The fourth edition of the Webdesign International Festival 2008 (WIF), being organised by the Government of France will for the very first time see participation from design agencies and designers from India.

Twenty-one nations, including India, China and Japan are likely to be represented at the event, which will take place between April 17 and 19 in Limoges city in central France.

First organised in 1999, the event was originally called 'Marathon de I'Internet Creatif'. In 2004, eight countries participated in the event, which rose to 15 participants in 2006.

"We need the designers from India to share their skills in the event. Our objective is to give the web-designers and agencies a place to meet, discuss and share ideas and promote their expertise in entrepreneurship," said Aude Bourliataux, a spokesperson for the event.

The pre-selection stage for the event will be held online on January 18th. The event is open to web designers, interactive developers and graphic designers. Following the pre-selection stage, the top 40 teams will be invited to Limoges to take part in the finals.

The organisers are also exploring the possibility of conducting a pre-selection round in India by tying up with a local company.