Alcatel-Lucent unveils application development contest for Malaysians

Geek-the-Genius Contest aims to encourage creation of compelling local Internet content

Kuala Lumpur, April 27, 2012 - Alcatel-Lucent Malaysia, a leading innovator in networking and communications technology, products and services, today launched a contest to encourage the creation of more local content on the Internet. The contest, known as Geek-the-Genius, will require participants to develop Facebook applications that are suitable for children aged between 5 to 12 years.

The Facebook applications developed through the Geek-the-Genius contest will focus on edutainment elements. It is hoped that this initiative will help drive the interest among younger Malaysians to explore and use locally developed content.[left-right] Ng Wan Peng, COO of MDeC. Mohd Fazlin Shah Mohd Salleh, President and Managing Director of Alcatel-Lucent Malaysia.

The Geek-the-Genius contest is open to all eligible Malaysians and will run for a period of 12 weeks -- from 27 April to 20 July 2012. Participants will be required to register their details at www.geekthegenius.com and upon successful registration a username and password will be issued to each participant. They will then be able to start creating Facebook applications using the various tools and plug-ins provided by Facebook. All applications that are submitted by participants and satisfy the contest guidelines will be showcased at www.facebook.com/geekthegenius.

The Facebook applications submitted by participants will be shortlisted and judged based on several criteria. These include creativity level, idea originality, level of educational content, user experience, and suitability and relevance to the target audience.

The contest was officially launched by MDeC’s Chief Operating Officer, Ng Wan Peng. In her speech, she said: “According to the Google Ad Planner, 64.7 percent of Malaysians use the Internet and out of which 75.5 percent of them are active on Facebook. It is important to have programmes such as this to drive the availability of relevant and compelling local content on Facebook suited for local consumption.”

Judges of Geek-the-Genius [left-right] :Reza Razali, Founder and Managing Director, Terato Tech Sdn Bhd. Ravi Gopal, Head of Education, Astro. Ronald Byrne, Editor, StarBytz, The Star Publications. Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad Ir., Head of Digital Infrastructure Business Unit, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). Sheikh Raffie Abd Rahman, Advisor, Business Development, BERNAMA Systems & Solutions Advisor Sdn Bhd.

“Alcatel-Lucent’s effort is an example of a privately-led initiative to help boost the creation of more local content in Malaysia. The Geek-the-Genius contest represents an ideal platform for Malaysians to showcase their creativity and talent in creating simple, yet interactive applications that appeal to children,” she added.

Mohd Fazlin Shah Mohd Salleh, President and Managing Director of Alcatel-Lucent Malaysia, said: “As a provider of the building blocks and enabling technologies for broadband connectivity in the country, Alcatel-Lucent Malaysia hopes the Geek-to-Genius contest will contribute towards the development of a robust Internet ecosystem which is in line with the government's National Broadband Agenda.”

Several members from the media, creative content and ICT industries have been invited to sit on the Geek-the-Genius judging panel with Alcatel-Lucent’s Mohd Fazlin. They include:
• Ir Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, Head of Digital Infrastructure Business Unit, MDeC
• Ronald Byrne, Editor of StarBytz, The Star newspaper’s IT pullout
• Sheikh Raffie Abdul Rahman, Business Development Advisor, BERNAMA Systems and Solutions Advisor
• Reza Razali, Managing Director, Terato Tech
• Ravi Gopal, Head of Education, Astro, Measat Broadcast Network System

“It is an honour to have fellow industry peers on the judging panel because their feedback and views represent the larger community, and that will be valuable in helping us select the most deserving winners,” said Mohd Fazlin.

A total of 13 cash prizes will be awarded -- the Grand Prize stands at RM20,000; First Prize at RM12,000; Second Prize at RM5,000; and ten Consolation Prizes at RM700 each. Results and details of winners will be announced at a prize presentation and showcase event, tentatively scheduled to be held on 3 September 2012.

For more details about the Geek-the-Genius contest, please go to www.geekthegenius.com and www.facebook.com/geekthegenius.