It’s rare to see anyone sharing their experience in The International ICT Innovative Services Awards (InnoServe Awards), but this is a large competition with participation from over a hundred schools each year. Our university, CCU, also participates regularly, so I thought I’d share some insights for the upcoming competitors and future students who might find this useful.
📍 What is the InnoServe? #
The InnoServe (ICT Innovation Services Awards) is one of Taiwan’s largest ICT competitions. You can think of it as a national project competition for university students, covering a wide range of categories related to information applications. Projects can be submitted, judged through a preliminary round, and the top-ranking projects receive generous cash prizes. Most Taiwanese universities, especially their Information Management departments, will send students to participate. For instance, our department at CCU sends the top two projects each year.
Why is the InnoServe? #
If you’ve done a project in CS or information management, this is a great opportunity to showcase your work and compete with students nationwide. It’s essentially a chance to bring your project to a bigger stage and gain higher recognition and honor. Besides the cash prize, it can also bolster your graduate school application. Personally, I leveraged my placement in this competition to secure an internship at a software company, and some of my teammates used it for graduate school applications. It’s a valuable addition to your resume.
Different universities place different levels of importance on the InnoServe. Some universities, especially those focused on practical applications, go all out each year, with professors even attending to offer explanations. Some companies also scout at the venue. If you’re someone who doesn’t excel academically but wants to showcase your project, InnoServe could be a golden opportunity.
📍 Registration Is the Most Important Step #
🚨This section applies to university students in Taiwan and is not applicable to students from foreign universities, who should only be eligible to apply for the International Exchange Category (IC) in this competition. Therefore, you may skip this section (click me) and proceed to the next one, and please use discretion when referencing the content of this article.🚨
Here’s a key point: your chances of winning are practically decided at the registration stage. Don’t underestimate the importance of registration. InnoServe has different competition categories, and some categories have restrictions. For example, you can only apply to two main categories, so you’ll need to choose the category with the best chances. If you’re serious about winning, there are niche categories with specific criteria that aren’t widely applied for. By meeting these criteria, your chances of winning significantly increase.
The year I competed, in 2023, generative AI was just gaining popularity, so they added a new AI Tools Application category. Our team considered applying for it, but our project’s AI applications were more focused on art asset generation and script usage, which lacked a unique angle compared to other AI services. Although we were early adopters of AI art (back when Midjourney first launched its subscription model), by the time of the finals, AI-generated images had become commonplace. So, we decided to apply in the Industry-Academia Collaboration and International Chinese categories instead. Both projects advanced to the finals, and one even won an award.
Should You Enter the Information Application Group? #
The Information Application Group (IP) is the most popular, as it has the broadest scope and attracts a wide range of projects. It’s not necessarily the hardest to win, but you’ll face diverse competitors – from shopping platforms to security detection systems. If you want to stand out in this group, you need to define your project’s unique position; otherwise, it might lack memorability.
⭐ How to Pass the InnoServe Preliminary Round? #
The preliminary round primarily involves writing documentation and creating an introductory video. If your department requires a project thesis, you can adapt it to meet the competition’s documentation requirements. Focus on presenting your project thoroughly to increase your chances of passing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggvzS1kNsvc
You can refer to the video I made for our team. It’s essentially a project demo combined with a theme introduction, edited to look like a game trailer, as our project involved gamified tourism education. It doesn’t have to be as polished as mine; many examples on the InnoServe winner page are much simpler. Some are just PowerPoint presentations narrated over (even though the video limit is three minutes, many go over 😂).
📌 InnoServe ICT Competition Finals Day #
What’s Provided at the InnoServe Competition Venue? #
The finals are usually held at NTU. Competitors receive an ID badge and a small booth (basically a table), with internet and power outlets provided. Beyond that, you need to bring everything for your setup, including posters and stands (yes, posters stands aren’t provided). Since our project had AR elements that required users to scan physical icons, I went to a print shop to find suitable materials, like ivory paper, and printed a full-color poster with a display stand. Although not required, this shows dedication and makes a good impression.
What Should You Bring? #
The teams that stand out bring everything, including hardware components. I’ve seen drone teams with impressive setups, small models of toilets, or even electronic keyboards for AI music demos. Though it’s an ICT competition, any physical props enhance your presentation’s impact. At the very least, have a poster or an information board to look more professional.
Do You Need to Explain at the Booth? #
You’ll spend most of the time at the booth, and only go for judging when called. If you’re competing in multiple categories, you’ll have different sessions and may need to move between locations, which can be a bit of a trek. Visitors to your booth are usually other teams, so it’s mostly waiting around, which gives you a chance to visit other booths.
⭐ How to Stand Out in the Finals? #
As everyone’s technology use is similar, the key to winning lies in choosing the right theme, addressing current societal needs, and finding a clear target audience. The InnoServe competition isn’t just about programming skills or website design; judges often care more about the real-world need for your solution. Does your project address an essential problem? If you can convince judges of your project’s necessity, your chances of winning will increase.
Our team spent considerable time coding and debugging, but I realized that all that effort isn’t what wins you an award. You need to repackage your project and focus on storytelling, as judges are often entrepreneurs, managers, CEOs, and professors. I only had six minutes for the presentation and seven minutes for Q&A, so it was crucial to deliver a concise, impactful message. That was my biggest takeaway from the competition.
📌 The Finals Process #
The rankings are given by category, with each category divided into groups of about ten teams, judged by the same panel. Top three awards are given per group, so luck also plays a role. If your group is particularly strong, the odds may be lower.
📋 Finals Workflow #
The finals involve a panel of five judges. You have six minutes to present, followed by Q&A. The finals venue is separate from the main exhibition. When it’s your group’s turn, you’re taken to a large room with booths. We brought everything we could, including a large monitor connected to a laptop. The organizers only provide basic setup: power outlets, chairs, tables, and internet.
🔥 The Finals Are a Whole New Battle! #
When I first started preparing for this competition, I thought I knew my project inside and out, having worked on it for so long. So, I just reused the presentation slides from our departmental exhibition. But when I recorded myself presenting and reviewed my performance critically, I realized the content was messy, lengthy, and lacked focus. Our team was collaborating with an industry partner, so the project was complex and couldn’t be condensed into six minutes. Maybe if I spoke really fast, I could fit it in, but a good presentation isn’t just about speed. It needs to be clear and instantly understandable to the judges.
Before the competition, I invested a lot of time restructuring the presentation. It was quite a process with several setbacks—not only was I often going overtime, but I also felt I wasn’t getting to the point. Fortunately, our advisor, Professor Shengwei, gave me tremendous encouragement and sharp feedback that pinpointed the issues. He asked me to consider whether what I wanted to say was actually what the judges wanted to hear, or just what I felt like sharing. He asked, if I were pitching to investors, what story would be compelling enough to move them?
With the professor’s advice, I refocused the presentation more on market potential than on technical aspects. I removed some of the details about the industry collaboration and honed in on the product’s potential applications and future development. I even practiced with friends and classmates, rehearsing until I could deliver the presentation backwards. On the day of the competition, the judges responded enthusiastically—some even tried our app (we had several preloaded devices on hand XD). In the end, we secured third place in the Industry Collaboration category.
I am extremely grateful for the professor’s guidance and for the relentless efforts of my teammates. Everyone worked tirelessly on this project, and that camaraderie—along with the moments of wanting to quit every time we saw an error—will stay with me forever. This award was the best possible reward for the six months we put into this project!
That’s about it. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I couldn’t find much online about experiences in this competition, but it has been a huge boost to my resume. I hope everyone reading this can achieve great results and bring honor to their school and team.