NI-Limits Blog

And we were starting to think that there was no such thing as a funky Malaysian website that gave our widgets as forms of viral marketing and used Flash to make the experience truly interactive were just rumours, that is, until we laid our eyes on the new Chipster website:

In knowing that there is some talent here in Malaysia, it’s no surprise that there are several companies seeking such talent. We for example are running a Mascot Design Competition with a grand prize of US$ 250, from which we sincerely hope a Malaysian will win.

TechCentral reports on a competition from The Oracle Education Foundation, where they are inviting students and teachers to take part in the ThinkQuest International 2008 challenge:

Students are encouraged to team with peers in other regions to develop websites on educational topics. As they create their sites, the participants develop important 21st century skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, self-direction, problem-solving, and technology skills.

Oracle Education Initiatives vice-president Clare Dolan said ThinkQuest was an educational programme which brought together students and technology in ways that positively impact children’s lives and the communities they lived in. 

“More than 280,000 students benefit each year from the foundation’s technology programmes, which help children develop vital skills for life and work in the 21st century,”she added. Entries must be in by April 2 next year, allowing teams up to eight months to build their websites.  

Qualifying entries will be published in the ThinkQuest Library. Winners will receive prizes from the foundation, including laptops and US$1,000 (RM3,500) school grants for the top five teams in each age division, travel to the annual ThinkQuest Live event for the top three teams in each division, and digital cameras for the team that receives the Global Perspectives Award.

On-top of that, TechCentral also reports on a contest by Standard Chartered, who are hosting a talent content looking for people to develop Malaysia’s knowledge economy:

Its information technology arm, Scope International, has organised the Scope International ICT Competition which aims to foster creativity and champion knowledge growth amongst university students and ICT (information and communications technology) professionals.  The competition is open to Malaysians, foreigners and permanent residents in the country, age 18 and above. Foreigners should be working professionals employed locally or students in tertiary institutions.  

Each entry must comprise a team of between two and five members, and have at least one Malaysian member. Winners will receive cash prizes; RM15,000 (first prize for professionals) and RM12,000 (first prize for students); RM10,000 (second prize for professionals) and RM8,000 (students); RM5,000 (third prize for professionals) and RM4,000 (students).