You may remember the recent summer competition that the Skype hardware team put on that had some really great prizes, including SMC WiFi phones, laptops from Fujitsu-Siemens, and a grand prize of a €5000 euro travel voucher to go anywhere in the world.

The question was: If you could call anyone in the world, who would you choose to call and why?

I wasn't privy to judging the (literally) thousands of entries that the hardware team received, but I have had the chance to see some of the winning entries that the judges chose, and I think they're great.

The judging was based on the creativity and originality of the answer (80%) and its clarity of writing / ability to communicate (20%). Some answers were funny ("I would call Jack Bauer to tell him to change his mobile to a Skype WiFi phone: he will make a lot of savings.") some were sentimental and sweet ("I would call my mam; she passed away last year and I miss her so much--my message to everybody would be call your loved ones now because they would love to hear from you; a call today is better than a wish tomorrow"), and all revealed the amazing way that Skype connects people.

And whom would the winner of our €5000 euro travel voucher call?

One of my ex-wives to tell her what a great life she has missed by leaving me 

Well it's certainly cheeky--I hope the ex doesn't see this blog post! Our winner is Oliver Jentzsch, a very friendly German who lives with his wife and daughter in Munich ("home of the notorious Octoberfest!" he says) and works at a management consultancy.

I had the chance to ask Oliver a few questions about the contest and how he uses Skype.

Skype Gear: I loved your answer--are you going to tell your ex-wife that because of her you got a great trip?
Oliver Jentzsh: Definitely no--she might get too jealous...

SG: What did you think when you first heard you won?
OJ: At first I couldn't believe it at all!!! I really thought this is a setup or hoax--what would you think when you get an email with "IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Congratulations you have won our Skype competition" as a subject line like--yeah, right!

SG: Were you surprised?
OJ: Pretty much--I received the congrats email from Sophia [on the Skype Hardware Team] last Friday, just one day before my 41st birthday! What a nice present!

SG: Do you know where you’d like to travel yet, or when you want to go?
OJ: Not yet; I haven't had the chance to speak to the travel agency yet, but I was thinking about taking my family somewhere special/luxurious like Mauritius.

SG: How do you use Skype?
OJ: Almost everyday since early 2004--no kiddin'! In my office I'm using it mainly for instant messaging and for long distance calls since we have some offshore IT facilities in Vietnam/Saigon. When I'm traveling (abroad), I mainly use SkypeOut to call home, my office, my customers, have conference calls etc. I also use Skype to have video calls so my parents get to see their granddaughter on the weekend

SG: Which hardware bundle did you buy when you entered the contest (or did you enter without any purchase)?
OJ: No purchase actually, since I had just bought a SMC WiFi phone before entering.

SG: Are you more likely to use Skype hardware or a computer when you Skype?
OJ: Mainly my computer (a Dell notebook) and my own gear (a Sennheiser headset, Microsoft LifeCam and IPEVO handset).

SG: Thanks very much and congrats!

Congratulations again to Oliver. Keep an eye on Skype Gear to learn about all our upcoming Skype hardware contests.