Until last year Microsoft organized a Windows Embedded Competition for students, called the Windows Embedded ChallengE. This year this worldwide competition is integrated in the much larger “Imagine Cup” student competition. Right now the fifteen finalists in the Embedded Development category are probably working day and night to get ready for the finals that will be held in Seoul, South Korea between August 5^th and August 11^th. Since last year I have been involved with this competition. Having judged quite a few entries, it is amazing to see the cool ideas many teams come up with. Even though this is a worldwide competition, I personally would have loved to see more entries from my own country, The Netherlands, especially in the Embedded Development category. Last year we had one entry from Holland, this year none. That is the main reason for me to write this column. You might not have noticed it, but next year’s theme for the Imagine Cup is “Imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment.” The challenge is to actively contribute to the mission of protecting our world for generations to come. With the finals being held in Paris between I challenge all Dutch educational institutes that teach embedded system development to participate. Even though registration only begins after this year’s Imagine Cup finals, it is time to start thinking about cool projects that fit in next year’s theme. Don’t let me down. It would be great if at least one Dutch team would make it to the finals of the Imagine Cup 2008. If you want to know more about the competition you can always contact me.

Maarten Struys