The words "collegiate cup" may spark an image of a red Solo version strewn across campus after a big party. But when it comes to the talented, in-the-know, competitive students attending Georgia colleges and universities, the only collegiate cup they care about is the one referring to next year's statewide competition.
Organized in the categories of code, case study and design, the upcoming Collegiate Cup, in its first year, will showcase the breadth of college talent across Georgia. Inspired and influenced by the MARTA Hackathon series and HackGT, this competition tests the best of computer science majors and students involved with hacking culture. However, Collegiate Cup sets itself apart from similar competitions in that the scope has been widened to include other rapid iteration skill sets.
"Hackathons, case study competitions and design competitions give contestants an opportunity to demonstrate how they solve problems in a short amount of time," Scott Henderson, CEO and co-founder of Sandbox Communities, the lead organizer of the Collegiate Cup, said. "It's a great way for attendees to try out new technologies and techniques alongside others while making connections with industry and company leaders."
How does it all work? Interested teams from Georgia colleges and universities have until December 16 to turn in their applications. This year's challenge is "to improve the quality of life in Georgia by leveraging the state's strengths." Collegiate Cup's organizers hope to have 10-15 different schools represented---eventually narrowing the field to 24 teams (eight teams in each of the three categories). These finalists will be selected based on team members' skills and drive, with a focus on having as many schools with qualified individuals represented as possible.
Once finalists are selected, they officially compete from January 25-27, 2019 at The Garage at Tech Square. After a welcome dinner and an opening session, these 24 teams will work and compete, in their respective categories, in The Garage. Mentors with subject matter expertise will check in with teams throughout the weekend, helping to inspire and guide teams to come up with out-of-the-box solutions.
On Sunday, teams present to different judging panels, as well as peer voting, and winners for each category will be announced, including the grand champion (a single school that accrues the best overall composite score). The grand champion prize is $1,000 and category champions will each receive $500…with obvious bragging rights.
"The Collegiate Cup started with the idea, 'Wouldn't it be great to leverage the Super Bowl LIII as a way to showcase the breadth of college talent across the state?'" Henderson said. "As we shaped the idea with our partners at HackGT, Honeywell and Georgia Centers of Innovation, it has evolved from just a coding competition to one that also includes case study and design...The overall goal of the event is to demonstrate that Georgia has a large number of great colleges and universities filled with amazingly talented students, ready to make a difference in the world today."
