The Oracle Education Foundation ThinkQuest Live event at Oracle Open World October 23rd to 26th October 2006

The winners of this year's contest, which challenges students and teachers to create innovative and educational Web sites to share with their peers around the world, included members from 17 countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

The winning teams created Web sites on topics ranging from ancient civilizations and avian influenza to poverty in developing nations, reflecting the competition's focus on global collaboration. "ThinkQuest motivates young people to explore new ideas and look beyond physical, social, and economic barriers," said Shakeeb Rahman, student member of a winning team. "In essence, the competition takes the principle that the world is flat to a whole new level by encouraging students to seek out teammates and resources across the globe. In the process of working collaboratively towards a common goal, students develop new skills and build enduring relationships with peers from different backgrounds."

The competition, which opened in August 2005, allowed teams approximately eight months to complete their projects. Working collaboratively, students and teachers from all over the world submitted the 658 educational Web sites from which 12 winning entries were selected. An international panel of volunteer judges selected first, second, and third place and honorable mention winners within each of three age divisions and awarded special distinction to the team best exemplifying global perspectives.

The ThinkQuest competition, now entering its 12th year of operation, has been embraced by educators worldwide as an effective way to engage students in online collaborative learning. Beyond developing expertise in Web publishing and the subject matter of their Web sites, students build fundamental skills in research, writing, teamwork, and project management. All qualifying Web sites will be published in the popular ThinkQuest Library, a rich online resource visited by millions monthly.

Winning teams comprising 20 teacher-coaches and 63 students are scheduled to travel to the annual ThinkQuest Live celebration, which is part of Oracle Open World, held in San Francisco, California, This event honors the competition's winning teams. Students and coaches from all over the world come together to celebrate their achievements in style. Some team members meet in person for the very first time, having only collaborated from distant locations to build their website. There will be four days of learning and fun-filled activities including:

• Welcome Winners reception
• A San Francisco Scavenger Hunt
• number of technology workshops
• A ThinkQuest Showcase
• Excursion to the Science Museum, Alcatraz, or a Bay Cruise
• Farewell Dinner

A gala award ceremony will be the highlight of the week, where they will receive exciting prizes including laptop computers and digital cameras. The award-winning Web sites can be viewed at http://thinkquest.org/winners/.