The challenge

We are happy to announce the Amazon Alexa API Mashup Contest, our newest challenge with Hackster.io. To compete, you’ll build a compelling new voice experience by connecting your favorite public API to Alexa, the brain behind millions of Alexa-enabled devices, including Amazon Echo. The contest will award prizes for the most creative and most useful API mashups.

Create great skills that report on ski conditions, connect to local business, or even read recent messages from your Slack channel. If you have an idea for something that should be powered by voice, build the Alexa skill to make it happen. APIs used in the contest should be public. If you are not sure where to start, you can check out this list of public APIs on GitHub.

Need Real-World Examples?

Ask Twitter for trends.

Ask Automatic if you need gas.

Ask Hurricane Center what are the current storms.

Ask Area Code where is eight six zero.

Ask Uber to request a ride.

How to Win

Submit your projects for API combos to this contest for a chance to win. You don't need an Echo (or any other hardware) to participate. Besides, if you place in the contest, we’ll give you an Echo (plus a bunch of other stuff!)

We’re looking for the most creative and most useful API mashups. A great contest submission will tell a great story, have a target audience in mind, and make people smile.

There will be three winners for each category; categories are: 1) the most creative API mashup and 2) the most useful API mashup.

First place will get a trophy, Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and $1,500 gift card.

Second place will get a trophy, Amazon Echo, and $1,000 gift card.

Third place will get a trophy, Amazon Echo, and $500 gift card.

The first 50 people to publish skills in Alexa and this contest page (other than winners of this contest) will receive a $100 gift card. And everyone who publishes an Alexa skill can get a limited edition Alexa developer hoodie.

About the Alexa Skills Kit

The Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) enables developers to easily build capabilities, called skills, for Alexa. ASK includes self-service APIs, documentation, templates and code samples to get developers on a rapid road to publishing their Alexa skills. For the Amazon Alexa API Mashup Contest, we will award developers who make the most creative and the most useful API mashups using ASK components.

Here’s how to participate in the contest:

1. Create a free Hackster account

2. Register to participate in the contest on this page

3. Create an Amazon Developer account using the same email you used for your Hackster account

4. Design, build, and submit your Amazon Alexa skill

5. Submit your project on this contest page

Project submissions should include:

A link to your published Amazon Alexa skill (If applicable)

Story and high-quality images

Clear project documentation including VUI diagram

BoM (materials used)

Source code

Don't have an Echo?

The Alexa Skill Testing Tool (EchoSim.io) by iQuarius Media is browser-based interface to Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo. Echosim.io is intended to allow developers who are working with the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) to test skills in development.

To use the Alexa Skill Testing Tool

1. Navigate to https://Echosim.io

2. Log in with your Amazon account.

3. Click and hold the microphone button and speak a command as you would on the Echo. For example, say, “Alexa, what's the weather today?”

4. When you let go of the button, EchoSim processes and responds to your voice command.

5. To speak your next command, simply click and hold the microphone button again.

6. Some features of the hardware Amazon Echo, such as streaming music and far-field voice recognition, will not function with this tool.

Technical Resources:

Getting started with the Alexa Skills Kit

Account linking

Helpful Projects on Hackster:

Alexa Hurricane Center uses Weather Underground's API to give you info on hurricanes and tropical storms.

Opening Bell uses Markit's API to give you current stock prices.

Daily Cutiemals uses Flickr's API to send you pictures of cute animals each day.

Amazon will select winners based on the following criteria:

Most Creative API Mashup

Creativity (20 points)

Use of Voice User Interface (VUI) best practices (10 points)

Story/Instruction – Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or video (20 Points)

Project Documentation including VUI diagram (10 Points)

Code – Include working code with helpful comments (10 Points)

Published Alexa Skill (20 Points) (Skill must be published between the contest start and end dates. Read more about skill submission criteria.)

Most Useful API Mashup

Usefulness (20 points)

Use of Voice User Interface (VUI) best practices (10 points)

Story/Instruction – Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or video (20 Points)

Project Documentation including VUI diagram (10 Points)

Code – Include working code with helpful comments (10 Points)

Published Alexa Skill (20 Points) (Skill must be published between the contest start and end dates. Read more about skill submission criteria.)

We can't wait to see your ideas in action.