Frequently Asked Questions
These questions came from applicants like you. We hope you find them helpful and informative. If you don't find the answer to your question here, please email productprodigy@google.com.
- What is Product Prodigy?
- Is this a scholarship?
- What is the competition Goal?
- What are the regions covered for this competition?
- Who can participate?
- Why does the synopsis submitted to Google need to be in English?
- I am professor at a College and currently pursuing my doctoral program. Can I apply for this competition?
- What if I have already participated in the last year edition?
- Does the contest cost anything?
- What obligation do the participating teams have?
- I’m not a Computer Science engineering student. Can I apply?
- If I have a friend in another college and s/he is not aware of this competition, how can I get him or her to apply?
- Is there a specific form I need to complete to be considered for the Google Product Prodigy?
- What kinds of questions does the application include?
- How many applications can I submit?
- When does the competition begin?
- Who will cover the cost of travel and stay?
- What are the awards for the winners?
- How many teams will be rewarded?
- How do I select a product idea?
- What resources are provided by Google to help?
- What are the evaluation criteria for a Product Idea?
- Who judges the competition?
- How will the final demo be tested?
- Who will own the product idea after the contest?
What is Product Prodigy?
Product Prodigy is Google’s platform for the students to explore their technological abilities and encourage them to develop their product engineering skills. Product Prodigy will recognize students for their path-breaking ideas in online and mobile technologies.
Participants will be required to make products revolving around Google’s mission statement: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Is this a scholarship?
This is NOT a scholarship. This is a one-time award.
What is the competition Goal?
The primary objective is to foster innovation at the university level and provide a platform to develop product ideas relevant to the region.
What are the regions covered for this competition?
The contest will cover some of the elite engineering schools across different states in India.
Who can participate?
- Full-time students from recognized institutions (link to a list of recognized institutions)
- Area of specialization must be Computer Science Engineering or related majors
- Enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral program
- All the team members need to be in the same college.
- Option of having one of the faculty members as the mentor or coach for the team.
The mode of communication is only in English.
Why does the synopsis submitted to Google need to be in English?
To standardize things for the Global Judging Panel, all reports are in English. This ensures all teams are judged fairly and equally by the judges.
I am professor at a College and currently pursuing my doctoral program. Can I apply for this competition?
Yes, you can apply for this award.
What if I have already participated in the last year edition?
Last year contestants can also participate as long as the idea is new and not repetitive.
Does the contest cost anything?
No – We do not charge any teams for participating in the contest.
What obligation do the participating teams have?
All participating teams should sign the NDA and submit the scanned copy online.
I’m not a Computer Science engineering student. Can I apply?
We are accepting applications only from students pursuing Computer Science and related courses. This would include Information Technology and Information Systems.
If I have a friend in another college and s/he is not aware of this competition, how can I get him or her to apply?
This competition is not open to all engineering schools. If your friend studies in one of the schools mentioned in the drop down menu in the list of colleges he/she can approach the placement office of his/her college to find out more details.
Is there a specific form I need to complete to be considered for the Google Product Prodigy?
Yes, please use our online application form (include the Apply Online link here).
What kinds of questions does the application include?
The application form has the following sections: contact information, educational background and two essays.
How many applications can I submit?
Only one application per team is permitted.
When does the competition begin?
The 2008 competition will begin in October and the registration window will be open from 15th October for a period of three weeks. Post registration, the participating teams can work on preparing the synopsis of the product idea and email the white paper proposal by November 30th. After the final shortlist is announced, the finalists will be provided a time limit of two months to submit the final demo.
Who will cover the cost of travel and stay?
Google will cover the costs of travel and stay for the invited finalists.
What are the awards for the winners?
The total prize money is US$ 15500.
How many teams will be rewarded?
There is an award for the winner, first runner-up, and second runner-up.
How do I select a product idea?
Product idea should align with Google’s mission statement of organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible. The product idea can be structured around the following areas – Mobile Solutions, Enabling Indic/emerging users, leveraging geo data & maps, harnessing social networks, Smart Information retrieval and enable NGO/SMB for operational expansion.
What resources are provided by Google to help?
The shortlisted team for the final demo will be proved an incubation funding equivalent to US$ 500 and the teams can utilize this money for developing the demo product. Additionally, Google will conduct mentoring sessions with the senior engineers at Google.
The teams can also use Google app engine and Amazon web services for downloading any necessary applications.
What are the evaluation criteria for a Product Idea?
Every submission is evaluated across 4 different parameters:
- Product idea – if the idea is an unmet need or is it for an operational excellence
- Impact and reach – Projected number of users being impacted and also the monetization aspect of the idea
- Implementability – The scalability prospect of the idea through technology such as cloud computing, Google app engine, Amazon web services etc.,
- Product Quality – Look and feel of the end product with emphasis on attention to details.
Note: * The proposal or white paper submission will be evaluated on the first three parameters excluding ‘product quality’ and the final demo will be judged on all four criteria.
Who judges the competition?
The evaluation panel consists of members from the engineering and product management team at Google during the initial phase and the final demo will be judged by representatives from Google, Industry, Venture capitalists and academia.
How will the final demo be tested?
Final evaluation will be conducted by a panel of judges and the application demo must be either on a phone or a computer.
Who will own the product Idea after the contest?
The product as well as the idea will belong to the innovators. Google will only use this for news releases and related branding purposes.