Win paid placements with IBM or Deutsche Bank
The SMAC competition – run by the IT Innovation Centre – is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University from technical and non-technical backgrounds.
There are two ways to take part:
- Option 1: Enter an innovative idea for an app and a story board with the design of your app and how it would work
- Option 2: Enter an innovative idea for an app and a working app or a fully working prototype
Prizes include paid placements with IBM and Deutsche Bank, paid placements at the IT Innovation Centre, tablet computers and other prizes. SMAC is also accredited through the PSA Employability programme of the University.
Competition Themes
- New Lapworth Museum: Apps to engage the public with the new Lapworth Museum of Geology, find out more about the Lapworth Museum of Geology.
- Accessibility: Apps to enhance the experiences of people with disabilities
- Your choice of app: anything else that has value for the University or the wider community
Key Dates
- Monday 27 Oct 2014: Competition opens. Register interest and start submitting your ideas
- Wednesday 12 Nov 2014: App Ideas Generating Workshop (attendance compulsory for PSA accreditation)
- Friday 5 Dec 2014: Deadline for App ideas submission
- End of January 2015: IBM Workshop – Tools for mobile app development (TBC)
- Friday 6th March 2015: Deadline to submit app designs, working apps or prototypes
- Wednesday 25th March 2015: Demos and Awards Ceremony
Competition Process:
There are 3 stages to SMAC:
1. Idea Submission (all entries via option 1 and 2): All participants are asked to submit a short report describing their innovative idea for a mobile app that is aligned with the competition themes. During this phase the IT Innovation Centre will organise an ideas generation workshop to spark ideas and to bring collaboration. Attendance to the workshops is compulsory if you want to get the PSA accreditation.
Please register for the Ideas Generation Workshop before 12th Nov 2014.
- Deadline for report submission: Friday 5th December 2014
- All reports to be submitted by email to itinnovation@contacts.bham.ac.uk
2. App Development:
- Option 1: build a story board with the design of your app and how it would work
Guideline for creating a story board with the design for your app: for creating a story board with the design for your app, it is recommended to use one of the mobile prototyping platform which can build and deploy fully interactive mobile app prototypes and simulations that resemble the finished products. There are many kinds of these wire framing tools for mobile, a few recommended platforms are listed as below: Proto.io , Balsamiq, Popapp. You may choose to use the recommended platform or other wire framing tools.
- Option 2: build a working app or a fully working prototype
Guideline for creating a working app or a fully working prototype: for creating a working app or a fully working prototype, it is recommended to follow the university guideline for mobile app development. Please visit the Mobile App Resources pages for further information. Alternatively, new programmers could try the drag-and-drop mobile app development platform which requires no coding or very little coding skills. A few examples of the drag-and-drop mobile app development platforms are listed: Appery.io, Infinite monkeys, Appsbuilder, Mobile Roadie.
In both of the options, participants are required to email the app design, working app or prototype to IT Innovation Centre (itinnovation@contacts.bham.ac.uk) by the end of Friday 6th March 2015.
3. Judging, Demos and Awards: Once the app designs or working apps are submited, they will be reviewed by a panel of experts. Shortlisted finalists will be invited to present or demo their apps to a panel of experts from the university and industry and a general audience. Attendance will be compulsory for the shortlisted finalists. Prizes will be awarded to the winning apps.
Industrial Placements and PSA Accreditation:
- IBM and Deutsche Bank are official industrial sponsors of SMAC. They will each offer one paid industrial placement (14 week approx.) to the competition winners.
- The SMAC competition is also accredited through the Personal Skills Award employability programme of the University as follows:
- Winners: 95 PSA points
- If you get Commendations: 85 PSA points
- For entering and completing the competition: 75 PSA points
Extra PSA points are awarded to through volunteering or taking placements at the IT Innovation Centre.
- Paid placements are also available at the IT Innovation Centre