Microsoft Announces SPARKs Will Fly, Windows Embedded Developer Competition
Microsoft company logo. (PRNewsFoto/Microsoft)
REDMOND, WA UNITED STATES
Building on the successful SPARK Your Imagination program, this contest will reward innovative hobbyists and academic developers plotting the future for smart, connected devices.
BOSTON, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at the Embedded Systems
Conference (ESC) Boston, Microsoft Windows Embedded announced SPARKs Will Fly,
a new contest based on the successful Microsoft Windows Embedded SPARK Your
Imagination community-focused program launched in April 2008. SPARKs Will Fly,
the largest Windows Embedded contest outside the Imagine Cup, is designed to
foster creativity and innovation among the hobbyist and academic communities.
The contest will reward those with a passion for building devices on Windows
Embedded CE 6.0 R2 and will create a forum for enthusiasts to showcase their
development skills.
The theme of the contest is "home of the future," offering contestants a
broad platform to demonstrate fresh thinking around smart, connected devices
of the future.
"Windows Embedded is excited to bring SPARKs Will Fly, the premier contest
for hobbyists, academics and general developer enthusiasts, to the developer
community," said Ilya Bukshteyn, senior director of Windows Embedded Marketing
at Microsoft Corp. "Windows Embedded is committed to fostering creativity and
innovation in the embedded technology market. This is a great chance for the
embedded developer to have an impact on the innovation we will see in the
future. We are eager to see the forward thinking that will shape the home of
the future."
How the Contest Works
SPARKs Will Fly is a three-round competition with more than $50,000 (U.S.)
in prizes. The contest begins today and will wrap up in spring of 2009 at ESC
Silicon Valley. In round one, contestants will submit a one- to three-page
entry at http://www.sparkcontest.com detailing their idea for the home of the
future. The first round will close on Jan. 7, 2009. On Jan. 9, Windows
Embedded will announce 50 contestants chosen to participate in round two.
These contestants will be provided with a free-of-charge SPARK Your
Imagination kit based on the VIA ARTiGO Pico-ITX board to build a working
prototype of their idea. The 50 chosen contestants will also be required to
submit a four- to eight-page paper describing their solution along with a
three-minute video by March 11, 2009. On March 13, the top three finalists
will be announced. These three finalists will present at ESC Silicon Valley,
where the winner of the contest will be chosen.
Prizes
Each of the three finalists will receive an all-inclusive trip to attend
ESC Silicon Valley and will be awarded $1,000 (U.S.). The winner will be
awarded $15,000 (U.S.) and receive an all-inclusive trip to participate in the
2009 Microsoft Tech-Ed Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
Additional Details
SPARKs Will Fly is open to people in all countries eligible to participate
according to U.S. laws. The contest will start at noon PDT on Tuesday, Oct.
28, 2008, and will end at 3 p.m. PST on March 29, 2009. More details and full
official rules can be found at the SPARKs Will Fly Web site at
http://www.sparkcontest.com.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
