The ShiraX Challenges: Challenge X - "The Delta Quadrant"

Background

Global Learning XPRIZE is a competition challenging teams to develop open-source software that will enable children with limited access to schooling to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic. XPRIZE, a non-profit organization, is the world’s leader in designing and managing incentive prize competitions for the benefit of humanity.

Midnight Illusions Ltd. is a +20 year strong digital media solutions company specializing in award-winning start-to-finish mobile application development services for all major mobile platforms.

The Global Learning XPRIZE is a crowdsourced problem designed for the world to solve. Midnight Illusions has taken on the challenge of addressing this problem by crowdsourcing the solution.

We have conceptually developed our solution, known as The ShiraX System™, from the ground up specifically for the Global Learning XPRIZE competition.  The System will not only achieve the competition goals but has massive potential to greatly exceed them.  And we look forward to adding YOU to our team by working together to fully realize this System!

What is The ShiraX System™ ?

The Cocktail Party One-Liner

The ShiraX System™ is a web-based magic toolbox that will allow anyone to easily create and share their educational app with the world.

The Geek Meetup Two-Liner

The Super Helpful Intelligent Resource Architect (Shira) X System™ (or simply, “ShiraX”) is an open source layperson-friendly modular platform that facilitates the creation of educational apps for Android, iOS, Web, PC, and Mac deployment.

ShiraX blends a highly-intuitive User Interface (UI) with strong User Experience (UX) design principles and strong MVC architecture at its core.

Challenge X - "The Delta Quadrant"

Click the "Guidelines" tab for more information about this specific Challenge.

Prize Payout Structure

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AN INDIRECTLY FUNDED CHALLENGE
Awarding of any prizes in any of The ShiraX Challenges is contingent on the Midnight Illusions Ltd. team being chosen as either a Finalist or Winner in the Global Learning XPRIZE.

The following breaks down the potential prize amount ranges:

Submissions and Team Invites

We will evaluate all submissions, comparing against this Challenge's technical requirements and all other judging factors.  See the Guidelines link for this Challenge for more information.

Innovator submissions will be short-listed and organized by the top performing submission, onward.  The Top Innovator will be contacted first.  A list of Finalists will also be assembled, in the event that the Top Innovator is unable to continue.

An invitation will be sent to the Top Innovator submission for this Challenge to officially join Team "Midnight Illusions" in the Global Learning XPRIZE Challenge.  The Innovator must meet all Global Learning XPRIZE requirements and sign both an agreement with Midnight Illusions Ltd. and a Team Member agreement with Global Learning XPRIZE.  All documentation and forms will be supplied.  

Should the top Innovator decline the invite, the invitation will then be sent to the Finalist(s) in the order of their evaluation in this Challenge.

Open Source.  Variable IP.

Should our team earn the status of Finalist or Winner, our collective software solution will be open sourced to the world.  As per Global Learning XPRIZE regulations, IP is retained by the team (Midnight Illusions).

Shoud our team not earn Finalist or Winner status, our collective software solution will still be open sourced to the world.  You, the Innovator, will retain the IP related to your code.

Post-HeroX Challenge &
Global Learning XPRIZE Timeline

The ShiraX Challenges on HeroX represent one key component of our solution submission to Global Learning XPRIZE.  After the winners are announced for each HeroX Challenge, with your assistance as an official Team Member we will continue to enhance the System, while our team educators load in English and Swahili content, to meet the requirements of Global Learning XPRIZE.  This process will occur from mid-Sept to end of October 2016.  We officially submit to XPRIZE before November 1, 2016.

After submission, we wait to hear back from Global Learning XPRIZE to learn if we have made it the semi-finalist level (currently March 1, 2017).  In the interim, solution development will continue, as we are able to submit updated software at each evaluation milestone.

Should (no....WHEN!) we make it to the Finalist announcement (currently July 10, 2017), we will arrange prize payout with each ShriaX Challenges HeroX sub-challenge Winner, as per the "Finalist" Prize Payout Structure outlined above.  Solution development will further continue, with our assistance as an official Teal Member from July 2017 to September 2018.  We will have several opportunities to submitted updated code while our solution is being tested in the field (with appox. 800 children in several villages in Tanzania), further enhancing our opportunity to fully win Global Learning XPRIZE.

Should (no...WHEN!) we make it to the Global Learning XPRIZE Grand Prize announcement that team Midnight Illusions has W-O-N (currently April 2019), we will arrange prize payout with each ShiraX Challenges HeroX sub-challenge Winner, as per the "Winner" Prize Payout structure outlined above.

And of course, we'll have to arrange some sort of massive party to celebrate!  ;)

Additional Rules

Who can participate:
The Challenge is open to individuals and teams. To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the Challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement.

Selection of Winner:
Based on the winning criteria, one or more prizes will be allocated, pending the performance of the Midnight Illusions team in the Global Learning XPRIZE.  See "Prize Payout Structure", above.  In the case of a tie, the winner will be selected at the discretion of the Judging Panel.

Submissions:
All Team submission materials must be submitted online on or before August 12, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. No submissions will be accepted after this time. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. All submissions must be received online, via the Challenge website, and all uploads can be in PDF format only. Submission reporting requirements are detailed in Judging.

Challenge Guidelines are subject to change. Registered competitors will receive notification when changes are made, however, we highly encourage you to visit the Challenge Site often to review updates.

The ShiraX Challenges are an ambitious plan for compassionate coders to
create a self-teaching educational system that will significantly improve
the status quo of impoverished girls around the world,
by providing hope, freedom, and possibility.

Join  •  Code  •  Innovate  •  Win!

Technical Code Requirements

Technical code requirements for all ShiraX System components are listed below.

• Code runs on PHP 5.6 or higher
• Renders to a web browser as HTML5 and CSS3.  Responsive (mobile) layout.
• JavaScript allowed
• MySQL Database

Also please note the following:

• Flash is not permitted
• Java is permitted, however:
  • Preferential treatment will be given to solutions that do not include Java programming.

Code Development Outlines

Please review the information below to learn more about the requirements for each coding component of this Challenge, which has 5 components:

H1.  Project Manager
H2.  Template Manager
H3.  Media Library Manager
H4.  Alphabet and Number Manager
H5.  Word and Sentence Manager

For reference, in this Guideline:

"ShiraX" - Refers to The ShiraX System™
"Creator" - Refers to the user of the system, who typically will have a non-tech. background

X1.  BONUS Components - “The Delta Quadrant”

General Overview

We know we’re just getting started with the potential of ShiraX.  Over many months, we’ve fleshed out our ideas, drained our brains of their creative juices, drank lots of energy boosters and consumed vast quantities of sugar.  The ideas presented here are where we ended up.

Now it’s your turn.  

We have set aside an open-ended challenge entirely for YOU, with up to 5 bonus prize slots, for up to 5 stellar additions.  So break out the energy drinks and espresso and uniquely contribute something absolutely brilliant and massively impactful to ShiraX.  Did we miss the obvious?  

Thoughts:

• Bake the next JARVIS or HAL (make him friendly and genuinely helpful) into ShiraX.
• Craft a Plugin/Add-On framework that will allow for infinite expandability of ShiraX.
• English and Swahili Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text.
• 3D Animation Gaming engine.
• Are there cognitive functions in children we can work with to reach a whole new level of learning?  Let’s incorporate this into ShiraX.

Is there something completely non-tech that ShiraX is missing?

You must totally WOW us.  Make our job drop.  Force us to create a shrine in your honour.  Let’s name a public square after you -- your “missing link” was that mind-blowingly awesome.

We look forward to what you come up with and we know it’s going to rock!

Component/Feature/Function Outline

• Entirely up to you.  Just be sure to make it BIG…

Judging Breakdown

Evaluation criteria that will be used to evaluate your Submission will be posted soon...