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Published on August 10, 2007

Microsoft Corp. announced the winners of Imagine Cup 2007, after a week of intense competition among finalists chosen from a total of 344 students from 112 teams representing 59 different countries. 

3 KC Returns" representatives from Thailand celebrated their victory in the worldwide Software Design Invitational and were awarded a $25,000 cash prize.

Imagine Cup, the world's premier competition for technology students or known as 'Technology Olympics', gives students the chance to unlock their creative genius and build solutions that tackle real-world issues facing society today.

 

Representing from Thailand, "3KC Returns"- the first-place winning team of students developed a software application called "Live Book" which enables the poorly educated to enhance their reading, writing and listening skills. Members of the triumphant team include: Vasan Chienmaneetaveesin from Chulalongkorn University, Prachaya Phaisanwiphatpong, Jatupon Sukkasem and Pathompol Saeng-Uraiporn from Kasetsart University.

 

"It's amazing to see the passionate students doing such great work. We are so proud and exciting that this is the first year Thailand has a chance passing to the top ranking of Imagine Cup competition, said Patama Chantaruck, Managing Director of Microsoft (Thailand) Limited. "The high caliber of the students and their projects is an indication of their potential to become great business and technology leaders, and a demonstration of how our local innovations have a lasting and transformative impact on education and beyond."

 

Under the theme of "Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all", "Live Book" application is only putting any general text-book in front of Web Camera, the system will automatically capture paragraph on each pages, do character recognise, and transform each word into graphical new ones on screen, with attractive imaginary presenting its original description and vocabulary on paragraph, showing its meaning and teach them how to read it in the right way.

 

"This is such a great experience in our life," said Prachaya Phaisanwiphatpong from Kasetsart University, member of Thailand representative. "We try our best to proof that Thailand innovation can be accepted on global stage. The exciting thing about Microsoft's Imagine Cup is that we take what is possible with technology today and try to solve real world problems with software solutions"

 

The follow-up plan for the winning team is the Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator program, which is a project from Microsoft to propel Imagine Cup software design champions into the next stage of developing their innovative ideas as a business. Teams selected for the Innovation Accelerator program receive technical support and business coaching to create the must-have technology and communications applications of the future. Over an intensive two-week period, students further develop their designs and viable business plans with close guidance from some of the best minds at Microsoft.

"The students who participate in the Imagine Cup represent the next generation of technology and business leaders." said Yik Joon Ho, Developer & Platform Strategy Director, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited "Their creativity and innovation speak volumes about the promise of technology to really make a difference in peoples' lives in the way we think, work and communicate.

Imagine Cup, now in its fifth 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. Participating teams are assigned to develop innovative technological and artistic projects aligned to a social cause each year. In addition, Imagine Cup complements Microsoft's Unlimited Potential commitment to create social and economic opportunity through programs and products that transform education, foster local innovation, and enable jobs and opportunities worldwide.

 

The next Imagine Cup 2008 will be held in France, Paris. The theme will be "Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment."

 

The Nation