Microsoft Announces Finalists for Global Student Technology Competition

More than 400 students invited to showcase their technology to solve the world's toughest problems at Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals in New York.

News provided by

Microsoft Corp.

May 23, 2011, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In July, more than 400 of the brightest young minds from around the world will travel to New York to showcase their innovative ideas for using technology to solve the world's toughest problems. As the winners of regional, national and online Imagine Cup competitions, these high school and university students represent the pinnacle of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurialism from 73 countries and regions around the globe.

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This year, more than 350,000 students from 183 countries registered for Microsoft Corp.'s Imagine Cup, the world's premier student technology competition. The 124 student teams secured their places at the July 8–13 Worldwide Finals event, where they will demonstrate technological advancements in problem-solving and compete for international recognition and $215,000 (U.S.) in cash prizes in categories including Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Design, Digital Media, Windows Phone 7, IT Challenge, Interoperability Challenge, Windows 7 Touch Challenge and the Orchard Challenge. The students' projects tackle serious humanitarian issues, often inspired by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, such as the environment, health, accessibility and education.

"Some of history's greatest inventions were created by students. With the Microsoft Imagine Cup, students apply their innovative thinking to real-world causes in order to generate the future's greatest inventions as well," said S. Somasegar, senior vice president, Developer Division at Microsoft. "To see young innovators and entrepreneurs harness their creativity and talent to benefit a greater good is absolutely inspiring."

Last year, Team GINA from the Czech Republic was among the finalist teams that competed at the Imagine Cup 2010 Worldwide Finals in Warsaw, Poland. The team developed GINA (Geographical INformation Assistant), an innovative software system for mobile equipment that provides navigation in difficult terrain, helps coordinate rescue teams, and enables the efficient exchange of geographical information. Together with the humanitarian organization Hand for Help Europe o.s. and its partners, the GINA system has been deployed in Haiti to track the progress of the cholera epidemic, and recently has been helping rescue workers in Japan monitor areas affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country.

"Technology has tremendous potential to solve humanitarian problems, and the Imagine Cup gave me a platform to share my ideas for making the world a better place," said Team GINA member Zbynek Poulicek. "The Imagine Cup was also a launching pad to start my own business and have an impact in places like Haiti and Japan."

More information about the GINA system is available at http://www.ginasystem.com.

2011 marks the first time that the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals event, now in its ninth year, will take place in the United States. Although the primary focus of the gathering is the competition, the finalist teams will also have opportunities to attend special training sessions, meet peers from around the world, and participate in volunteer and cultural activities while in New York. The final event of the competition, the Imagine Cup World Festival and Awards Ceremony, will take place on Wednesday, July 13.

The worldwide finalist teams are:


Country	Category	School(s)	Team Name
Algeria	Software Design	Ecole Nationale Superieur d'Informatique	Epsilon
Algeria	Embedded Development	Ecole Nationale Superieur d'Informatique	Green Stroumpfs
Armenia	Software Design	Yerevan State University, State Engineering University of Armenia	X-Tech
Australia	Software Design	Canberra University	UCEEG
Bangladesh	Software Design	American International University	Rapture
Belgium	Windows Phone 7	Campus karel de goedelaan Howest	Digitron-WP7
Belgium	Game Design (Mobile)	Campus karel de goedelaan Howest	Crash Games
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Software Design	Slobomir P University	CPU Team
Brazil	Software Design	Federal University of Pernambuco	LevelUp
Brazil	Embedded Development	UFPE, Universidade de Pernambuco, Universidade Federal Rual de Pernambuco	Embedded Brain
Brazil	Game Design (Windows/Xbox)	Federal University of Pernambuco	Replay
Brazil	Game Design (Windows/Xbox)	Universidade Positivo	Signum Games
Brazil	Digital Media	Universidade Estadual Paulista	Quarentaedois
Brazil	Interoperability Challenge	Federal University of Pernambuco	Bells Team
Bulgaria	Software Design	Technical University of Sofia, New Bulgarian University and Sofia University	Walk2Help
Bulgaria	Game Design (Web)	Sofia University, University of Hertfordshire	GreenWorld
Chile	Software Design	Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria	Lifeware S.A.C.
China	Software Design	City Institute, Dalian University of Technology	Care Everyone
China	Embedded Development	Tsinghua University	Harmonicare
China	IT Challenge	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	Xuewen Tian
Colombia	Embedded Development	Universidad Icesi	Freakin' Mind
Costa Rica	Software Design	Not available	CarPooling Mate Finder
Croatia	Software Design	Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb	Apptenders
Cyprus	Software Design	University of Cyprus	iDOC
Czech Republic	Software Design	Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University	Celebrio Software
Czech Republic	Game Design (Windows/Xbox)	Brno University of Technology	WickedTeam
Ecuador	Software Design	Escuela Superior Politecnica del Chimborazo	Falcon Dev
Egypt	Software Design	Faculty of Computers and Information, Cairo University	Cairo Team 3
Egypt	Embedded Development	Ain Shams University, Computer and Systems Engineering	ideas 4 u
Finland	Software Design	Turku University of Applied Sciences	25k
France	Software Design	EcoleFrancaised'Electronique et d'Informatique	Dream'n'Touch
France	Embedded Development	ÉcoleFrancaised'Électronique et d'Informatique	Give Me 4
France	Game Design(Mobile)	Epitech	Close World Mobile
France	Game Design (Mobile)	Ingesup, Supinfogame	Geekologic
France	IT Challenge	Supinfo International University	Jean-Sebastien Duchene
Germany	Software Design	Dresden University of Technology	majiRanger
Germany	Embedded Development	Duale Hochschule Baden-Wurttemberg	JOFNET
Germany	IT Challenge	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Alexander Wachtel
Greece	Software Design	School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece	Epione
Greece	Interoperability Challenge	Athens University of Economics and Business	alaniarides
India	Software Design	University College of Engineering, Punjabi University	Infiniti
India	Embedded Development	V.E.S. Institute of Technology	Drushti
India	Digital Media	Madurai Kamaraj University, University of Birmingham	Green Uno
Indonesia	Software Design	Telkom Institute of Technology	Gatotkaca
Indonesia	Embedded Development	University of Indonesia	MACARA
Iraq	Software Design	American University of Iraq- Sulaimani	Hawk
Ireland	Software Design	Institute of Technology Sligo	Hermes
Italy	Software Design	University Frederico Secondo of Naples	Nea Soft
Japan	Software Design	Dosisha University	MI3
Japan	Embedded Development	Kyoto University of Technology, Salesian Polytechnic, Osaka Municipal College of Design	SunDonation
Jordan	Software Design	German Jordanian University, Petra University, Princess Sumaya University	Oasys
Korea	Software Design	SeJong University	Four Leaf Clover
Korea	Embedded Development	National University	Link Your Passion
Korea	Windows Phone 7	Dongguk University, Samgmyung University	HOMERUN
Korea	Windows Phone 7	Seoul National University of Technology, Soongsil University in Seoul, Korea University of Technology and Education, Ewha Women's University	Zipi Zigi
Kuwait	Software Design	American University of Kuwait	SWAP Team
Lebanon	Software Design	American University of Beirut	D4W
Malaysia	Software Design	UCTI University, Asia Pacific University	Team Cyber Knightz
Mexico	Software Design	Universidad Iberoamericana	Brain
Mexico	Game Design (Mobile)	Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico	Fomis Phone Team
Morocco	Software Design	Ecole Marocaine des Sciences de l'Ingenieur	Whitelight
Netherlands	Software Design	Not available	Olife
New Zealand	Software Design	University of Auckland	OneBuzz
Nigeria	Software Design	Federal University of Technology	Nerds Inc.
Oman	Digital Media	Sultan Qaboos University	Brothers Forever
Oman	Software Design	Sultan Qaboos University	Edunology
Pakistan	Embedded Development	Lahore University of Management Sciences	The Pioneers
Pakistan	Software Design	FAST — National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad	V3C
Palestinian Authorities	Software Design	Palestine Polytechnic University	Vital Dreams
Peru	Software Design	Universidad Catolica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo	Nawy Harkay
Philippines	Game Design (Web)	De La Salle University	Signum Fidei
Philippines	Software Design	Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University	polymor.ph
Poland	Embedded Development	Wojskowa Akademia Technicza	WCY_TEAM
Poland	Game Design(Web)	Uniwersytet Im. Adama Mickiewicza	Cellardoor
Poland	Interoperability Challenge	Uniwerstytet Adama Mickiewicza W Poznaniu	DemosceneSpirit
Poland	IT Challenge	Poznan University of Technology	Blazej Matuszyk
Poland	Software Design	Polytechnika Lodzka	CodeRaiders
Portugal	Software Design	Instituto Politecnico Do Cavado E Do Ave	RescueMe
Puerto Rico	Software Design	Universidad Metropolitana, Sistema Ana G. Mendez	Team A41
Romania	Digital Media	NW College London, Universitatea Bucuresti	M.N.A.
Romania	Embedded Development	Gh. Asachi Technical University of Iasi	Endeavour_Design
Romania	IT Challenge	Alexandru Ioan University	Sinescu Ionut
Romania	Software Design	Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca	Simplex
Russia	Embedded Development	Saratov State Technical University	Calvus
Russia	Game Design (Mobile)	Yaroslavl State University	CRS
Russia	Software Design	Moscow Aviation Institute	Oriteam
Senegal	Software Design	L'ecole polytechnique de Dakar	CYAN GIRLS
Serbia	Software Design	University of Novi Sad	4K-join
Singapore	Embedded Development	Nanyang Polytechnic	Skynet
Singapore	IT Challenge	Nanyang Polytechnic	Yunheng Mong
Singapore	Software Design	Temasek Polytechnic	ElderGuardian
Singapore	Windows Phone 7	Tamesek Polytechnic	Code Instincts
Slovakia	Game Design (Web)	Slovak University of Technology	Quegee Team
Slovakia	Software Design	Technicka Univerzita V Kosiciach	Zippers
Slovenia	Software Design	University of Maribor, Feri	2ndsight
South Africa	Software Design	University of Cape Town	Komodo1
Spain	Software Design	Castilla La Mancha University	Software4life
Spain	Embedded Development	Mondragon Unibertsitatea	Argitech
Sri Lanka	Software Design	University of Peradeniya	Pera Soft
Sweden	Software Design	Uppsala Universitet	Life Map
Switzerland	Software Design	Hendrik Knoch	Texting4All
Taiwan	Software Design	Taipei University	Miner
Taiwan	Embedded Development	National Tsing Hua University	NTHUCS
Taiwan	Digital Media	National Taipei University of Technology	Cottoncandy
Thailand	Game Design (Windows/Xbox)	Mahidol University	JubJub
Thailand	Software Design	Chulalongkorn University	NewKrean
Trinidad & Tobago	Software Design	University of the Southern Caribbean	Codec
Tunisia	Software Design	Engineering School of Gabes	Sight Browser
Turkey	Software Design	Bahcesehir University	Co2ncerned
Uganda	Software Design	Makerere University College of Science, Makerere University College of Computing and Informatics	Quest-0
Ukraine	Software Design	Odessa Computer Academy "Step"	DashPoint
Ukraine	Digital Media	IT Academy Step, Kharkov	Digital Dream
United Arab Emirates	Software Design	University of Wollongong in Dubai	The Hex Pistols
United Kingdom	Software Design	University of Manchester	Project OVE
United Kingdom	Embedded Development	University of York	Cycling into Trees
United States	Software Design	Arizona State University	Note-Taker
United States	Embedded Development	Santiago Canyon College	Syntax Errors
United States	Game Design (Web)	Ithaca College	ICsquared
United States	Windows Phone 7	University of California Los Angeles Anderson School of Management, University of California Davis, HarvardBusiness School, University of Central Florida	LifeLens
United States	Game Design (Mobile)	Rice University	Team Dragon
Venezuela	Software Design	Universidad Central de Venezuela	UCV-Ideas
Vietnam	Software Design	Hanoi University of Technology	MIGI

Microsoft also announced the winners of the Orchard Challenge and Windows 7 Touch Challenge, two of Imagine Cup's online competitions. The first place teams in these challenges will represent their countries at the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals:


Category	Place	Country	School(s)	Team Name
Orchard Challenge	1st	Denmark	Aarhus University	MP Brun
Orchard Challenge	2nd	Brazil	Escola Politecnica da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Universidade Estadual de Campinas	Virtual Dreams — Orchard
Orchard Challenge	3rd	Serbia	Metropolitan University, Tehnicki Fakultet Mihajilo Pupin	Zveen Zveen Team
Windows 7 Touch Challenge	1st	France	University of Orleans	India Rose
Windows 7 Touch Challenge	2nd	Indonesia	Telkom Institute of Technology	_dreambender_
Windows 7 Touch Challenge	3rd	Japan	Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba	IUVO

Additional information about the worldwide finalist teams and projects can be found on the Imagine Cup blog. A sortable spreadsheet of the finalist teams and projects, as well as more information about the Microsoft Imagine Cup, is available at the Imagine Cup Virtual Pressroom.

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

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.