$10 Million developer challenge for Android mobile platform

Google has announced the Android Developer Challenge – a $10 million incentive for developers who build mobile applications for Android™, the complete, open, and free mobile platform recently unveiled by a group of more than 30 technology and mobile industry leaders known as the Open Handset Alliance™.

The open platform is designed to foster a new era of innovative mobile phone applications and improve the mobile technology experience for consumers. The Challenge will aid in this process by providing support to the developer community by awarding cash prizes ranging from $25,000 to $275,000 to developers whose applications are picked by a panel of judges.

The Challenge will take place in two parts - Android Developer Challenge I submissions will be accepted from January 2 through March 3, 2008, and the 50 most promising entries will be recognized by end of March with each receiving $25,000 awards to fund further development. These 50 entries will then be eligible for even greater recognition by applying by May 1, 2008 for ten awards worth $275,000 each and another ten worth $100,000 each. Recognition for the top apps among those entries will be announced by end of May 2008. Challenge II will launch after the first handsets built on the platform become available in the second half of 2008.

A panel of technology and mobile experts selected from the Open Handset Alliance member organizations and the industry in general will judge all qualifying entries. Awards will be given to the developers whose applications leverage all that the Android platform has to offer in order to provide consumers with the most compelling experiences. Developers retain all intellectual property and other rights to their applications.

"We've built some interesting applications for Android but the best applications are not here yet and that's because they're going to be written by developers," said Sergey Brin, Co-founder and President, Technology, Google. "We'd like to reward these developers and recognize them as much as possible."

"We believe that the Android platform offers developers a unique opportunity to create truly innovative mobile software," said Andy Rubin, Google's director of mobile platforms. "We're challenging developers to stretch their imaginations and skills to leverage the full capabilities of this new platform and to create something amazing."

Details can be found on the Alliance blog.