Announcing the Windows 8 Apps for Good Contest
Do you have an idea to help people better track their energy usage? Do you want to help students learn math or science? Have an idea about how to track online donations? Show us how Windows 8 apps can help the world and you can win up to US$15,000.
To celebrate the launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, Microsoft announced a new contest to encourage developers to create apps that positively impact the world around them. From clean energy to improving access to education, developers have the chance to use technology as an agent of change.
For the purposes of the contest, Microsoft Citizenship defines a social good application as “a good or service that provides some sort of benefit to the general public and doesn’t solely exist to provide the maximum possible return to shareholders.” Some examples of social issues include clean water, literacy, food security and a healthy environment. These are all issues that can be aided through the creative use of technology, including apps.
Contest Information
There are 3 key steps to entering the Windows 8 Apps for Good contest:
- Create a Windows 8 app focused on social good (see definition above)
- Publish the app on the Windows Store
- Register the application project on the contest website
The contest begins Nov. 5, 2012 and all entries are due by Feb. 28, 2013. After the contest ends, Microsoft Citizenship will open up the entries for public voting, which will end March 15, 2013. The contest winners will be announced March 25, 2013.
Need help? For the purposes of this contest, Microsoft Citizenship recommends the TechSoup Hacker Help Wiki as a reference. You can also find Windows 8 developer tools on MSDN and be sure to check out the Microsoft YouthSpark Hub for additional resources.
Good Luck and Happy Coding!