How can I access freec azure credits for imagination cup 2026

Question

How can I access freec azure credits for imagination cup 2026

Hemant Chauhan 0

How can I access free 5000 azure credits for imagination cup 2026

Manish Deshpande 5,425 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-05T13:56:24.7066667+00:00

Hello @Hemant Chauhan

Thanks for posting question in Microsoft Q&A forum,

To access free Azure credits for Imagine Cup 2025/2026, register your team on the official site with a personal Microsoft account, submit your AI idea, then apply to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub and select "Imagine Cup" as your partner. Qualifying teams get $1,000 USD in Azure credits (up to $5,000 for MVPs), plus OpenAI credits, without needing a credit card. Use a personal (not school/work) account and activate within 90 days.

Steps:

Go to imaginecup.microsoft.com and register your team (students 18+, up to 4 members).

Submit your AI startup idea using Microsoft Azure AI services.

Visit startups.microsoft.com/foundershub, apply, and link Imagine Cup for credits approval.

Official Docs

Imagine Cup Rules:

Founders Hub

Links
https://portal.startups.microsoft.com/signup
https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/en-us/category/33

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Please do not forget to and “up-vote” wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.

Thanks,
Manish Deshpande.
Manish Deshpande 5,425 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-07T07:00:26.5533333+00:00

Hello @Hemant Chauhan

I wanted to check if my last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.

1 answer

Your answer

Manish Deshpande 5,425 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-05T13:56:24.7066667+00:00

Hello @Hemant Chauhan

Thanks for posting question in Microsoft Q&A forum,

To access free Azure credits for Imagine Cup 2025/2026, register your team on the official site with a personal Microsoft account, submit your AI idea, then apply to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub and select "Imagine Cup" as your partner. Qualifying teams get $1,000 USD in Azure credits (up to $5,000 for MVPs), plus OpenAI credits, without needing a credit card. Use a personal (not school/work) account and activate within 90 days.

Steps:

Go to imaginecup.microsoft.com and register your team (students 18+, up to 4 members).

Submit your AI startup idea using Microsoft Azure AI services.

Visit startups.microsoft.com/foundershub, apply, and link Imagine Cup for credits approval.

Official Docs

Imagine Cup Rules:

Founders Hub

Links
https://portal.startups.microsoft.com/signup
https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/en-us/category/33

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Please do not forget to and “up-vote” wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.

Thanks,
Manish Deshpande.
Manish Deshpande 5,425 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-07T07:00:26.5533333+00:00

Hello @Hemant Chauhan

I wanted to check if my last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.

Answer 1

Hey there, Hemant Chauhan

According to the registration page, as soon as you sign up for the Imagine cup and register your team, you should see an option to unlock these credits

After you register, what's next?

Unlock up to $5,000 USD in Azure credits to experiment, test, and refine your Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Build your team. Up to four (4) students are allowed per team, and everyone must register on the Imagine Cup website.

Join the Sprint to Imagine Cup, a learning experience designed to explore what’s possible with Microsoft’s platforms and help you prepare a strong submission. Source: https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/en-us/category/33

So if you have registered, and created your team, you should see something for this on the portal here: https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/en-us/account

If you can not see the additional credits, please reach out to their support team here: https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/Support/Index

Goodluck with the Imagine Cup 2026!

Hope this helps & Happy New Year,
Nathan

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How can I access freec azure credits for imagination cup 2026

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