Hey Alexa! The Amazon Alexa Skill Contest

If you are a winner, we will contact you directly via email to arrange the shipment of your prize.

Judging criteria:

 Amazon will judge all entries and select winners based on the following criteria:

• Creativity (15 points)
• Use of Voice User Interface (VUI) best practices (15 points)
• Story/Instruction – Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or video (15 Points)
• Published Skill (20 Points) (read about skill submission criteria)
• Project Documentation including VUI diagram (10 Points)
• Code – Include working code with helpful comments (10 Points)
• Great photographs, videos and screenshots (10 Points)
• Bonus: Use AWS Lambda to build your project, land extra points (5 points)

Prizes: 

• For each bimonthly contest, the top ten entries will receive prizes as follows:
  • If the winning contestant has a US mailing address:
    • First prize (1): Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap
    • Second prize (3): Amazon Echo
    • Third prize (6): Amazon Tap
  • If the winning contestant has a mailing address outside of the US:
    • First prize (1): Gift card worth $310 (type of gift card to be mutually agreed by Hackster and Amazon)
    • Second prize (3): Gift card worth $180 (type of gift card to be mutually agreed by Hackster and Amazon)
    • Third prize (6): Gift card worth $130  (type of gift card to be mutually agreed by Hackster and Amazon)
  • Additionally, for each bimonthly contest the first 20 contestants to complete an eligible contest submission and have the skill published (skill must be published between the contest start and end dates) will receive a $100 gift card (type of gift card to be mutually agreed by Hackster and Amazon).
  • Amazon will also fund all gift cards distributed to winning contestants.  Hackster will be responsible for all prize fulfillment to contest participants.

• Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap*

• Amazon Echo* (3 are available)

• Amazon Tap* (6 are available)

• $100 gift cards for first 20 contestants to complete an eligible contest submission and have the skill published (skill must be published between the contest start and end dates). * Only United States residents will receive devices as prizes. Intern... (20 are available)

Here's how to Participate in the Contest:

• Create a free Hackster.io account
• Register to participate in the contest
• Create an amazon developer account
• Submit your project on this contest page

Project Submissions Should Include:

1. Story and quality images
2. Clear Project Documentation including VUI diagram
3. BOM (Materials Used)
4. Source code
5. CAD files if relevant
6. All project submissions must include a link to your published Amazon Alexa Skill

Contest winners will be announced on June 15, 2016. The list of winners will be visible on the main page (Contest brief).

Eligibility criteria:  Contestants must (a) be at least 16 years of age, (b) be a resident of a country other than Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria, (c) not be involved in the execution or administration of the Contest, and (d) not be an immediate family member or a household member of a Hackster employee. 

To be eligible for judging, an entry must meet the following content and technical requirements:

• Contestants must create a free Hackster.io account and register as a participant for this contest.
• Contestants must create an Amazon developer account to build a working submission.
• Contestant must submit an an Amazon Alexa skill via the Hackster.io project template
• Contestant must submit their project on this contest page by filling out the form "Submit my final entry"
• All ideas must be submitted in the English language.

In addition:

• Each entry must be the contestants’ own original work; and
• Entries cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
• Contestants must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
• Entries may not include any third party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people) unless you have obtained permission to use the materials.

Additional requirements if submitting a full project:

• Each project must be fully documented on Hackster per the “project” template.
• Each final project must be submitted as within the projects template.
• Each final project must consist of the following materials:
  • Images
  • Instructions
  • BOM
  • Schematics
  • Code
  • CAD if any

Alexa Skills Kit (Hyperlink this in the copy here "For developers, the Alexa Skills Kit 

https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit

Then at the bottom please add something like the following with the links being text links:

Alexa Skills Kit https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit

Alexa Quick Start Guide  

https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/alexa-skill-tutorial

Skill Templates 

Trivia Skill Template https://developer.amazon.com/public/community/post/TxDJWS16KUPVKO/New-Alexa-Skills-Kit-Template-Build-a-Trivia-Skill-in-under-an-Hour

Fact Skill Template https://developer.amazon.com/public/community/post/Tx3DVGG0K0TPUGQ/New-Alexa-Skills-Kit-Template-Step-by-Step-Guide-to-Build-a-Fact-Skill