Windows 8 officially launches on October 26th, and it’s already generating quite a few questions on Stack Overflow. So when Microsoft approached us about sponsoring an app development contest, we thought it was a great idea. Today we’re announcing Apptivate.ms, a Windows 8 App Development Contest sponsored by Microsoft.
The contest has two parts:
- A Developer Contest for people interested in writing applications
- A Reviewer Contest for people interested in reviewing and voting on apps
You can participate - and win prizes - in both categories, so even if you aren’t interested in developing your own app you can still participate by helping others by reviewing their submissions.
Developer Contest
The Developer Contest awards prizes for the best apps in 5 broad Groups: Knowledge, Games, Interest, Work, and Social. Here’s how it works:
- Create a Windows 8 app and submit it to Apptivate.MS by December 6
- The top 10 apps in each Group (chosen by judges, with input from your initial votes) will advance to the semi-final round December 7 - 9
- Vote on the best apps between December 10 - 16. The top 3 voted apps in each category will win the Voter’s Choice Prizes.
- One winner will be chosen by the Stack Exchange and Microsoft judges to win the Grand Prize on December 19
Two Grand Prize winners* will be awarded:
$5,000 Cash Grand Prize
+ Feature in MSDN Flash and Microsoft’s DevRadio
+ Promotion in Microsoft’s User Community
The top 3 apps in each category will win a Voter’s Choice Prize:
5 first-place winners: $500 + Tablet running Windows RT
5 second-place winners: Tablet running Windows RT
5 third-place winners: Windows 8
Submit early and often. Your first submission doesn’t have to be final -- in fact, you’re encouraged to submit early and get feedback to develop your app further. The votes will be reset for the semi-final round so everyone can vote on your final submission. See the full Rules, Terms & Conditions and the Submission Guidelines on Apptivate.ms for more information.
Reviewer Sweepstakes
Not developing an app? You can still help by leaving comments on apps, asking and answering Windows 8-related questions on Stack Overflow, and participating in the Windows 8 Developer Chats. See the Contest page for a full list of achievements that can be unlocked on Apptivate.ms. Each achievement (up to 30) gives you an entry into one of the reviewer sweepstakes:
3 Gold-level Winners: Tablet Running Windows RT
10 Silver-level Winners: Windows 8
50 Bronze-level Winners: Limited-edition Apptivate.ms T-shirt
See the full Rules, Terms & Conditions on Apptivate.ms for more information.
Getting Started
Thinking about developing an App, but not sure where to get started? Check out the Resources page for some helpful links and tips. Prefer to assist others writing apps? Register your Stack Overflow account on Apptivate.MS now to be eligible for reviewer prizes, and then ask, answer, or share Windows 8 questions on Stack Overflow to get started.
Register on Apptivate.ms now!
* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO AGES 18 AND OLDER AND WHO DID NOT PURCHASE ANY EQUIPMENT FOR PURPOSES OF ENTERING THE PROMOTION. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Enter Contest by: 12/6/12. Enter Sweepstakes by: 12/16/12. For Official Rules, prize descriptions, alternate method of entry, and odds disclosure, visit http://apptivate.ms. Sponsor: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052, U.S.A.