Bangkok--27 May--Hill & Knowlton Team ‘SKE’ chosen to defend Thailand’s title at worldwide finals in Paris Microsoft (Thailand) Limited today hosted a ceremony to announce the winning Thai team that will represent the Kingdom at the finals of this year’s Imagine Cup 2008 competition in Paris, France. After much careful consideration by a distinguished judging committee, the ‘SKE’ team was finally selected for their impressive ‘Windows Light’ application. The Imagine Cup is Microsoft’s annual software development competition that is now entering its sixth consecutive year. By inviting local budding Thai software developers to come up with practical software solutions, the Imagine Cup competition is part of Microsoft’s ongoing Unlimited Potential initiative, which aims to transform education, foster local innovation and enable jobs and opportunities. The competition encourages students at university levels from all over the world who are interested in developing their software applications and showcasing their talents on a global level. By working together for a social cause the goal is to create applications that can make a real difference for major issues facing the world today. Each year entrants must create innovations under a set theme, with this year’s theme being: Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment. “The response in Thailand to this year’s competition has been very strong, with 95 applications from 965 students of 27 universities — even more than in previous years,” commented Patama Chantaruck, Microsoft Thailand’s Managing Director. “This is largely due to Thailand’s outstanding result at the finals last year in Korea, where the Thai team won the title. I have been very impressed with all the participating teams this year who have worked extremely hard to come up with some impressive and innovative applications that address some of the biggest environmental challenges we face today.” From more than 58 proposals, the applicants were whittled down to seven Thai finalists who were invited to attend the ceremony and have their applications recognized. Of these seven teams, the judging committee then selected the ‘SKE’ team and their ‘Windows Light’ application as the winning Thai entrant. The team consists of four members from Kasetsart University: Mr. Udomsak Donkhampai, Mr. Saroot Udomkarn, Mr. Tanthawat Khemavast and Mr. Krithee Sirisith. The ‘Windows Light’ application uses technology to reduce light bulb usage by automatically adjusting light bulbs’ brightness to appropriate levels in order to reduce energy consumption and household electricity bills. Subsequently, the application also aims to reduce carbon dioxide pollution, which is a major cause of the greenhouse effect and global warming. “The winning application from the ‘SKE’ team is particularly impressive. The talent they have shown gives us confidence in Thai youth’s creativity and ability to apply IT skills for enhancing the world that we live in,” added Patama Chantaruck. “After initiating the Imagine Cup competition six years ago, Microsoft is excited about the success stories that the event has generated. Furthermore, in line with the goals of our Unlimited Potential program, we are very proud to be able to encourage and help local innovations attract the attention they deserve and ultimately become commercial software.” As the winning Thailand representative, the ‘SKE’ team will be sponsored by Microsoft on their trip to the finals in France, with 450,000 baht for flights, accommodation and expenses. The team will also receive a prize check for 100,000 baht, a plaque and certificate from Microsoft, an incubation program with Software Park Thailand and an opportunity to work with Microsoft as Executive Trainees for one year. Runners-up ‘Humanoidea’ and second runners-up ‘SIT Imagine’ will receive checks for 50,000 baht and 40,000 baht respectively. The other four finalists, consisting of teams ‘AquaREA’, ‘CSCU’, ‘The Griz’ and ‘Innocent’, will each receive a 10,000 baht prize. 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. Established in 1993, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited provides world-class software that is easy to use and localized to suit the local market’s needs. It also has a compelling and consistent platform to build powerful business solutions that can scale from a notebook computer to a mainframe — class multiprocessor systems using Microsoft technology. For further information, information, please visit the Microsoft (Thailand) website at: http://www.microsoft.com/thailand. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. 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. For further information, please contact: Suphada Chaiwong Hill & Knowlton Thailand Tel: 0-2627 3501 ext 209 Fax. 0-2627 3510 Email: [email protected]