The winners in this year's Microsoft's Imagine Cup competition.

Team:Red Dawn, Dublin Institute of Technology

Members:Marouf Azad and Mohammed Al-Tahs

Award:Second place and $4,000 (€2,970)

Project:Online code compiler and web environment. The team started with their initial project that brought them to the finals, an online compiler program (to translate code written in higher level computer languages used by programmers into something the machine language a computer understands). In the programming competition, they built a collaborative Web 2.0 environment to enable programmers to work together and learn to write code. They intend the project to be used in developing countries, where it could be hosted on school networks to teach programming.

Team:Team InGest, NUI Maynooth

Members:Daniel Kelly, Cathal Coffey, Eric McClean, Mark Clerkin

Award:Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator program

Project:Project Signal, a sign-language learning environment. Signal uses innovative motion capture techniques and a 3D animated teacher named Niamh to teach sign language. Based on Daniel Kelly's graduate work in motion capture technology, Signal uses a simple webcam mounted on a PC.

The student wears a red and green glove that the computer is able to "see" via the webcam. Niamh demonstrates signs in Irish sign language and the student practises before the computer screen and webcam.

The computer instantly analyses the sign shape in real time and praises a correct signal or encourages the learner to try again.

Microsoft and BT chose the project and two others from a field of 55 as worthy of further development and potential commercialisation in their accelerator programme.