The challenge

Thanks to those who joined us for the AMA with Dave Smith! For those who were unable to attend, go here to register and watch the recording!

Build connected devices, powered by Android Things

Android Things lets you build professional, mass-market products on a trusted platform without previous knowledge of embedded system design. This makes it easy to create your next project using a turnkey hardware solution and an easy-to-use software development platform based on Android Studio and the Android SDK. Android Things is currently in developer preview and we’d love to see what you can build with our latest release.

Google, Hackster, and NXP are inviting you to submit a project that showcases your use of Android Things and Google technology. We'll select three (3) winners based on the following categories:

Smart Home

Robotics

Smart City

Industrial IoT / Manufacturing

Retail

Entertainment

Winners will be selected based on the following criteria:

Best Enterprise Project: Industrial IoT, Smart Cities, Automotive, etc.

Best Start-Up Project: Creating IoT products for commercial use

Best IoT Project: The best general runner up IoT projects

Want to land more points? Include other Google services and technologies like Google Cloud Services or TensorFlow(TM) in your project to earn 15 additional points.

Compatible boards:

Our prizes will help winning creators prototype and build real products:

Best Enterprise Prize: $5000 + Dragon Certified & Product Planner access

Best Startup Prize: $2500 + Dragon Certified & Product Planner access

Best IoT Prize: $1000 + Dragon Certified & Product Planner access

For this contest we're working with Avnet and their new Hardware Studio partnership with Kickstarter which prepares those creators developing more complex projects with advice, feedback, and services. Winners will also enjoy a personal crowdfunding coaching session with a lead from Kickstarter.

We've also partnered with NXP to give away PICO-PI-IMX6UL boards for developers who are looking to build professional projects. Visit TechNexion to order your PICO-PI-IMX6UL or pitch your project idea to qualify for a free kit. You can also use other compatible Android Things hardware, such as the Raspberry Pi 3. See the full list here.

We're also giving away one limited edition Hackster Tee for anyone who submits a quality project - your size, your country, your way.

Timeline:

Contest Launch Date - Sep 15, 2017 at 10:00 AM PT

Idea Submission Deadline - Sep 29, 2017 at 11:59 PM PT

Project Submission Deadline - Oct 31, 2017 at 11:59 PM PT

Winners Announced - Nov 10, 2017 at 11:59 AM PT

Recorded Webinar: New webinars to be announced soon. In the meantime, check out our recent Android Things webinar recording.

Winner selection is based on quality of submissions using the following criteria:

Project Documentation (60 points)

Story/Instructions - Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or video

BOM – Detail the hardware components as well as any apps you used

Must use Android Things in all project submissions

Schematics – Use software like Fritzing.org, draw your circuit diagrams, or include detailed photographs

Code – Include working code with helpful comments

Great photographs, videos, and screenshots are worth a thousand words. Ask yourself: "If I was a beginner reading this project, would I understand how to recreate it?"

Project must clearly address the contest theme

Project must be able to explain a complicated idea simply

Creativity (25 points)

Your idea doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be creative (a fresh take on an old idea is often worth as much as a brand new idea).

Google Services (15 points)