Source: The Independent
Microsoft last night announced the winners of the 11th annual Microsoft Imagine Cup, a worldwide competition for student technologists,

developers and aspiring entrepreneurs to create innovative projects and ultimately bring those ideas to market.

Team Code 8 from Uganda walked away with the first place in the Women's Empowerment Award -an award which, in partnership with UN Women, recognizes two student teams that created projects that best address issues impacting women globally.

Team Code 8 from Makerere University comprised of students Joshua Busingye, Josiah Kavuma, Brian Gitta, and Simon Lubambo. They exhibited Matibabu which is an app that diagnoses malaria without pricking any body part.

In 2012, Team Cipher256 from Uganda won a Grant Award for WinSenga - a handheld device that can scan a pregnant woman's womb to monitor baby movements and detect ectopic pregnancy or abnormal foetal heartbeats.

The winners were announced at the Imagine Cup Awards Ceremony, held at the historic Alexandrinsky Theater which was the culmination of a four-day competition and celebration of bringing ideas to life through technology and teamwork.

Eighty-seven student teams from 71 countries including 12 from Africa, competed in the Worldwide Finals after winning local and online competitions around the world. Microsoft has awarded cash and other prizes valued at more than $1 million throughout the yearlong Imagine Cup competition, including awards for the winning teams at the Worldwide Finals event this week.

Imagine Cup is a forum for exceptional students from around the world to channel their passion and creativity into thoughtful, innovative solutions that have the potential for real-world impact

Imagine Cup forms part of Microsoft's YouthSpark initiative - a global initiative which is aimed at helping young people pursue an education, find employment and foster entrepreneurship. It is also directly aligned to the Microsoft 4Afrika initiative which was launched earlier in 2013, which is built on the belief that "technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world".

Microsoft Imagine Cup is the world's premier technology program and competition for students to learn, build and compete with innovative tools, platform and services. This is the 11th year of Imagine Cup.

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