AAA, Cowboy Technologies sponsor second annual app competition

Thursday, October 10, 2013

AAA Oklahoma presents the OSU App Center interns with a check for the $21,500 in prize money offered in this year's app competition. From left: Neal Krueger, President & CEO of AAA Oklahoma; App Center interns June Phan, Dheeraj Jami, Ale Cerqueda, Stefan Taylor and CSAA Insurance Group Senior Manager Will Dogan.

Teams of students, faculty, staff and alumni at Oklahoma State University are being invited to compete for more than $20,000 in cash awards in the second annual app competition that started this week. AAA Oklahoma, CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, and Cowboy Technologies are teaming up with Oklahoma State University App Center to sponsor the competition to showcase creativity.

The theme of the competition is “Innovating Insurance in my Life.” The goal is an app that will target the millennial generation's relationship to the world of insurance. Ideas can serve customers, agents, customer service or claims adjustors. Activities could include, but are not limited to, researching insurance, buying insurance or buying a car. Ideas shouldn’t be limited to what’s on the market, and should be fun and innovative.

“Members of AAA Oklahoma tell us they are embracing today’s smartphone and tablet technologies in a big way, and they’re looking to AAA to bring them innovative ways to access AAA insurance products and services through their mobile devices,” Neal Krueger, CEO of AAA Oklahoma, said.

In a quest to further advance and mature this innovative work, CSAA Insurance Group and AAA Oklahoma are sponsoring the second contest. The contest will be insurance focused, and the App Center wants to provide an innovative and creative environment for ideation through app development.

“We are proud to continue the contest relationship with AAA and their support of app development growth at OSU,” Cowboy Technologies CEO Steve Wood said. “The contest is the first of many events and activities planned for the coming year.”

The competition is divided into two phases. The first phase is open to individuals with an app idea in the categories mentioned above. The top two ideas will be awarded $1,250, and eight other ideas will be awarded $500. The second phase will be open to individuals with app development skills. Teams in the second phase will select and develop one of the top two phase-one app ideas. One winner for each idea will receive a $5,000 prize, and runners up will receive $2,500.

“It’s our desire to be the leader in developing useful app technology in all aspects of our business,” Krueger said. “These App Center competitions go a long way toward helping us achieve that goal.”

The first phase of the competition began October 8th. Ideas can be submitted online at www.osuappcenter.com, in person at the App Center in the Henry Bellmon Research Center or emailed to osuappcenter@okstate.edu.

For more information on the OSU App Center, including instructions on how to register for the competition and to view competition rules, visit www.osuappcenter.com.