The weekend was made for hacking, and this year we host our second annual M2M Killer App Hackathon, inviting developers from around the globe to develop a unique and useful M2M application in the matter of 36 hours.
With multiple development platforms from which to choose, each developer will be provided the direction and know-how needed in order to create rapid proof-of-concept, value-based machine-to-machine applications for cash and other prizes.
Before the event begins, don’t miss the kickoff meet and greet with the platform providers to help you decide which one inspires you the most.
Hack individually or as a team. Choose one or, if you are up to the challenge, design on multiple platforms. Several winners will be chosen on each platform, with cash and gadgets for the winning apps.
Judging
Each team or individual will be required to reveal the application and source code to the judges at the end of each session. Web applications must run in the Web browser (either on a machine provided to you, a machine you provide, or via a URL that the judges can access from their own computers). Mobile applications must run on an iOS, Android, Blackberry, or Windows Phone device. Enterprise applications must integrate into popular enterprise IT systems (SAP, Oracle, databases, etc.) The team or individual will be required to provide one or more of the devices to the judges. It must be noted that all contestants will be asked to hand over their phone or tablet device to the judges for an extended period of time for review.
The overall contest winners will be determined by a panel of judges comprised of industry experts. They will evaluate each submitted application based on the following criteria. The first four carry the most weight at 20%. Time to implement is given 10%, and the following two carry 5%, each of which carries an equal weight:
- Innovation/Novelty (wow factor)
- Commercial viability
- Technical expertise
- Enterprise readiness
- Solution scalability
- Security and audit
- Bandwidth economics
- Time to implement
- Completeness
- Aesthetics
After reviewing each application, the judges will deliberate to select winning teams/individuals from each session. The winning teams will be invited to give a presentation to the audience. Following the presentations, the judges will publicly award prizes to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners from each session.
Teams should be comprised of between one and four individuals. It is recommended that no more than four people participate on a team. Teams and individuals are advised to register as early as possible, although registration up through the start of the meeting is permitted.
If you sign up as an individual, but would like to form or be recruited into a team, be sure to attend any pre-hackathon meetings in order to increase your chances of finding others with whom you can work.
Anyone can participate. Whether you work for a sponsoring company or a technology supplier for any of the hackathons you are eligible to participate. Member companies will not influence the judging process and all evaluations will be comprised of a panel of impartial judges.
Libraries, plug-ins, and modules that are public and freely available are allowed to be used and we encourage participants to use such resources. Please list all libraries that you use on your team's profile page to give credit where it's due. Paying for something that is not generally available to everyone is not allowed and will lead to disqualification.
Developing a library in secret before the competition that provides the same general functionality of your project will most likely get you and your team disqualified. On the other hand, developing a library that is publicly available and provides a general-purpose, publicly usable function can be completed prior to the beginning of the competition.
The use of third-party enterprise IT services, Web services and APIs (e.g., SAP, ORACLE, Twitter, Flickr, Google Maps, BING Maps, Yahoo! pipes, OpenID, etc) are encouraged. It is also popular to use mashups. As part of your team or individual profile please provide the services that are being used.
Under the guidelines of this contest, the code you author will be made available under a less-restrictive public license (MS-PL). More information about this license can be found at
www.microsoft.com/en-us/openness/licenses.aspx
Final Thoughts
Don't break any laws.
FAQs
What if I don’t finish the app in the allotted 36-hour time period?
You will be judged based on the completed features. It will be up to the judges’ discretion to determine how an application ranks against other submitted applications.
Can I spend the entire night at the venue or will I have to burn the midnight oil elsewhere?
The venue will be open the entire duration of the contest. You are welcome to come and go as you please.
Can I design the application and/or write components?
All code, snippets, graphics, layouts, etc., that you wish to bring with you must already exist in the public domain well in advance of the hackathon. All participants should have as much opportunity to use the resources as you. For example, using a Web framework like Ruby on Rails is perfectly acceptable. However, writing a ruby gem specifically for your application and then publishing it on a social coding site a week before would be cheating. Another example would be graphics. Any graphics you use must fit the criteria above or be created by your team during the event. Each participant should have a good sense of when you are crossing the line. If in doubt, we suggest you do not use.
Can I practice writing my application prior to the Hackathon?
Practice makes perfect. We encourage coders to do as many dry runs as possible. The only limitation is that hackers do not bring existing code unless it meets the criteria outlined in the contest rules.
What resources am I allowed to bring/use during the Hackathon?
Software books, blog posts, etc., are all acceptable and eligible. We don't expect you to code strictly from memory.
Do I need to bring my own device?
Yes. We encourage hackers to bring their own device since there will be limited servers on hand that will be made available. It is perfectly acceptable to demo your app to the judges directly on your computer or device. You need to be comfortable to hand your device over to a judge for an extended period of time for the judging.
Hackathon participants and Sponsors agree to indemnify and hold Specialty Publishing Co. harmless of and from any and all claims, cause of action, damages and judgments arising out of any act or omission of Specialty Publishing Co.
