Today, in partnership with Microsoft UK, Prodigy Learning is delighted to launch the UK Azure Fundamentals Championship 2021. Entry is now open for all students across the UK competing individually or as a small team to become the UK Azure Fundamentals Champion(s). Who will win this year’s trophy and Top Prize?
What is the UK Azure Fundamentals Championship?
The UK Azure Fundamentals Championship invites students to complete a complex challenge involving application of skills learnt by certifying in Microsoft Certified Fundamentals (MCF) Certification – Azure Fundamentals, Azure AI Fundamentals and Azure Data Fundamentals.
How to Take Part & Qualify?
To participate, eligible students must have taken and passed a Microsoft Certified Fundamentals (Azure) Certification Exam. Candidates will then use their newly acquired Azure Cloud Computing Skills to complete a complex challenge.
- To register and take part individually or as a Team (maximum 3 per team) please fill in the REGISTRATION FORM
- Registration closes on Monday 24th May 2021 with final submissions due before Midday on Monday 31st May.
You can download the full UK Azure Fundamentals Championship 2021 Briefing Document below. This outlines the Championship entry requirements, details of the challenge, specific points to be considered, guidelines, rules, a schedule, and the deadline for entry.
Challenge Outline
For this competition, you should consider yourself an Azure Developer or team of Developers. A Cloud Developer is responsible for converting the technical requirements of a Project into the architecture and design that will guide the final Product. Often, Cloud Developers are also responsible for bridging the
gaps between complex business problems and solutions in the cloud. In this challenge you will need to prove skills obtained as a result of completing the Azure Fundamentals certification. The challenge will involve designing an innovative solution to a current global challenge.
To download the full UK Azure Fundamentals Championship Briefing Document, click on the pdf document below.
Final entries are to be submitted no later than Midday on Monday 31st May 2021. All entries will be reviewed with the best 5 being invited to present their solution to a judging panel containing Industry Experts on Friday 18th June 2021. All entrants will be invited to a live announcement at 15:00pm GMT on Friday 25th June 2021 where the UK Azure Fundamentals Champion(s) will be crowned.
What is the TOP PRIZE?
The Top Prize for the UK Azure Fundamentals Champion(s) in addition to the title and winning trophy, is a SURFACE GO. There will also be prizes for second and third place winners!
The 2020 Championship saw Garry Lawson and Callum Thompson, Computer Science Students from the University of Lincoln, named as the overall winners, each winning Surface Headphones and the coveted UK trophy. The national competition, which receives entries from University students across the UK, invites participants to see themselves as ‘Azure Developers’ to solve a complex challenge. Given the current global pandemic, the global challenge for the 2020 UK Azure Student Championship was ‘Healthcare’. The University of Lincoln students focussed on how buildings and infrastructure could reduce COVID-19 virus transmission by designing an AI controlled air conditioning unit and camera system. What particularly caught the judge’s eyes was the live demo of the concept on Azure with simulated IoT devices.
On last year’s competition, Chris Rothwell, Director of Education, Microsoft UK commented “The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Championship is a fantastic event. Empowering learners with Azure Fundamentals Certification in the current climate mean they will come out of this ready to kick-start their cloud computing careers. The talent and cloud computing skills these young people have demonstrated are amazing, and I am confident that with this valuable industry recognised certification which they have achieved, represent a bright future for the Cloud Computing industry and the future skilled workforce.”
Commenting on the success of the competition Prodigy CEO, Andrew Flood, said: “The priority of Prodigy Learning as a global digital skills and certifications provider is to empower learners with industry-recognised, global certifications to support improved productivity whilst offering better employability opportunities. Now, more than ever it is critical we continue to deliver on our priority as the current situation presents a different employment landscape for students. We’re delighted to once again be partnering with Microsoft UK to host the UK Azure Fundamentals Championship 2021 and can’t wait to crown the 2021 Champions”.
