Microsoft 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 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 in a gala awards ceremony earlier this afternoon 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!
- Second place: Korea : eam En#605/Project Finger Code
- Third place: Jamaica : Team ICAD/Project CADI

Embedded Development
- First place: Brazil : Team TriventDreams ED
- Second place: Romania : Team Aether
- Third place: China : Team SEED

Web Development
- First place: France : Team APB
- Second place: Ireland : Team Red Dawn
- Third place: China : Team Frontfree Studio-Web

Project Hoshimi (Programming Battle)
- First place: Argentina : Team OIA
- Second place: France : Team Arenium
- Third place: Serbia :Team 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
- Second place: Croatia : Team Black and White
- Third place: Canada : Team Awesome

Short Film
?First place: Poland :Team Skylined
?Second place: Taiwan : Team Circle
?Third place: Brazil : Team Papa

Interface Design
- First place: Austria : Team OOT Graphics
- Second place: China : Team Frontfree Studio UI
- Third place: France : Team Atomnium

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. Teams 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.

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