Singapore Airlines Launches IT Competition - SIA App Challenge

Singapore Airlines has launched an information technology competition targeted at tertiary students keen to make a difference in the aviation industry.

The ‘SIA App Challenge’ is based on the theme of ‘Your Travel, Your Way’. Participants will be provided real-world business challenges to stretch their creativity, aimed at developing digital applications suited for the modern traveller.

The first prize is a trip to Silicon Valley in the US, where the winners will interact with executives from companies like Google and IBM. The winning team and selected participants may also gain an internship stint with SIA.

Registration for the competition is now open and closes on 20 September 2015. Students aged 18 and above who are studying in Singapore-based universities and polytechnics are eligible to take part. Students can participate in groups of up to four, or as individuals.

The competition will kick off on 3 October 2015 with a workshop where business challenges and development tools will be shared. This includes application programme interfaces (APIs) and tools from leading aviation and technology partners. The workshop will also provide participants with a deeper insight into the business operation of an airline company.

Participants will be mentored and guided by representatives from SIA, as well as renowned industry partners such as Amadeus, IBM and SITA, as they develop working prototypes. Other partners and sponsors include Intel Mashery, NUS Enterprise and Tata Consultancy Services.

Presentations and judging will be held on 10 October 2015, where teams will be evaluated based on the following criteria: innovation, business value, technical competency and user experience.

“The SIA App Challenge is aimed at engaging tertiary students to tackle real-world challenges in the aviation industry. This is especially important in a world that is becoming increasingly digital and where there are ample opportunities to innovate and transform the manner in which we travel using technology. Together with sponsoring partners and schools, this learning platform will enable students to apply their knowledge and skills and be innovative and bold to challenge the boundaries. We also hope to inspire our young minds to pursue careers in the aviation industry through this competition,” said Singapore Airlines Acting Senior Vice President Information Technology, Mr George Wang.

Tim Greisinger, Managing Director, IBM Singapore, said, “IBM is proud to be sponsoring the SIA App Challenge to provide a platform for students to explore their passion for creativity and innovation, and develop their skills in cloud application development. Through our cloud development platform, IBM Bluemix, we want to encourage out-of-textbook learning and help these budding developers rapidly build, run and manage cloud applications and services with ease and flexibility. Under the mentorship of IBM Cloud Experts, students will also receive training on how to use IBM Bluemix through a series of joint workshops with SIA which will kick start in August.”