The embeddedSPARK 2010 Challenge is a three-round competition offering more than $20,000 (U.S.) in prizes. The contest officially began yesterday, Sept. 22, 2009, and will culminate in spring 2010 at ESC Silicon Valley (April 26–29), where the three finalists will receive an all-expense-paid trip to present their devices onstage during Microsoft’s industry address. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to vote for the winner and award the three finalists $15,000, $5,000 and $1,000 respectively in prize money.
In Round 1, contestants will submit a one- to three-page entry at
http://www.embeddedspark.com that details their original idea for the “Fun and Games” theme, which includes games, home entertainment and other fresh ideas for specialized devices that grab attention and bring smiles to the faces of users. The first round will close on Jan. 9, 2010, and the 75 contestants selected for Round 2 will be announced on Jan. 15. All Round 2 participants will receive a target development board, Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 and Visual Studio Professional Edition 2005 at no cost to help them develop their devices. Round 2 will close on April 2, and the three finalists will be announced on April 9.