I just returned from the Imagine Cup National Finals for the Software Design competition. I met some great people and also some valuable lessons. Microsoft did a overall decent job of running the event however there are a number of things I would like to have seen done differently. Oh and just for the record my project, Footprint, did not place in the Top 3 at the event. However I will try to be as non-bias as possible.

• Free Time - Microsoft gave us a very aggressive schedule of 8am - 10pm activities every single day. This did not allow many participants ample time to prepare and also have more than 5 hours of sleep.
• Judging Criteria - We were given a published listing of the judging elements on the competition, but were never given a break down of either the winners or losers. This is quite hypocritical when every workshop on presenting/marketing products is about finding out what you did wrong so you can improve for next time. Apparently they do not practice what they preach.
• Itinerary - A week prior to the event we were notified that there would be elements not included or hinted at in any documentation. This caused a panic among teams and a scrabble to prepare for the new elements of the event.
• Showcase - We were told to prepare a showcase of our product for the public. However this was not factored into our final scores so if your booth was ineffective or sloppy, your score was not hurt as a result. If something like this isn’t going to count, and requires days of prep work then just leave it out! In addition, a showcase should be to potential investors or a broad range of customers, marketing green technologies to inner-city high school students does nothing but make Microsoft look good with a PR stunt.