Dear Friend of the Imagine Cup:

Welcome to Imagine Cup 2008! As the thrill of the Imagine Cup 2007 World
Finals in Seoul fades into our
memories, it's time to step up to a new challenge that will culminate at the
2008 Finals in Paris France
next summer. We're looking forward to sharing this year's journey with you.

*Nine Ways to Compete*

This year we've added a new invitational, Game Development, to our list of
nine challenges. Using
Microsoft's ground-breaking new XNA Game Studio Express, you'll create a
game that that is not only
entertaining but has a social message about creating a sustainable
environment. We've also integrated
last year's Web Development competition into Software Design. For the full
list of all nine 2008
competition categories, click here <http://imaginecup.com/About/WhatIs.aspx>
.

As any former competitor will tell you, the Imagine Cup takes a lot of hard
work. But also remember that
the Imagine Cup is more than a competition. It's about helping the world,
making new friends, learning
cutting-edge technology, testing your skills and creativity, and having fun.
This year's theme, "Imagine a
world where technology enables a sustainable environment," enables you to
make a real impact on our
future and the lives of people around the world. We can't wait to see how
you approach this problem,
and we're eager to share your solutions with the world in Paris next July.

*Getting Started *

We're planning many exciting enhancements to the competition this year which
we will be introducing
you to in the coming months. For now, here are our top four tips for how you
can get off to a great start in Imagine Cup 2008.

   1. *Sign up for a competition*: Right now, your most important task is
   to sign up for competitions.
   Click here <http://imaginecup.com/UpdateProfile.aspx> to access your
   Imagine Cup profile page and sign up for one or more of the new
   competitions. Once you have done that, the step-by-step and entry
   panel widgets on your
   competition page will guide you through the required steps in Round 1.
   Questions? Check out
   the Competition FAQ page <http://imaginecup.com/Support/FAQ.aspx>.

   2. *Join the Imagine Cup community!* Be sure to visit the Forums. This
   is where you can mingle with
   former winners and current competitors from your invitational, hear
   about competition news,
   ask questions, and much more.

   3. *Get inspired to help the environment*: Speaking of the forums,
   we've just added a new
   Environment forum where you can brainstorm ideas on the competition
   theme. This is a great
   place for you to chat with competitors from different invitationals,
   and exchange ideas on
   environmental issues and sustainability. Click here to visit the
   Environment forum <http://imaginecup.com/Community/forums/66.aspx>.

   4. *Explore your competition pages*: We're posted learning resources,
   links to helpful information
   from Microsoft experts, and detailed competition guidelines on your
   competition pages.
   Familiarize yourself with the guidelines and resources we've provided
   and check back often for
   news and updates. Be sure to sign in to get content that is targeted
   to you.

*Important Announcement to 2007 Registrants*

If you were registered in Imagine Cup 2007, you can log in with your former
username and password.
However you need to go to the My
Profile<http://imaginecup.com/UpdateProfile.aspx>page to sign up for
the new competitions. Until you select
your desired competitions under *Competition Sign Up* you won't be able to
form teams, view the competition checklists, or submit Round 1 entries.

*Stay informed!* Not ready to sign up for the 2008 competitions, but want to
stay informed? To continue
receiving Imagine Cup news, select the appropriate boxes in the
Communication Preferences area on
your Profile page <http://imaginecup.com/UpdateProfile.aspx>.

*Check out Channel 8!*

Channel 8 is the community for technical students from Microsoft. It's a
place for you to network with
Microsoft experts, hear about new jobs, and meet other students who are
passionate about using
technology to change the world. We've also posted videos from the Imagine
Cup 2007 Finals in Seoul.

   - Do you have friends that attended the 2007 World Finals?

   - Do you want to see what REALLY happened?

   - Do you want to be more prepared for France?

   - Do you want to meet people that can tell you how it feels?

   - Do you want to experience the finals in Seoul as if you were there?

If the answers to these questions are *yes*, don't delay. Click
here<http://channel8.msdn.com/Search/?TagName=imagine+cup>
.

*Special Sponsor Message*

Use BT's SDK in your Imagine Cup 2008 software design
solution<http://web21c.bt.com/>

*Do less. Achieve more. Extend your software application. *

BT's SDK <http://web21c.bt.com/> integrates secure services such as
messaging, voice, location, authentication, conference call,
profile, or contacts into one application. Integrate the SDK into your
team's 2008 Imagine Cup Software
Design idea and give yourself more time to spend on those tricky coding
problems that really keep you
awake at night.

BT values innovation and creativity. For the teams that enter the Imagine
Cup competition 2008, you
have a unique opportunity to address one of the most challenging problems on
our planet – creating a
better environment for us all. Take up the challenge and let you imagination
be the boundary of
possibility.

To help you achieve more, BT invites you to use the SDK in your final
software design solution. Even if it
isn't for you, tell us your views and help us improve it. Better still –
create your own mash-ups and be
creative.

From all of us on the Imagine Cup 2008 team, good luck!

Warm regards,

The Imagine Cup 2008 Team

 *Sponsored By:*
   [image: BT] <http://www.bt.com/>
*Endorsed By:*
   [image: Unesco] <http://www.unesco.org/>

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.

--
http://sreenath.net

!!!!!!!!!! The REVOLUTION is coming. Can you see it? !!!!!!!!!!

Its so easy to cut trees. Just hit the print button on this email and a huge
tree will be cut for each page of print.
YOU have a choice. Save the environment. Make the choice for a better
tomorrow.