Microsoft Excellence Awards Call for Abstracts

Abstracts are welcomed from all areas of IT, Learning, Research and Student Engagement across the Tertiary Sector. This is your chance to champion the use of technology that achieves outstanding learning experiences for students, supports research or provides a value added spark to your institution.


Conference theme
Our theme for this year is Bring IT On which focuses on identifying and sharing the key issues and opportunities for ICT in tertiary education, now and into the future.

Bring IT On is all about embracing new technology on a daily basis to make life easier and simpler as well as welcoming everyone from the whole community to benefit throughout the lifecycle.
Don’t think your idea for your paper quite fits the theme?
Well don’t worry.  Send in your abstract and we'll look at finding a spot for you.


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Awards
  • The Microsoft Award for Technology Innovation – The award for non-BAU, extreme or utterly new use of technology in a tertiary environment. Winner receives $3000 for their institution.
  • The Microsoft Award for Excellence in Technology Delivery – The award for exceptional delivery of technology across projects, service delivery and support. Winner receives $3000 for their institution.
  • The Microsoft Award for Excellence in Technology for Learning, Research or Students – for exceptional delivery of technology supporting the core sector outcomes of Learning, Research or Students. Winner receives $3000 for their institution.
  • The Supreme Winner – The overall winner, as judged from the winners of the other three categories, is awarded the Microsoft Innovation and Excellence trophy until the next year’s awards ceremony.

Presentation Timing and Focus
All Microsoft Tertiary ICT Excellence Award finalists will be given a 25 minute slot on the conference programme.
Presentations are 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes to answer questions from the judging panel and audience.

The presentation is the innovation pitch - focus just on the innovation and outcomes. Questions and answers
are scored, so come prepared!

The Microsoft Tertiary ICT Excellence Awards is judged on two components:
  • The content and quality of the paper submission – this will be distributed to conference delegates and the judges.
  • The quality of information presented during the 25 minute “dragons’ den” pitch and question time. Both the written and presented components of the submission should concentrate on service achievements and how the applicants’ inventive solutions have made a difference to an organisation or key customer group.
You are encouraged to submit your abstracts early, as speaking opportunities will be at a premium.

Terms & Conditions
  • Completed entries must be emailed to office@iconevents.co.nz by 5pm, Friday the 24th June, 2016.
  • Entry is open to all conference delegates involved in the Tertiary Sector; whether an individual, team or
    institution.
  • Conference sponsors are not eligible.
  • You may submit as many nominations as you like.
  • The judges’ decision will be final. No correspondence or discussion will be entered into. Judging of the
    award categories is undertaken without reference/bias of existing conference sponsors.
  • The $3000 award money is in the form of a cheque or bank transfer to the winning institution. These will not
    be made out to the individual presenters.
  • The Award winners will be announced at the Microsoft Tertiary ICT Excellence Awards Gala Dinner to be held
    on the 6th of October 2016 as part of this year’s