New Windows and Windows Phone Store App Dev Contest

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Windows and Windows Phone Store app developer program has launched a new game developer contest running through March 20 offering $28,000 in prizes including a top prize of $10,000. Contest winners will be announced on or before May 11.

Developers can submit games made with any technology. You can submit original games or port existing published games (from an alternative platform like Android, iOS, Amazon Kindle, Blackberry, etc.) to the Windows or Windows Phone platform in the Windows Store during the entry period.

Submissions will be judged by a Microsoft panel on the following criteria:

- Quality of Submission (50%): How visually appealing is your game? How well do you use special effects to develop immersive gameplay? How intuitive is your user experience?

- Creativity (30%) How original is your game design idea?

- Technical Excellence (20%): Is your game performance fast and fluid? Did you leverage Windows platform features such as contracts, touch, game hubs, live tiles, notifications, sensors or speech as applicable, to create engaging interactions?

How to enter:

- Create or port your game to Windows Store or Windows Phone or both.

- Submit your game to Windows Store or Windows Phone Store. You will first need to create a developer account on Windows Dev Center, and register for a free account that you can use to publish to the windows stores. Allow sufficient time for certification and to get your game published to the store.

- Apply to for the contest with your published game link by March 20, 2015.

Prizes include:

First Prize: $10,000 USD

Second Prize: $5,000 USD

Third Prize: $3,000 USD

10 Honorable Mention Prizes: $1,000 USD each

To enter the contest or to learn more go to the official contest home page.