Windows 10: Windows Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon

Brink · Aug 20, 2019

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Windows Insider, Stefan Malter as he attends the Microsoft global Hackathon—the largest private hackathon on the planet.

A hackathon is a mishmash of two terms: “hacking” (that is, coming up with innovative new ways of doing things) and “marathon.” Typically known as a coding competition for engineers, Microsoft’s Hackathon is a bit different. All employees, not just coders, are invited to four days of collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. Attendees bring an amazing variety of skills and ideas to the event, working together on an equally diverse set of projects.

This year, we took that idea of open and diverse collaboration even further. For the first time ever, we invited Windows Insiders to join us for our Hackathon. Insiders were selected through our Insiders2Campus contest based on their answers to one simple question: Tell us about your passion for solving challenges.

The responses we received were amazing—and inspiring. After some serious deliberation, the Windows Insider Team eventually selected ten winners. Our group came from all corners of the globe, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, with backgrounds in journalism, software development, and design, to name only a few. Congratulations to all our winners! You can see their winning entries here.

Dan Flores – United States

Robert de Graaff – France

Mark Lunney – United Kingdom

Stefan Malter – Germany

Antonio de Marco Blanco – Spain

James Mundy – United Kingdom

Clint-Roy Muvirimi-Mukarakate – Zimbabwe

Joshua Ndemenge – Kenya

Mauro Petrini – Argentina

Michelle Spaul – United Kingdom

Let the brainstorming, prototyping, and fun begin!

With over 27,000 participants at this year’s Microsoft Hackathon, joining the event for the first time can be a bit overwhelming at first. But it’s also incredibly exciting. “The moment we arrived at the Hackathon tents, I was surprised by such a large gathering,” said Antonio de Marco. “These people were working on truly mind-blowing projects.” In fact, this year, participants worked on over 6,000 such projects, including world-changing ideas for accessibility, environmental issues, healthcare, and productivity. Past winning projects have led to bleeding-edge innovations such as Seeing AI, Health Bots, the Xbox Adaptive Controller, and more.

To get started on their own projects, our Windows Insiders were divided into three groups. One worked on an app to help control illegal timber trading (by using Artificial Intelligence to recognize specific types of wood). Another group set out to design a universal Microsoft phone app. The third group came up with ideas for improving the channels for users to provide feedback on Windows.

Like all participants at the event, our Insiders dove into three days of intense conceptualizing and prototyping, fueled by an endless supply of snacks and beverages–not to mention the energy and enthusiasm of their teammates. The goal was to create a proof of concept to showcase their work to other participants on the final day of the event—something we call the ‘science fair’.

Along with contributing their own, unique talents, Insiders had an opportunity to pick up new skills. “As a designer and illustrator, I only concern myself with the look and feel of the design. The coding? Not so much,” said Dan Flores, an Atlanta based artist. “But this week, I jumped at the chance to demo our mobile app idea and learn Adobe XD. With the help of my team, I figured out how to incorporate my designs into a functioning demo. I’ll follow that same process with my other projects from now on.”

Another Insider, James Mundy, shared a similar story about venturing outside his area of expertise to learn new skills. “For our pitch video, I had to do some presenting to the camera. It’s not something I have much experience with—so it was a good skill to focus on and improve. We also improvised a way to use a Microsoft Surface as a teleprompter—another first for me!”

Our Insiders were equally excited about working alongside world-class researchers, highly skilled software engineers and other Microsoft employees who participated in this year’s event. As Stefan described it, “Imagine strangers coming from all over the world. They don’t know each other, but they work together for four days and have a lot of fun. In a world with many cultural differences and lots of current challenges, this experience is my highlight!”

Insiders also had time for some great, extra-curricular activities. Highlights included a campus tour, with a visit to a cool, new office workspace we call the Treehouse (which is literally built in the trees). The group also enjoyed a Microsoft HoloLens demo at the visitors’ center, got the chance to meet with Microsoft executives, and even attend an internal Microsoft meeting.

In the end, though, our Insiders agreed that it was all about the people they met and ideas they shared. As Clint-Roy Muvirimi-Mukarakate said, “I was impressed at how open the Microsoft team was to our thoughts, inputs and suggestions. It felt like a meetup between equals. We were essentially a big group of superfans.” It’s that kind of collaborate spirit that makes the Microsoft Hackathon such a success, year after year. And judging from the work of our Windows Insiders, it sounds like they fit right in!

The Windows Insider Team would like to thank all our participating Insiders who participated in this year’s Microsoft Hackathon. And for all you other Insiders—keep an eye out for an opportunity to participate in next year’s Hackathon event. We look forward to seeing you there!

SHAPE THE FUTURE OF WINDOWS — BECOME AN INSIDER

PREVIEW THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF WINDOWS
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Source: Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon - Windows Insider

:)

btarunr · Aug 20, 2019

Microsoft Announces WOWZAPP 2012, Worldwide Hackathon for Windows

Registration has launched for Microsoft Corp.'s WOWZAPP 2012, Worldwide Hackathon for Windows, which will take place Nov. 9–11 in more than 30 locations worldwide. Students and other types of developers across countries such as India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, Chile and Greece will work in teams to develop apps that will be published and available for download in the Windows Store.

At the events, students will be provided with the resources they need to build their apps, such as Visual Studio 2012 Express for Windows 8 and a free Windows Store registration code, both available through DreamSpark. In addition, students will be able to test their apps, and developer experts and trainers will be available to answer questions and help participants submit their apps to the Windows Store.

What: Registration has launched for WOWZAPP 2012, Worldwide Hackathon for Windows.
Where: In more than 30 locations around the world. For a full list of sites, with more being added each day, visit Microsoft Students: Classroom Devices, Apps & Resources | Microsoft Education.
When: Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at 5 p.m. to Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, at 5 p.m. local time.
Who: Students, developers and entrepreneurs around the world who are interested in developing Windows Store apps using Windows 8.

Brink · Aug 20, 2019

Enter Insiders2Campus Contest for Microsoft 2019 Hackathon

For the first time ever, we’re inviting a select group of fans to join us at Microsoft headquarters for our global Hackathon, where full-time employees and interns gather to celebrate products and hear from Microsoft leaders—including CEO Satya Nadella.Tell us about your passion for solving challenges with your personal superpowers, whether you harness the power of design, project management, coding, or another area of expertise. You could win1 a trip to campus this July 22-25 to participate in Hackathon 2019, enjoy exclusive tours, and meet Microsoft leaders.1 You’ll hack alongside Microsoft employees for an amazing four days of collaboration, creativity, and problem solving.

ENTER THE CONTEST BY MAY 21, 2019

Prize

Win a trip to the Microsoft Campus and a spot at Hackathon 2019. We’ll also tell your story in an article featured on our homepage.

FULL PRIZE DETAILS

Eligibility

The award is open to all registered Windows Insiders. Registering is free and easy at insiders.windows.com.

FULL CONTEST RULES

Criteria

Submit a short video and brief written statement telling us why you should join us at Hackathon 2019.

Your application will be judged on:

Fit to Contest Theme: We’re looking for highly motivated fans who are passionate about collaborative problem solving and want to apply their skillset to make a difference.

Quality of Submission: We’ll be considering your ability to communicate effectively and your ability to clearly articulate your talents and what you have done in the past to solve challenges in collaboration with others.

Spark: We’re looking for original stories that wow us and have the potential to inspire. The best entries will paint a vivid picture about the impact you’ve made through your personal superpowers. Entries will be judged based on their content (not on how snazzy the video submission is).

ENTER THE CONTEST BY MAY 21, 2019
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Source: Insiders2Campus 2019 Hackathon contest - Windows Insider

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Brink · Aug 20, 2019

Announcing launch of Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon

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Today we announced the launch of the Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon. We invite you to join it and submit your creative applications that can help improve organizations’ cyber defenses. You’ll have the chance to win* a piece of the $15,000 cash prize pool as well as a speaking opportunity at Microsoft Build 2019.

Tap into the Microsoft Graph Security API and mash up with other APIs to build solutions that can help streamline security operations. The Microsoft Graph Security API connects multiple security solutions, with a unified schema, to enable easier correlation of alerts, provide access to rich contextual information, and simplify automation. This empowers organizations to quickly gain insights and take actions across their security products, while reducing the cost and complexity of building and maintaining multiple integrations.

What is the Graph Security Hackathon?

Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon is an online Hackathon available at Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon and is open to individuals, teams and organizations for participation. The goal is to build an application using the Microsoft Graph Security API – feel free to add Microsoft Graph and other APIs to the mix.

Why should I participate?

In addition to positively impacting organizational security, you have an opportunity to win* a piece of $15,000 cash in prizes with some additional opportunities to be promoted on Microsoft blog channels.

When is this?

Submission window for this Hackathon runs from December 1, 2018 until March 1, 2019

How to participate?

Review rules, resources with developer guide and inspiration content for detailed information

Register for the Hackathon on DevPost

Review the getting started to start building your application

Further Details

Review the Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon blog post and visit the Hackathon website.
Why wait? Join the #graphsecurityhackathon and invite your friends to join the fun!

*No purchase necessary. Open only to new and existing Devpost users who are the age of majority in their country. Game ends March 1, 2019 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. For details, see Official Rules.
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Source: Solve Cybersecurity's Greatest Challenge! - Microsoft Tech Community - 294291

See also:

Kicking off the Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon - Microsoft Secure

Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon: Solve cybersecuritys greatest challenge! - Devpost

Windows 10: Windows Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon

Windows Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon

Windows Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon

Windows Insiders do great things at the Microsoft global Hackathon

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