ImagineCup News

Imagine Cup 2009 Winners Announced!

2009-07-16T18:02:00Z

Editor’s note – July 8, 2009 – references to Imagine Cup winning teams were updated post-publication.

CAIRO, Egypt — July 7, 2009 — After an intense competition among finalists chosen from a pool of more than 300,000 students from more than 100 countries and regions, Microsoft Corp. announced the winners of Imagine Cup 2009. Celebrating first place, Romania’s Team SYTECH won the worldwide Software Design invitational, South Korea’s Team Wafree won the Embedded Development invitational and Brazil’s Team LEVV It won the Game Development challenge. Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition, empowers students to unlock their creative genius and build solutions that tackle real-world issues facing society today.

Team SYTECH from Romania (at left) took first place in the Software Design competition. Coming in second was Vital Lab, from Russia (center), while Virtual Dreams from Brazil (right) earned third. Looking on is S. Somasegar, senior vice president of the Developer Division for Microsoft.

Click for hi-res version.

“The creativity and imagination that students poured into their projects this year was incredible,” said Joe Wilson, senior director of Academic Initiatives, Developer & Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft. “Many of these projects have the potential to have a serious impact on how we address society’s most pressing issues. We hope that all of the students who participated this year will continue their pursuit of creating technology in the service of making the world a better place.”

The software design, embedded development and game development finalist teams created applications, devices and games using Microsoft technology based on this year’s theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.”

A total of 444 students from 149 teams representing 70 countries and regions competed in the Imagine Cup 2009 Worldwide Finals in nine categories: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Development, IT Challenge, Robotics and Algorithm, MashUp, Photography, Short Film and Design. In addition to the main categories of competition, there are several Achievement Awards this year: the Interoperability Award, Unlimited Potential Design for Development Award, Unlimited Potential MultiPoint Education Award, Accessibility Award, Accessible Design Award, Parallel Computing Award, Tablet Accessibility Award, Live Services Award, Windows Mobile Award, and the H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak Special Award, sponsored by the first lady of Egypt through the Cyber Peace Initiative (CPI).

The winners were announced in a gala awards ceremony this evening at the base of Egypt’s historic pyramids as part of the Imagine Cup World Festival, a celebration drawing Imagine Cup competitors, mentors and other key attendees from around the world. The following are the top three finalists by invitational in finishing order:

Among the enthusiastic winning teams was LEVV It from Brazil, here waving to the crowd after being given their award for first place in the Game Development division. At left is S. Somasegar, senior vice president of the Developer Division for Microsoft.

Click for hi-res version.

Software Design

•	First Place: Romania — SYTECH
•	Second Place: Russia — Vital Lab
•	Third Place: Brazil — Virtual Dreams

Embedded Development

•	First Place: South Korea — Wafree
•	Second Place: China — iSee
•	Third Place: Ukraine — Intellectronics

Game Development

•	First Place: Brazil — LEVV It
•	Second Place: United States — Epsylon Games
•	Third Place: United Kingdom — Sanquine Labs

Robotics and Algorithm

•	First Place: Czech Republic — Lukáš Perůtka
•	Second Place: Canada — Byron Knoll
•	Third Place: China — Lin Fuming

Team Wafree from South Korea won the top award in the Embedded Development competition.

Click for hi-res version.

IT Challenge

•	First Place: Romania — Cosmin Ilie
•	Second Place: China — Wu Chang
•	Third Place: Bolivia — Miklos Cari Sivila

MashUp

•	First Place: United States — CURIOUS
•	Second Place (tie): Poland – Monastery of Innovations
•	Second Place (tie): Singapore – PlanetKY

Photography

•	First Place: Croatia —Voodoo Delirium
•	Second Place: Singapore — Woolgathering
•	Third Place: Japan — Terada

Short Film

•	First Place: United Kingdom — Fulham Four
•	Second Place: India — ChennaiCoolers
•	Third Place: Ukraine — Just4Fun

Design

•	First Place: Brazil — Willburn
•	Second Place: United States — eXchangeFun
•	Third Place: France — Paindepices

In addition to the category awards, 10 Achievement Awards were presented.

Interoperability Award. The Interoperability Award is designed to recognize the software application that best leverages out-of-the-box Microsoft technologies and blends them with other technologies to connect people, data or diverse systems in a new way. This award was won by:

•	First Place: Brazil — Proativa Team
•	Second Place: Poland — Fteams
•	Third Place: Jordan — ECRAM

Unlimited Potential Design for Development Award. This award challenges students to create a software solution that can be accessed from a basic mobile phone and designed to meet the needs of end users who earn less than $8 (U.S.) a day. This award was won by:

•	First Place: Malaysia — COSMIC
•	Second Place: China — Unique Studio
•	Third Place: Malaysia — Capricorn

Unlimited Potential MultiPoint Education Award. This award encourages students to unlock new ways for the PC to help address universal education goals. This award was won by:

•	First Place: India — Trailblazers

Accessibility Award. Students are challenged to design a technology solution that leverages people’s diverse physical and cognitive abilities. This award was won by:

•	First Place: Saudi Arabia — ATST
•	Second Place: Mexico – Ignis Nova

Accessible Design Award: Students who participated in the Design competition were awarded additional recognition for a technology solution that best addressed accessibility needs. This award was won by:

•	First Place: United States — eXchangeFun

Parallel Computing Award. Parallel applications can open a door to the future, and this award challenges students to use parallel technology to solve the world’s toughest problems. This award was won by:

•	First Place: India — Biollel

Tablet Accessibility Award. The objective of the Tablet Accessibility Award is to create a new education application that uses Tablet technology while expanding the possibilities for how a user interacts with the computer. This award was won by:

•	First Place: United States — Auratech
•	Second Place: Brazil — IC-UNICAMP

Live Services Award: This award challenges students to create a technology solution built on Microsoft’s Azure Services Platform to solve the world’s toughest problems. This award was won by:

•	First Place: France — Help’Aged
•	Second Place: Serbia — BrainWave

Windows Mobile Award: This award challenges students to use Windows Mobile technology to solve the world’s toughest problems. This award was won by:

•	First Place (tie): Croatia – Team Explorer
•	First Place (tie): Indonesia – Big Bang
•	First Place (tie): Brazil – Virtual Dreams

H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak Special Award. Sponsored by the first lady of Egypt, this award was given to the project that best intersects the following: the Imagine Cup 2009 theme, “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today”; the Millennium Development Goals; and the objectives of the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement and the Cyber Peace Initiative. This award was won by:

•	First Place: Poland — kAMUflage
•	Second Place: Egypt — Big Buddy
•	Third Place: France — WikiChildProtect

Next year’s Imagine Cup 2010 Worldwide Finals will take place in Poland, a country with a track record of producing highly skilled IT students as well as successful Imagine Cup entrants. Registrations for Imagine Cup 2010 open tomorrow, July 8, 2009. More information about Imagine Cup can be found at http://www.imaginecup.com.

Imagine Cup Sponsors

The Imagine Cup is being supported by a range of partner organizations including Paramount Digital Entertainment, Mesh Services & Live Framework, Microsoft Accessibility Business Unit, Microsoft Education Product Group, Microsoft Interoperability, Microsoft Learning, Microsoft Parallel Computing Platform, Microsoft Research External Research, Microsoft Robotics, Microsoft Unlimited Potential Group, Windows Embedded Business, Windows Mobile and Microsoft XNA Game Platform Group.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

UNESCO and Microsoft Announce Higher Education ICT Task Force for Long-Term Skills and Sustainable Development

2009-07-07T12:04:00Z

PARIS — July 6, 2009 — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Microsoft Corp. today announced a joint task force to help higher education institutions worldwide meet the growing challenge of supporting economic stimulus efforts and work-force development strategies. The UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will create a strategic plan of action to identify how ICT can be used by governments as a catalyst for change.

The announcement was made at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE), which opened today and is being attended by close to 100 ministers of education, senior education officials and policy advisors. The WCHE is also focusing on critical issues around reduced funding for education globally as a result of the economic crisis and the need for governments to find affordable measures for short-term skills training and work force enhancement in support of economic recovery and growth. Many delegations in attendance from developing regions emphasized the longer-term challenges of sustainable higher education reform and capacity-building.

The UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT will analyze the findings and recommendations of the WCHE, in addition to feedback from global higher education experts and stakeholders, to identify key initiatives that will promote more effective use of ICT in post-secondary teaching, learning and research.

“Higher education is increasingly strategic for building up skilled work forces in countries. Our focus has been on ensuring that tertiary institutions address the key long-term requirements of our increasingly knowledge-based societies and that students today are best equipped to drive and support economic growth and to address major development challenges from education to health to the environment,” said Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO assistant director-general for education. “Through the creation of the UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT we will help mobilize critical strategic resources to better assist ministries of education worldwide.”

Initial ICT Resource Mobilization

The current economic downturn combined with rising demand for higher education places governments under enormous pressure to fund enhancements in higher education and support programs needed to train the next generation of work forces with the new skills necessary for economic recovery. Under the umbrella of the UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT and through the Microsoft Education Alliance, Microsoft will provide a tailored package of resources for short-term higher education enhancements, including curriculum, training and affordable access to collaboration and development software.

“We believe that technology has a vital role to play in building up 21st-century skills, broadening access to education and personalizing the learning experience to adapt teaching to the unique needs of each learner,” said Michael Golden, corporate vice president, Education Products Group at Microsoft. “This program makes technology resources more accessible than ever before to governments and students across the world. We will continue to support UNESCO and our newly formed UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT in every way we can.”

Additional information about the Microsoft resources available can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/education/ELF09.aspx.

About UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the UN agency responsible for the promotion of international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and standard setter to forge universal agreements on emerging development and ethical issues. It also serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge, while helping member states to build their human and institutional capacities.

About Unlimited Potential

Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential vision, is committed to making technology more affordable, relevant and accessible for the 5 billion people around the world who do not yet enjoy its benefits. The company aims to do so by helping to transform education and foster a culture of innovation, and through these means enable better jobs and opportunities. By working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach its first major milestone — to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology — by 2015.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Imagine Cup 2009 Kicks Off in Cairo

2009-07-05T04:43:00Z

CAIRO, Egypt — July 3, 2009 — Competition begins today in Cairo for 444 students from 124 countries and regions at the Imagine Cup 2009 Worldwide Finals. Now in its seventh year, Imagine Cup is an annual Microsoft Corp. competition that challenges students around the globe to use their creative genius to build technology solutions that can help address some of the world’s toughest challenges.

This year, the students’ efforts are focused on using technology to help address the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. These goals encompass some of the most difficult issues facing our world, ranging from halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education. The Imagine Cup calls on young programmers, artists and technologists to rise to this challenge: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.”

More than 300,000 students from 100 countries accepted this challenge and registered for Imagine Cup 2009. Over the past year, students have participated in local, regional and online competitions, showcasing their innovative solutions to real-world problems. The winners of these initial rounds arrive in Cairo today, where they will present their entries to a panel of judges from academia and the technology industry. At stake is more than $288,000 in prize money and the chance to kick-start their careers in one of several technological fields.

“By providing students with cutting-edge technology and challenging them to address some of our world’s most challenging issues, the Microsoft Imagine Cup is tapping an incredible and limitless resource — the passion, creativity and talents of students from around the globe,” said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft.

Student teams compete in the Imagine Cup 2009 Worldwide Finals across nine categories: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Development, IT Challenge, Robotics and Algorithm, MashUp, Photography, Short Film and Design. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, July 7, as part of the Imagine Cup World Festival closing ceremonies with the pyramids at Giza as the backdrop.

“Students around the world are contributing their creativity and passion in this year’s Imagine Cup, and they have developed truly amazing solutions to tackle the most pressing social problems facing our world,” said Joe Wilson, senior director of Academic Initiatives in the Developer & Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft. “It’s clear that the leaders of tomorrow’s most innovative companies won’t be found in boardrooms — they will be discovered in dorm rooms.”

In addition to the nine main categories of competition, there are several Achievement Awards this year, including the Interoperability Award, Unlimited Potential Design for Development Award, Accessibility Award, Unlimited Potential MultiPoint Education Award, Parallel Computing Award, Tablet Accessibility Award and the H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak Special Award sponsored by the first lady of Egypt through the Cyber Peace Initiative (CPI).

Imagine Cup Sponsors

The Imagine Cup is being supported by a range of partner organizations including Paramount Digital Entertainment, Mesh Services & Live Framework, Microsoft Accessibility Business Unit, Microsoft Education Product Group, Microsoft Interoperability, Microsoft Learning, Microsoft Research External Research, Microsoft Parallel Computing Platform, Microsoft Robotics, Microsoft Unlimited Potential Group, Windows Embedded Business, Windows Mobile and Microsoft XNA Game Platform Group.

More information on the Imagine Cup is available online at http://www.imaginecup.com.

More information on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals can be found online at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals. Up-to-date information on the finals competition is available at the official Imagine Cup blog.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Students Worldwide Tackle Tough Problems at Imagine Cup 2009

2009-04-29T03:25:00Z

The world’s premier student technology competition invites students to apply their technology know-how and artistic talents to tackle the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

REDMOND, Wash. — April 24, 2009

This year, more than 300,000 students from 100 countries are registered for Imagine Cup 2009, a Microsoft Corp. competition that challenges them to use their technology skills and imagination to address the world’s toughest problems. Winning students from local, national, regional and online competitions will compete at the Imagine Cup finals in Cairo, Egypt from July 3–7.

Now in its seventh year, Imagine Cup continues to encourage students around the globe to imagine a better world in which people are empowered by technology created by the students’ talent and innovation. The United Nations has identified some of the hardest challenges in the world today in its Millennium Development Goals — ranging from halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education. Microsoft is calling on young programmers, artists and technologists to rise to this challenge: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.”

Yesterday in Warsaw, Poland, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that the Imagine Cup 2010 Finals will take place in Poland, a country with a track record of producing highly skilled IT students as well as successful Imagine Cup entrants.

“The Imagine Cup inspires students to use their creativity to help change the world for the better by discovering new ways to use technology to address some of the world’s toughest challenges,” Ballmer said. “Some of the greatest innovations and companies of tomorrow will be created by today’s students. The Imagine Cup presents a fantastic opportunity for them to compete with students from around the world.”

Students will participate in categories ranging from software design and games development to multimedia and self-expression. Their work will showcase new solutions to many of the world’s most difficult issues, while giving them the opportunity to win generous cash prizes.

This year, Microsoft is calling on participants to bring their ideas to life in nine categories, each catering to a different talent:

Software Design. Students create real-world software and services applications that use Microsoft tools and technology — including mobile devices. Competitors are asked to demonstrate innovation on the Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft Windows platform as they conceive, test and build applications that will help improve the world they live in.
Embedded Development. Students develop their own embedded device designed to function for the betterment of all. This invitational challenges students to go beyond the PC desktop and work in both hardware and software environments to build an embedded solution using Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 and the provided embedded platform.
Game Development. Students create a new game that uses Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 and Microsoft Visual Studio. This category offers students who’ve always enjoyed playing games a chance to create their own game and, at the same time, help change the global community.
Robotics and Algorithm. This invitational is a mathematical obstacle course where students must navigate a series of brainteasers, code challenges and algorithmic puzzles to demonstrate their ability to understand the potential of robots in our world.
IT Challenge. Students are challenged to develop, deploy and maintain IT systems that are elegant, functional, robust and secure. This demanding competition requires students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the science of networks, databases and servers. They also need to show their analytical abilities and make tough decisions in IT environments.
MashUp. The object of the MashUp competition is to create a new and useful Web 2.0 application. Students will use Microsoft PopFly to leverage current third-party data and services available on the Internet to create a new and unique tool that is effectively accessed by other Internet users.
Photography. In this competition, students communicate a story that explores a critical issue through a photo essay of inspiring still images.
Short Film. This category challenges students to create an original short film and also demonstrate excellence in filmmaking at all levels from concept art to polished editing.
Design. Students create an innovative design for easier-to-use machines that help improve human interactions. Students are encouraged to use the power of technology as means to manifest their creativity.

After advancing through the online, local and regional Imagine Cup competitions, qualifying students will gather in Egypt at the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals in July 2009 to present their entries to a panel of judges from academia and the technology industry. Prizes for Imagine Cup 2009 will total more than $180,000 (U.S.) across the nine categories.

Free Student Training and Certification
This year, Microsoft Learning is offering students who compete in the Imagine Cup free education resources, training and certification on Microsoft technologies. Students can access these resources at https://www.dreamspark.com/Learning/freetraining.aspx.

Imagine Cup Sponsors

The Imagine Cup is being supported by a range of partner organizations including Paramount Digital Entertainment, Mesh Services & Live Framework, Microsoft Accessibility Business Unit, Microsoft Education Product Group, Microsoft Interoperability, Microsoft Learning, Microsoft Research External Research, Microsoft Parallel Computing Platform, Microsoft Robotics, Microsoft Unlimited Potential Group, Windows Embedded Business, Windows Mobile and Microsoft XNA Game Platform Group.

More information on the Imagine Cup is available online at http://www.imaginecup.com.

More information on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals can be found online at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For more information, press only: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Microsoft Announces Imagine Cup 2008 Winners!

2008-07-08T08:41:00Z

Stay up-to-date on today's events with the following resources!

Microsoft Announces Imagine Cup 2008 Winners

Students address environmental sustainability with innovative technology; torch passes to Egypt for Imagine Cup 2009.

PARIS - July 8, 2008 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the winners of Imagine Cup 2008 at the Musée du Louvre, after a week of intense competition among finalists chosen from a pool of more than 200,000 students from over 100 countries and regions. Celebrating first place, Australia's Team SOAK won the worldwide Software Design invitational, Singapore's Team Trail Blazers won the Embedded Development invitational, and Brazil's Mother Gaia Studio won the Game Development challenge. Imagine Cup, the world's premier competition for technology students, gives students the chance to unlock their creative genius and build solutions that tackle real-world issues facing society today.

"Imagine Cup provides a forum for students around the world to explore new ways to use the power of software to help address some of the world's toughest challenges," said S. Somasegar, senior vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft. "The high caliber of the students and their projects is evidence of the high level of innovation seen in the student community today, with a clear potential for real-world impact."

The software design, embedded development and game development finalist teams created applications, devices and games using the Microsoft platform and Microsoft tools based on the Imagine Cup competition theme "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment."

A total of 370 students from 124 teams representing 61 countries and regions competed in the worldwide Imagine Cup finals in nine categories: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Development, "Project Hoshimi" (Programming Battle), IT Challenge, Algorithm, Photography, Short Film and Interface Design. The student teams were asked to undertake a series of challenges relating to digital media or technology depending on the invitational.

The winners were announced in a gala awards ceremony this afternoon during the Imagine Cup World Festival, a celebration drawing Imagine Cup competitors, mentors and other key attendees. It featured keynote addresses from several dignitaries from around the world. The following are the top three finalists by invitational in finishing order:

Software Design

First place: Australia - Team SOAK
Team Members: David Burela, Dimaz Pramudya, Ed Hooper, Long Zheng
Second place: Slovakia - Team Housekeepers
Team Members: Marián Hönsch, Michal Kompan, Jakub Šimko, Dušan Zeleník
Third place: Hungary - Team DigitalMania
Team Members: Ákos Kapui, Laszló Zöld, Bálint Orosz, Gergely Orosz

Embedded Development

First place: Singapore - Team Trail Blazers
Team Members: Pinto James Dominic, Shi Ben Yong, Hu Shuhan, Denver Lim
Second place: TIE

Ireland - Team AcidRain
Team Members: Brian Byrne, Aodhan Coffey, Karl O'Dwyer

China - Team Wings
Team Members: Shibiao Xu, Junjie Li, Zhongjie Wang, Lei Yan
Third place: Poland - Team Aero@PUT
Team Members: Piotr Kryger, Mikołaj Małaczyński, Jakub Pawłowski, Piotr Slęzak

Game Development

First place: Brazil - Team Mother Gaia Studio
Team Members: Guilherme Campos, Helena Van Kampen, Rafael F. Costa, Túlio Sória
Second place: Belgium - Team Drunk Puppy Productions
Team Members: Kenny Deriemaeker, Filip Van Bouwel, Timothy Vanherberghen, Jeroen van Raevels
Third place: Korea - Team GOMZ
Team Members: Kim Dong Hoon, Kim Ki Hwan, Park Min Kyu

"Project Hoshimi" (Programming Battle)

First place: Russia - Team Red Devils
Team Members: Ilya Grebnov, Sergei Grebnov
Second place: China - Team Zephyr
Team Members: Peng Guo, Jiaze Huang
Third place: Ukraine - Team Dream Team
Team Members: Pavlo Liapota, Margaryta Skrypachova

IT Challenge

First place: France - Jean-Benoit Paux
Second place: Romania - Cosmin-Viorel Ilie
Third place: China - Yan Liu

Algorithm

First place: Ukraine - Roman Koshlyak
Second place: Hungary - Szilveszter Szebeni
Third place: Japan - Naohiro Takahashi

Photography

First place: United States - Team Provisio
Team Members: Jennifer ***, Melissa ***
Second place: Austria - Team Austria
Team Members: Rosa Maria Binder, Benedikt Wurth
Third place: Croatia - Team Voodoo Delirum
Team Members: Duje Nebojša Pandžić, Martin Štokić

Short Film

First place: Korea - Team NEIP
Team Members: Il Jin Joung, Seong Ran An, Yeun Jun Choo, Sung Wook Lee
Second place: Mexico - Team Lava Lamp
Team Members: Grace Montoya, Aldo Murillo
Third place: Canada - Robotree
Team Members: Drake Birmann, Ryan Morrison, Media Ridha, Dan Tran

Interface Design

First place: United States - Team IU EcoVis
Team Member: David Roedl, William Odom
Second place: Canada - TeamGreeNet
Team Members: Jin Fan, Kevin Muise
Third place: France - Team Edelweiss
Team Members: Johanna Rowe, Steven Muhr

In addition to the category awards, five Achievement Awards were presented.

The Rural Innovation Achievement Award, sponsored by Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Group, is designed to recognize the software solution that contributes toward a more sustainable environment and best helps promote the social and economic growth of underserved populations in developing countries and regions and best helps them better meet their basic needs. It was won by Indonesia's Antarmuka: Arief Widhiyasa, Dimas Yusuf Danurwenda, Ella Madanella Dwi Mustika and Erga Ghaniya.
The Accessible Technology Achievement Award, designed to recognize the interface design solution that makes it easier for anyone to see, hear and use a computer, and to customize their computing environment according to their own preferences, needs and abilities, was won by Jeffrey Bigham, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science from the University of Washington, United States, for Project WebAnywhere. An additional onsite challenge was won by France's Team JivAd: Jivane Rajabaly and Adrien Ossorguine.
The Interoperability Achievement Award, designed to recognize the software solution that best leverages Microsoft technologies to connect people, data or diverse systems to help address real-world customer needs, was won by India's Team SKAN: Sameet Singh Khajuria, Karun AB, Amith George, Noel Sequeira.
The Windows Live Achievement Award, designed to recognize the software solution that makes the best use of the Windows Live platform and adds new social dimensions to both new and old Web sites and Web projects, was won by Spain's Windows Drive: CarlosJunquera Cachero, David Rodriguez, Héctor Juan and Miguel Llopis.
The Engineering Excellence Achievement Award, sponsored by Microsoft's Enterprise Engineering Center, is designed to recognize three outstanding teams from the Software Development category that have created solutions that demonstrate the potential to be developed to scale with focused guidance from a Microsoft engineer, was won by the following:

Bulgaria - Team Atlas
Team Members: Boryana Miloshevska, Dobromira Ivanova, Martin Damyanov, Yordan Pavlov
USA - Team Sparx
Team Members: Adam Risi, Zachery Shivers, Ziyan Zhou
Russia - Team Ignition
Team Members: Anatoly Nikitin, Roman Belov, Daria Elkina

Furthermore, six finalist teams will have the opportunity to explore how their software solutions could potentially turn into business realities. The teams will receive intense business and technology training as part of the Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator program, co-sponsored by Microsoft and British Telecommunications plc (BT).

"The creativity demonstrated by the competitors this year has shown that tomorrow's technology leaders are ready to apply their solutions to real-world issues," said Joe Black, director of Business Development for Emerging Technologies, BT. "The Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator is an exceptional opportunity for young developers to explore the entrepreneurial possibilities of their software solutions. We are excited to offer our encouragement, guidance, and support to these talented students through comprehensive training sessions to help students bring their ideas to fruition."

The six teams chosen to participate in the Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator program are the following:

Australia - Team SOAK (Smart Operational Agricultural toolKit)
Team members: David Burela, Dimaz Pramudya, Ed Hooper, Long Zheng
France - Team Well K'Home
Team Members: Regis Hanol, Gauthier Chanliau, Sebastien Warin, Jean-Noel Gauthier
Germany - Team PoinT-Power in Time
Team Members: Daniel Franke, Jörn Schindler, Vasilios Filippidis, Axel Ernst
Hungary - Team Digital Mania
Team Members: Ákos Kapui, Laszló Zöld, Bálint Orosz, Gergely Orosz
Slovakia - Team Housekeepers
Team Members: Marián Hönsch, Michal Kompan, Jakub Šimko, Dušan Zeleník
South Africa - Team Smile
Team Members: Devin de Vries, Christopher King, Nabeel Nazeer, Nadeem Isaacs

Imagine Cup 2009 will be held in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt. The theme will be "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today." Students will be asked to create software solutions that are aligned to one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight MDGs range from halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education. More information about the MDGs can be found at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/.

Registrations for Imagine Cup 2009 open today, July 8, 2008. More information about Imagine Cup can be found at http://www.imaginecup.com/.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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For more information, press only:

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com

For more information, European press only:

Microsoft EMEA Response Centre, emearesponse@waggeneredstrom.com

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Top Teams announced for Software Design, Embedded Development, and Game Development!

2008-07-06T11:05:00Z

The Top 6 teams have been announced for Software Design and Embedded Development and the top 3 Teams announced for Game Development. These teams will be making their Round 2 presentations to judges at the Louvre Museum in Paris starting tomorrow!

Stay up to day on each day's events with the Imagine Cup Team and Channel 8!

Visit the Official Imagine Cup Blog
Watch Channel 8 for a daily video blog from Joe Wilson, Senior Director of Academic Initiatives at Microsoft, as well as daily interviews with teams

Imagine Cup 2008 is Underway in Paris!

2008-07-04T14:33:00Z

Largest technology competition in the world kicks off its finals today in Paris.

PARIS - July 3, 2008 - Competition begins today for 370 students from 61 countries and regions competing for $240,000 in prize money at the Imagine Cup 2008, an annual competition that gives students around the world the chance to unlock their creative genius and create technology solutions that can help address some of the world's toughest social challenges.

The focus for Imagine Cup 2008 is on building technology solutions that help address challenging environmental sustainability issues. From a pool of over 200,000 participants, 124 teams have been selected to represent their countries in Paris for a week of competition around their innovative technology solutions. These student-developed solutions range from improving access to clean water, reducing pollution and carbon emissions to achieving sustainable cities and reducing demand on energy.

"Imagine Cup inspires these students to address the world's challenges in new ways and deliver innovative technology solutions that can truly change the world for the better," said Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International. "We hope that some of these students will become the entrepreneurs of the future, innovating and creating jobs like some of the previous winners. We wish all the finalists the best of luck in what will be an intense week of competition."

Students and teams compete in the worldwide Imagine Cup finals across nine categories: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Development, "Project Hoshimi" (Programming Battle), IT Challenge, Algorithm, Photography, Short Film and Interface Design. Individual students and teams are in the final stages of a yearlong competition and will undertake a series of onsite challenges relating to technology and digital media depending on the category. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, July 8, as part of the Imagine Cup World Festival closing ceremonies.

"For me, the Imagine Cup was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the power of software, make new friends from around the globe who share my passion for innovation and technology, and leverage the event as a starting point for my career," said Vincent Bellet, a finalist from Imagine Cup 2006. "After the Imagine Cup final, I received more than 50 job offers from different companies. To win the French finals and to be a worldwide finalist for a competition sponsored by Microsoft has been a great plus on my resume."

In coordination with Imagine Cup, Microsoft, together with INSEAD, the Women in IT forum and the European Schoolnet, will be hosting a high-level round table to raise awareness of and direct policy attention to the need for promoting greater participation of young women in technology and science studies.

The Imagine Cup, now in its sixth year, challenges students to imagine a better world enabled by their own talent and also to contribute directly to the future of technology, software and computing. Teams develop innovative technological and digital media projects that offer real-world solutions to real-world problems.

Stay up to day on each day's events with the Imagine Cup Team and Channel 8!

Visit the Official Imagine Cup Blog
Watch Channel 8 for a daily video blog from Joe Wilson, Senior Director of Academic Initiatives at Microsoft, as well as daily interviews with teams

World Finalists Announced for Imagine Cup 2008!

2008-05-27T02:10:00Z

The Imagine Cup World Finalists have been announced for Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Deveopment, Project Hoshimi Programming Battle, IT Challenge, Algorithm, Short Film, Interface Design, and Photography.

The finalists for the Interface Design Accessible Technology Award, the Software Design Interoperability Award. and the Software Design Windows Live Award have also been announced. More details about each team's solution and how its project addressed the 2008 theme, "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment," will be available in mid-June.

The following teams will travel to France to compete in the Imagine Cup 2008 World Finals in Paris from July 3-8:

AWARD TEAMS

Interface Design Accessible Technology Award

Team WebAnywhere - United States

Software Design Interoperability Award

Team Ecologix : Brazil
Team SKAN : India
Team Together : Poland

Software Design Windows Live Award

Team 1stANBUL: Turkey
Team UniqueStudio: China
Team Windows Drive: Spain

SOFTWARE DESIGN

Algeria: PolyGeek
Argentina (representing South Cone region): Useless
Armenia: Alpha Sphere
Australia: SOAK
Austria: BioMatch
Belgium: eCar
Brazil: Ecologix
Bulgaria: Atlas
China: UniqueStudio
Colombia (representing Andean Region): Green House Team
Croatia: The Wall of Balance
Czech Republic: DIP - Disaster Prevention System
Dominican Republic (representing Central America/Caribbean Region): Environment_F1
East and Southern Africa: TBA
Egypt: Creative Mind Team
Finland: Perfect hit
France: Wellkhome
Germany: PoinT
Greece: Team Protasis
Hong Kong Region: MEN
Hungary: DigitalMania
India: Novices@Work
Indonesia: Antarmuka
Ireland: parkIT
Italy: Shining Bits
Japan: NIS lab
Jordan (representing East Mediterannean region): PSUT Jordan
Korea: Tree Talk
Malaysia COSMIC
Malta: De Bugs
Mexico: Chicos Karel
Morocco: DREAMTeam1
Netherlands: Four Elements
New Zealand: Team Phoenix
Nigeria: CarBurn
Norway eBusters
Pakistan: TeamVIEW
Philippines: Team 3*Pi/4
Poland: Demoscene Spirit
Portugal: (void *)
Romania: sm@rtDEV
Russia: Ignition
Saudi Arabia: Enviromate
Serbia: Cluster
Singapore: MamaGaia
Slovakia: Housekeepers
Slovenia: Ogreenizate!
South Africa: Team Smile
Spain: Windows Drive
Sri Lanka: Sasrutha
Taiwan Region: Environmental Soldiers
Thailand: SKE
Tunisia: WHAMTun
Turkey: L'orientalis
UK: Resolve Solve Evolve
Ukraine: Best Future
United Arab Emirates (representing Gulf region): AUS Team
United States (representing North America region): Sparx
Viet Nam: BK MILESTONE
West and Central Africa: TBA

EMBEDDED DEVELOPMENT

Team ACIDRAIN - Ireland

Team Aero@PUT - Poland

Team CUBE - China

Team DCEites - India

Team Desconstruindo - Brazil

Team Douleur Vue Ame - India

Team Embedded Applications Technology - United States

Team Green Eyes - Taiwan Region

Team GridVision - Romania

Team Here Rose - Korea

Team Sun round - sky around - Ukraine

Team SuperRecycling - United Kingdom

Team The Shads - France

Team Trail Blazer - Singapore

Team Wings - China

GAME DEVELOPMENT

Team BAAM! Studios - Germany

Team Drunk Puppy - Belgium

Team ECOThink - France

Team Gomz - Korea

Team Mother Gaia Studio - Brazil

Team SiSS - Germany

PROJECT HOSHIMI

Team Chemical Brothers - Argentina

Dream Team - Ukraine

Team Gold Fusion - Czech Republic

Team OrangeEvilMouse - Czech Republic

Team RedDevils - Russia

Team Zephyr - China

IT CHALLENGE

aandrei - Romania

Cosmin Ilie - Romania

Je@nb - France

memy - Brazil

naturelike - China

tomberry - China

ALGORITHM

chokudai - Japan
gauna - Argentina
Rac - Poland
Roman Koshlyak - Ukraine
szsz - Hungary
zero.lin - China

(Note: Gribok - Russia qualified as an Algorithm Finalist but also qualified for the finals in Project Hoshimi. He has chosen to compete in the Finals as a Project Hoshimi Finalist.)

SHORT FILM

Team Circle - Taiwan Region

Team Gènès|pictures - Sri Lanka

Team lava lamp - Mexico

Team NEIP - Korea

Team OTTOMANS - Turkey

Team robotree - Canada

INTERFACE DESIGN

Team Edelweiss - France

Team FranklinPerspectives - United States

Team Frontfree Studio UI - China

Team GreeNet - Canada

Team IU EcoVis - United States

Team Jivad - France

PHOTOGRAPHY

Team JasonParlour - United Kingdom

Team obscure - Croatia

Team Provisio - United States

Team Solar Lunatics - Singapore

Team Austria - Austria

Team Voodoo Delirium - Croatia

Happy Earth Day from the Imagine Cup!

2008-04-23T20:25:00Z

Happy Earth Day! Here at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond Washington, we are celebrating Earth Day today along with much of the northern hemisphere. The Imagine Cup team is hard at work preparing for the World Finals in Paris where we will showcase how our student competitors met the challenge of this year's theme: "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment."

Imagine Cup featured on new Microsoft Environment Web Site!
Wherever you live, we hope you'll take some time to think about how we can each contribute to creating a sustainable environment for generations to come. A great place to start is by exploring the new Microsoft Environment Web site. Learn about the many ways you can reduce your environmental impact, from recycling electronics to reducing energy consumption. Find out about the issues, and learn what you can do to make a difference. And be sure to check out the feature article on the Imagine Cup and how this year's theme is inspiring students around the world to use technology to improve the lives of millions of people.

2008 Competition Update
Good news: It's still not too late to compete in Imagine Cup 2008. Although Round 1 has closed for seven invitationals, three Awards as well as the Photography invitational are still accepting new entries. Don't delay! In addition to helping the environment you might win a trip to the 2008 World Finals in France this summer as well as other valuable prizes.

Worldwide Software Design Competition
The Software Design Competition is still open; however some countries have already held their local semi-final competitions. For those countries remaining, all local finals will conclude by late May. Students who hope to represent their countries or regions in the Software Design category at the World Finals must meet the deadlines and requirements of their local Microsoft subsidiary. A full list of the countries hosting Software Design teams is posted on the Imagine Cup web site. Find your local Software Design Web Site.

Two Software Design Awards Accepting Online Entries Until May 15
The Software Design Interoperability Award and the Software Design Windows Live Award are both run in online format, and are open to ALL software design competitors, regardless of whether your country is hosting a local Software Design semi-final. You can still apply for either or both Awards even if you did not compete in or win your regional software design semi-final. These Awards follow many of the same criteria as the worldwide Software Design competition, but students must incorporate specific technology requirements into their solutions. The Windows Live and Interoperability teams at Microsoft will judge the entries and the winning teams will be sent to Paris to be honored at the World Finals from July 3-8 and be eligible for additional prizes. Detailed requirements, judging criteria, and prizes are posted at the following links:

Interoperability Award: http://imaginecup.com/Competition/InteroperabilityAward.aspx
Windows Live Award: http://imaginecup.com/Competition/WindowsLiveAward.aspx

Interface Design Accessible Technology Award Accepting Online Entries Until May 2
The Accessible Technology Award is designed to recognize the user interface solution that best leverages the capabilities of Microsoft products and blends them with other technologies to connect people, data, or diverse systems in a new way. This Award follows many of the same criteria as the overall Interface Design competition, but students must incorporate Accessible Technology into their solutions. The Accessible Technology team at Microsoft will judge the entries and the winning team will be sent to Paris to be honored at the World Finals from July 3-8 and be eligible for additional prizes.

Detailed requirements, judging criteria, and prizes are posted at the following link: http://imaginecup.com/Competition/AccessibilityAward.aspx

Photography Round 1 Accepting Entries Until May 2
This year's Photography competition invites students to capture a series of still photos that tell a story and draw an emotional response from their audience. The photo essay should provoke thought and discussion and inspire the audience to take further action to create a sustainable environment. For detailed requirements, visit the Photography Invitational page: http://imaginecup.com/Competition/mycompetitionportal.aspx?competitionId=16.

Round 2 Closes May 2 for Seven Online Invitationals
Round 2 of the following competitions closes on May 2: Embedded Development, Game Development, Project Hoshimi Programming Battle, Algorithm, Information Technology, Interface Design, and Short Film. A full list of the teams competing in Round 2 is posted on the Imagine Cup Leaderboards. Teams who advanced to Round 2 are indicated by a dot in the "Advanced" column next to the team name.

Looking Ahead: The Imagine Cup World Finals in Paris
A full list of the World finalist teams in all invitationals will be announced on http://imaginecup.com/ May 24, 2008. You'll be able to view team profiles on the Imagine Cup web site and learn more about how each team's project addresses the 2008 theme of "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment." We've already been deeply impressed by the creativity, imagination, and vision of the projects we reviewed in Round 1, and we can't wait to share our Finalist stories with you!

The Imagine Cup 2008 World Finals will take place in Paris France from July 3-8, 2008. Watch our preview video to see what's in store for the 2008 World Finalists!

Thanks for your interest in the Imagine Cup. We hope you will check the Imagine Cup Web site for updates in the coming weeks and will continue the journey to this year's World Finals in Paris with us. Happy Earth Day!

The Imagine Cup 2008 Team

Entries Accepted Until May for Three Awards and Photography; Round 2 closes May 2 for 7 invitationals

2008-04-19T20:27:00Z

Round 1 has closed for seven invitationals. However several Awards as well as the Photography invitational are still accepting new entries for Imagine Cup 2008. Don't delay! You can still create innovative solutions that address the 2008 theme: "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment." You might win a trip to the World Finals in France this summer as well as other valuable prizes.

Worldwide Software Design Competition still open depending on local finals schedule

The Software Design Competition is still open however competitors who hope to represent their countries or regions at the World Finals should meet the deadlines and requirements of their local Microsoft subsidiary. Find your local Software Design Web Site.

Two Software Design Awards Accepting Entries Online Until May 15

The Software Design Interoperability Award and the Software Design Windows Live Award are both run in online format, and are open to ALL software design competitors, regardless of whether your country is hosting a local Software Design semi-final. You can still apply for either or both Awards even if you did not compete in or win your regional software design semi-final. And if you win an Award, you'll be flown to Paris to be honored at the World Finals and be eligible for additional prizes. The deadline to submit your entry for both Software Design Awards is May 15, 2008.

Interface Design Accessible Technology Award Accepting Entries Online Until May 2

The Accessible Technology Award is designed to recognize the user interface solution that best leverages the capabilities of Microsoft products and blends them with other technologies to connect people, data, or diverse systems in a new way. This Award follows many of the same criteria as the overall Interface Design competition, but students must incorporate Accessible Technology into their solutions. The Accessible Technology team at Microsoft will judge the entries and the winning team will be sent to Paris to be honored at the World Finals from July 3-8 and be eligible for additional prizes including $8000 (USD).

Photography Round 1 Accepting Entries Until May 2

This year's Photography competition invites students to capture a series of still photos that tell a story and draws an emotional response from their audience. The photo essay should provoke thought and discussion and inspire the audience to take further action to create a sustainable environment.

Round 2 of the following competitions closes on May 2: Embedded Development, Game Development, Project Hoshimi Programming Battle, Algorithm, Information Technology, Interface Design, and Short Film. A full list of the team ompeting in Round 2 is posted on the Imagine Cup Leaderboards. Teams who advanced to Round 2 are indicated by a dot next to the team name.

Looking Ahead: The Imagine Cup World Finals in Paris

A full list of the World finalist teams in all invitationals will be announced on www.imaginecup.com May 24, 2008.

The World Finals will take place in Paris France from July 3-8, 2008. Watch our preview video to see what's in store for the 2008 World Finalists!

Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator 2008 News

2008-04-19T20:11:00Z

The Imagine Cup 2008 Innovation Accelerator took place in Mountain View, California in February 2008.

BT and Microsoft Corp. brought 24 aspiring software developers from around the world to the Silicon Valley for two weeks to participate in the third annual Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator program. The students, representing the top six software design teams at the 2007 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals, are from Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Poland and Thailand. This unique event challenges these students to apply their technical talents to create solutions to real-world problems and gives them the opportunity to learn from technology leaders at Microsoft and BT how to take their ideas a step further toward commercial reality.

"These young people are coming to this program as students, but they will leave as potential entrepreneurs," said Joe Wilson, senior director of academic initiatives at Microsoft. "In the Innovation Accelerator program, we help them combine the technical skills they already have with practical business know-how so they can create a business plan, attract investors and launch a successful product."

During the workshop, technical and business mentors from BT and Microsoft as well as some of the most recognized leaders in technology entrepreneurship provided the student teams with guidance, coaching and advice that will help them refine and develop their Imagine Cup software applications into commercially viable products. The teams alsohad a chance to interact with venture capitalists attending the event.

The experts coaching the students included the following:

•	Guy Kawasaki, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, columnist for Entrepreneur magazine and the author of eight books. Kawasaki made a name for himself at Apple in the 1980s as the evangelist who helped launch the Macintosh computer.
•	Chris Gill, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs and technology entrepreneur
•	John Danner, an experienced management consultant and entrepreneur and professor at the University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business

"These students potentially represent the next generation of technology business leaders as well as those who will create technology that positively impacts people's lives," said Joe Black, director of business development for emerging technologies at BT. "The goal of the Innovation Accelerator is to provide the guidance and education they'll need to turn their passion for technology and helping others into real-world applications and businesses."

More than 100,000 students from more than 100 countries entered the 2007 Imagine Cup competition. The following six teams participating in the Innovation Accelerator were selected at the Imagine Cup World Festival held in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2007, on the basis of the software application they created and presented at the finals:

•	Ireland, Team inGest, project Signal - Sign Language Learning Environment: A tool that teaches sign language and allows users to chat online using sign language.
•	Jamaica, Team ICAD, project CADI: An innovative e-Learning solution that creates a centralized learning environment that connects teachers, students and resources.
•	Korea, Team En#605, project Finger Code: An educational solution for people who are both deaf and blind.
•	Mexico, Team Wisdom Spice, project Wisdom Spice: Software that lets students share their experiences solving homework problems or working on a project with their classmates to create a knowledge-based community.
•	Poland, Team InPUT, project Onespace: Software that enables several users to work on a project at the same time by providing audio, video and data connections between members of a group.
•	Thailand, Team 3KC, Project LiveBook!: Software that converts a text-based book into an illustrated digital book by matching words with pictures from Encarta Encyclopedia.

"The Innovation Accelerator is not a competition - all the participants are considered winners," Wilson said. "This is the prize - to come here to the technology capital of the world and learn from some of the most successful entrepreneurs around."

These teams join the elite ranks of past Imagine Cup winners who have gone on to pursue careers as entrepreneurs and include the following:

•	The 2006 German team, whose company is called Trailblazers (http://www.trailblazers.de/), developed navigation software focused on the needs of physically disabled people. Built upon the Microsoft Virtual Earth mapping platform, the software helps people with disabilities overcome obstacles such as curbs or stairs by identifying barrier-free routes through cities, towns and landscapes.
•	The 2005 Russian team that has turned its project into Musigy Inc. (http://www.musigy.com/) and has filed patents in the U.S. and Russia. Musigy enables musicians to plug their instruments into a computer and jam with their friends over the Internet as if they were in the same room.
•	The 2005 Greek team that has received funding from the Greek government to pursue its Innovation Accelerator project for translating sign language into speech, and vice versa, by utilizing a wireless, custom-made armband.
•	The 2005 Slovenian team that founded Inova IT, a Slovenia-based company that provides a server- and client-based SDK that enables budding developers to develop games and easily distribute them to millions of users on mobile telecom networks.
•	2003 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals winner Tu Nguyen from the U.S. who turned his invention - a program that runs on a handheld PDA and allows waiters to take orders in one language and send them to the kitchen chefs in another - into a company called DOCCENTER (http://www.doccenterinc.com/), which now employs 27 people and has three products on the market.

"The Innovation Accelerator was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us," said Miha Lesjak, CEO of Inova IT. "It gave us the platform to develop and evolve our software ideas and our business strategy. Working closely with BT and Microsoft, we have built Inova IT into a successful software business and are now realizing our dream to become successful entrepreneurs."

Journalists are invited to come to Silicon Valley and experience the Innovation Accelerator firsthand to see how the program helps the student teams hone their business sense, refine their inventions and learn what it takes to become an entrepreneur. For journalists who may not be able to stay for the entire two weeks, periodic updates, including blogs, podcasts and photographs, will be posted on the Imagine Cup Web site, http://www.imaginecup.com/.

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; higher-value broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2007, BT Group plc's revenue was £20,223 million with profit before taxation of £2,484 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/about.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Imagine Cup 2007 Winners Announced!

2007-08-14T23:46:00Z

Microsoft has announced the winners of Imagine Cup 2007. After a week of intense competition among finalists chosen from a pool of more than 100,000 students from over 100 countries. Prachaya Phaisanwiphatpong, Vasan Chienmaneetaweesin, Jatupon Sukkasem, Pathompol Saeng-Uraiporn from Thailand’s Team 3KC Returns/Project LiveBook! celebrated their first-place finish in the worldwide Software Design Invitational and were awarded a $25,000 cash prize. Imagine Cup, the world’s premier competition for technology students, gives students the chance to unlock their creative genius and build solutions that tackle real-world issues facing society today.

“Imagine Cup provides a forum for university students around the world to explore new ways to use the power of software to help address some of the world’s toughest problems,” said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft. “The high caliber of the students and their projects is an indication of their potential to become great business and technology leaders, and a hint at how a new generation of innovations can have a lasting and transformative impact on education and beyond.”

The 55 software design finalist teams created applications using the Microsoft platform and Microsoft tools based on the Imagine Cup competition theme: “Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all.”

A total of 344 students from 112 teams representing 59 countries and regions were ultimately selected to participate in worldwide Imagine Cup finals in nine categories: Software Design, Embedded Development, Web Development, Project Hoshimi (Programming Battle), IT Challenge, Algorithm, Photography, Short Film and Interface Design. The student teams were asked to undertake a series of challenges relating to multimedia or technology depending on the invitational.

The winners were announced on August 10, 2007 in a gala awards ceremony during the Imagine Cup World Festival, a celebration drawing Imagine Cup competitors, mentors and other key attendees. It featured keynote addresses from dignitaries including Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan, assistant director-general for Communication and Information at UNESCO. “Imagine Cup is truly a global contest of software creation, capturing not only the spirit of competition, but also the broader goal of tackling development challenges through innovation,” Khan said. “We recognize the importance of developing ICT expertise among young people throughout the world. By challenging students to develop working solutions to development challenges, Imagine Cup allows new ideas and new economic opportunities to flourish.”

The following are the top three finalists by invitational in finishing order:

Software Design
• First place: Thailand — Team 3KC Returns/Project LiveBook!
• Prachaya Phaisanwiphatpong, Vasan Chienmaneetaweesin, Jatupon Sukkasem, Pathompol Saeng-Uraiporn

• Second place: Korea — Team En#605/Project Finger Code
• Lim Chan-kyu, Min Kyoung-hoon, Lim Byoung-su, Jeong Ji-hyeon

• Third place: Jamaica — Team ICAD/Project CADI
• Imran Allie, Conroy Smith, Ayson Baxter, Damion Mitchell

Embedded Development
• First place: Brazil — Team TriventDreams ED
• Carlos Eduardo Rodriques, Andre Wilson Furtado, Ivan Cordeiro Cardim

• Second place: Romania — Team Aether
• Alexandru Vranescu, Bogdan Tanasa, Ionel Vuza, Bogdan Holmanu

• Third place: China — Team SEED
• Huning Dai, Zhou Xue, Ziqing Ye, Dai Tang

Web Development
• First place: France — Team APB
• Benjamin Talmard, Thomas Albisser, Pierrick Blons, Sebastien Lam

• Second place: Ireland — Team Red Dawn
• Mohammed Al-Tahs, Marouf Azad

• Third place: China — Team Frontfree Studio-Web
• Jiasheng Guo, Weining Sha, Xia Xiao, Zhenda Zhao

Project Hoshimi Programming Battle
• First place: Argentina — Team OIA
• Pablo Gauna, Nicolás Rodríguez Vilela

• Second place: France — Team Arenium
• Laure Portet, Régis Hanol

• Third place: Serbia — Team vladan.simov
• Vladan Simov

IT Challenge
• First place: China — Zhifeng Chen
• Second place: France — Romain Larmet
• Third place: Romania — Ilie Cosmin Viorel

Algorithm
• First place: Poland — Przemyslaw Debiak
• Second place: Ukraine — Roman Koshlyak
• Third place: Hungary — Szilveszter Szebeni

Photography
• First place: Poland — Team Maraqja
• Iwona Bielecka, Malgorzata Lopaciuk

• Second place: Croatia — Team Black and White
• Aleksandar Kordić, Igor Matoša

• Third place: Canada — Team Current
• Patrick Struys, Ryan Marr

Short Film
• First place: Poland — Team Skylined
• Julia Górniewicz, Jacek Barcikowski

• Second place: Taiwan — Team Circle
• Chang Hao-Jan, Chang Shu-Wei, Tseng Yen-Chi, Lin Di-Er

• Third place: Brazil — Team Papapaçoca
• Paçoca Alexandre Nacari, Arthur de Pádua, Felipe Pellisser, Wendel Yokoyama

Interface Design
• First place: Austria — Team OOT Graphics
• Verena Lugmayr, Claudia Oster

• Second place: China — Team Frontfree Studio UI
• Dongjing Yao, Yushi Ma

• Third place: France — Team Atomnium
• Manon Gaucher, Flavien Charlon

Daily Videos from the Imagine Cup 2007 Finals are Posted!

2007-08-09T23:48:00Z

SEOUL SOUTH KOREA August 9, 2007—We’re in the final stages of the competition and the stakes are high! The last remaining teams are preparing final presentations, and starting to think ahead to the future and what they can do with their software solutions.

Watch the video now!

Be sure to visit Channel 8 for more Imagine Cup 2007 webcam videos! The Finalists themselves are blogging and creating video interviews of their fellow competitors, as well as the judges and Competition Captains. Check it out. Go to Channel 8 at http://channel8.msdn.com !

SEOUL SOUTH KOREA August 8, 2007—It’s Day 3 of the 2007 Imagine Cup Finals. Today the students got to see the sites of Seoul – and talk about their goals and thoughts around education and the future. Plus – we narrow the field of Software Design finalists to 6 teams!

Watch the video now!

SEOUL SOUTH KOREA August 7, 2007-- It’s Day 2 of the Imagine Cup 2007 Worldwide Finals and the first round of competition is nearing an end. Some students have been up for more than 24 hours finalizing their projects. See how they’re feeling and learn about the top 12 Software Design semi-finalist teams!

Watch the video now!

Software Design Semi-Finalist Teams

SEOUL SOUTH KOREA, August 6, 2007-- 111 teams and 372 finalists from around the world have arrived in Seoul to compete in Imagine Cup 2007! In our first update from Seoul, Joe Wilson, Microsoft’s Director of Academic Initiatives, takes you inside Day 1 of the week-long event. Hear about the competition’s nine invitationals and meet a few of the finalists who’ve gathered in South Korea. Maybe it could be you next year……

Watch the video now!

Experience the Worldwide Finals in Seoul: Watch Our Daily Video Updates from August 6-11 2007

2007-08-04T00:33:00Z

SEOUL SOUTH KOREA August 3, 2007--The excitement is building! The Imagine Cup 2007 Finalists, judges, Competition Captains, VIPs, and members of the worldwide Microsoft Academic team are already traveling to Seoul from over 60 countries around the globe for the 5th Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals. The 2007 Finals competition will officially open with a Welcome Dinner on Sunday evening.

We'll be bringing you the action from Seoul as it unfolds through two different perspectives. First: check the Imagine Cup News page starting on August 6th. We'll be posting daily video updates here from the Worldwide Finals hosted by Joe Wilson, Director of Academic Initiatives at Microsoft, whose team manages the Imagine Cup. Joe will talk to the competitors, judges, and competition Captains to provide a unique look at the day's events at the biggest student technology competition in the world.

What’s it like to compete in the finals? Hear from the finalists themselves! Visit Channel 8 to watch student webcam videos and read the Finalists' blogs of the competition as it unfolds.

And be sure to check out the Imagine Cup 2007 Worldwide Finals page to meet all of the competitors. Read their team profiles, explore our interactive map, watch “The Road to Seoul” slideshow, and check out who our judges are. It's all happening this week, so stay tuned!

Microsoft Hosts Innovation Fair with Ten Imagine Cup Software Design Finalists

2007-06-26T22:21:00Z

REDMOND WA June 26, 2007-- The Imagine Cup demonstrates Microsoft's continued commitment to inspire the next generation of technology and business leaders to innovate and stimulate local knowledge economies across the world. As a precursor to the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals in Korea, on June 26, 2007 Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie hosted ten Imagine Cup Finalist Software Design teams from Japan, China, Korea, Germany, France, UK, Poland, Egypt, Brazil and the United States.

Click here to watch a video of Bill Gates and Craig Mundie demoing the finalist team projects. (Click here for a 5 Mbps high resolution version.)

Click here to watch a video update from the event from Joe Wilson, Director of Academic Initiatives at Microsoft, whose team manages the Imagine Cup. (Click here for a 5 Mbps high resolution version.)

To learn more about the Imagine Cup Innvovation Fair, please visit the Imagine Cup Pressroom on Microsoft.com. Click here.

Microsoft works in partnership with the worldwide academic community to expand opportunities for students and educators and to encourage innovation in the technology industry.

Commitment to education and employability: The Imagine Cup helps students around the world realize their potential and experience the opportunities made possible through technology.
Commitment to driving innovation in response to solving the world's toughest problems: When coupled with the power of technology the potential of young people is unlimited and the ideas they develop for the Imagine Cup could significantly improve the lives of millions of people around the world. In this competition, everyone wins.
Creating future growth and economic development: The students who participate in the Imagine Cup all over the world represent the next generation of technology and business leaders. Their creativity and innovation speaks volumes about the promise of technology to really make a difference in peoples' lives in the way we think, work and communicate.

This year the Microsoft Imagine Cup is calling on young programmers, artists and technologists around the world to rise to this challenge: "Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all." The 2007 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals will be held in Seoul South Korea from August 5-11 2007. 111 teams and 372 finalists from all over the world are expected to travel to Seoul to compete.