paolo and everywhere in between, the Imagine Cup brings together students just like you who want to learn and innovate for the future. Get started with a team and meet likeminded peers along the competition journey. You could find future business partners, meet friends for life, and get inspired by others’ solutions. 

6. Develop a business framework to advance your career

Develop a project pitch, build entrepreneurship skills, and get feedback on your business model from industry experts to help propel you forward.

7. Dream it. Build it. Live it.

For some students, the chance to travel and pitch to industry leaders will create standout moments. For others, pursuing an idea that could change the world (even a little) will stretch their skills and boost their confidence. Whatever your motivation, we want to encourage you to take the next step–and join a like-minded community of passionate, purpose-driven tech enthusiasts who are ready to grow together.

Competition Schedule

1. Submit to Optional Idea Round: Start your journey by structuring your idea using the Lean Canvas framework for a chance to win mentorship with industry experts. Submit by October 31, 2024
2. Minimum Viable Product Submission: Develop a functional version of your idea that is ready to demo to judges to advance your solution towards market readiness. November 1, 2024 - January 22, 2025
3. Semifinals: Gain access to additional benefits to accelerate your growth, including mentorship, global recognition, and expert guidance within Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub. February - March 2025
4. World Championship: Hone your pitch and showcase your startup on a global stage at the culmination of the competition. May 2025