Peak Challenge Awards

The Peak Challenge was initially thought up as a replacement for the Summit Awards.  The initial thinking and working out was done Spring Quarter ‘07 by the USG, specifically George Gastelum.  This included presentations to the student body, faculty, and various information gathering efforts.  It was decided to hold off on implementing the new award program until Summer Quarter ‘07 to make sure it started big.

The Peak Challenge format will be similar to a Science Fair.  Tables will be set up for students to display their projects in whatever way they need to.  This will allow the students to have more freedom for how they show what their project can do.  It will also mean the students no longer have to worry about time limits on presentations.

The Peak Challenge is definitely going to continue to grow.  Number and variety of entries, awards, and categories will require the format to evolve as needed.  The USG is ready to handle this challenge.  We know what the students like: information, communication, and clear rewards for effort.  We are students ourselves.

Looking to the future, the Peak Challenge is very expandable.  As we it grows, we’ll have the option(s) to: invite other colleges and universities, add more awards/titles, and even look into corporate sponsorship.

However, the Peak Challenge needs the students at Neumont if it is going to succeed.  So, what are you waiting for!  Sign up!

WHEN is the Peak Challenge going to be?

->Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 4 PM!

–>I know many people have 4-4:50 classes. There will be time before 4 to set up your table. If noone from your team can be there from 4-5 PM either you or we can find a faculty member or student to sit in during that time. Finding a faculty member or student, and teaching them about your project can also help you work out how you will present it in the Peak Challenge.

WHEN can I sign up?

->NOW! Registration is open as of NOW!

WHO is running it?

-> The USG, Neumont Student Government, is organizing the Peak Challenge.

WHO can sign up?

->Currently, a team needs to have atleast one contributing member currently attending Neumont University.

WHAT projects can I sign up?

-> ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!!!  Due to the complete overhaul/restart of Neumont’s quarterly awards program, any project, current or past, can enter!  If you loved your fix-a-wreck design, bring it!  If you’re one of those nORMa followers, bring it!  If you did this one thing back in High School that was 1337 Woot, bring it!  If you have a project you’ve been tackling forever, and just can’t get the last few pieces to work, bring it!

WHAT benefit can I get from it?

-> First, feedback!  Your project will be viewed by multiple people from Neumont and the outside world.  Any developer will tell you, user input is invaluable to making a strong, long-lasting program!

-> Second, awards!  We’re working on the details, but there will be rewards, prizes, coveted titles, and small island countries!  Okay, not the countries….. yet.

HOW do I sign up?

-> Click here to see the instructions on how to enter your project.

HOW do you expect to do this in 3 weeks?

-> Hey, I’ve got more time then class registration this quarter!  And I know Neumont students work best under a short deadline!

Anything that has a setup file that you click to install goes here. This category has a wide target area to move in. Gaming, Productivity, and Security are only some of the possibilities. Whether you like creating a sweet console app to help you with complex calculations, or a killer looking GUI that helps you organize your music files, you’ve got a home here!

This post will be updated as I receive entries. I’ll put the student or team name, project name, and brief description, if included, below. As the list grows, feel free to comment.

I know some of you may be asking, “Why in the world would there be a Hardware category in a computer fair at Neumont, a programming school?” The answer is three-fold.

First, many students here at Neumont already have a vast and in depth knowledge of the physical inner workings of a computer, and all of the separate pieces.

Second, the marketing opportunity is huge. Neumont has one of the largest Computer Science departments in the world, and the majority of us can be found within 2 floors of a corporate office building 8-10 hours a day. Getting outside sponsorship from companies that specialize in computer hardware is a goal of the Peak Challenge

Third, the goal is to tie this into other [Inter]National computer hardware contests.

If hardware is not your thing, great. There are plenty of other categories to choose from. However, if you have always loved playing connect the dots with all the wires, and/or you can look at a pile of electronic parts, and turn them into a sweet computer, here’s your place to shine.

This post will be updated as I receive entries. I’ll put the student or team name, project name, and brief description, if included, below. As the list grows, feel free to comment.

This one is for the coders with a creative flair. This can include ANYTHING, as long as a computer was used during it’s creation! Whether its a live action film, edited on your computer, a flash movie created entirely on your computer, or even music/sound files. The obvious, but necessary to mention, rules, are:

1) Make sure the content is appropriate. We are hoping to open this up to people outside of Neumont, so please aim for a PG-13, or less, rating

2) No unnecessary mocking or insulting others. Humor is welcome, but it needs to be controlled to be truly funny.

3) Copyright laws must be followed! This ties back to wanting to open this up to people outside of Neumont.

I know, noone likes rules. These are here to make sure the Peak Challenge is the best possible experience for everyone.

This post will be updated as I receive entries.  I’ll put the student or team name, project name, and brief description, if included, below.  As the list grows, feel free to comment.

This category will include any project written for the web. This can include downloadable content, but the majority of code and functionality must be internet based. Some of the sub-categories I see as possible with this category are: game, e-commerce, web-community, solo, group, and sub-categories based on the coding language used for the project.

This post will be updated as I receive entries.  I’ll put the student or team name, project name, and brief description, if included, below.  As the list grows, feel free to comment.

Since this is a new program, there haven’t been any questions!  Go ahead and post any questions, comments or concerns here.  I’ll do my best to answer them completely and quickly.  This includes any ideas you have for the category, possible sub-categories, and ways to judge the entrants.  Anything that can make the Peak Challenge more enjoyable and interesting is welcome!

Since this is a new program, there haven’t been any questions!  Go ahead and post any questions, comments or concerns here.  I’ll do my best to answer them completely and quickly.  This includes any ideas you have for the category, possible sub-categories, and ways to judge the entrants.  Anything that can make the Peak Challenge more enjoyable and interesting is welcome!

Since this is a new program, there haven’t been any questions!  Go ahead and post any questions, comments or concerns here.  I’ll do my best to answer them completely and quickly.  This includes any ideas you have for the category, possible sub-categories, and ways to judge the entrants.  Anything that can make the Peak Challenge more enjoyable and interesting is welcome!

Since this is a new program, there haven’t been any questions!  Go ahead and post any questions, comments or concerns here.  I’ll do my best to answer them completely and quickly.  This includes any ideas you have for the category, possible sub-categories, and ways to judge the entrants.  Anything that can make the Peak Challenge more enjoyable and interesting is welcome!