Developers Have Opportunity to Enter IoT Design Contest Hosted by Silicon Labs and Digi Key

Silicon Labs and Digi-Key are hosting an IoT design contest for developers who want to create connected “things” that will help make the world a smarter, more connected and energy-friendly place. The “Your IoT Connected World” design contest is open to developers of all skill levels, from professional embedded developers and seasoned makers to electronics enthusiasts.

The contest runs now through July 17, with three winners to be announced on August 3, 2015. Visitors to the contest site will vote to decide on 15 finalists, and expert judges from Silicon Labs and Digi-Key will choose the three winners. Each winner will select the Silicon Labs components they need (microcontrollers, wireless chips, sensors, boards and more – valued up to $10,000 USD) to bring their prize-winning IoT ideas to market as commercially viable products.

All IoT designs must contain a Silicon Labs microcontroller (MCU) product. Each contestant must submit photos or a brief video overview of their IoT product design. Silicon Labs offers a wide array of 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs, wireless ICs, interface chips, optical and environmental sensors, and development tools for IoT applications, all available through Digi-Key. To help simplify the evaluation, design and prototyping process, Silicon Labs’ Simplicity Studio development platform can be downloaded at no charge. 

Submissions will be judged on the innovative application of technology, marketability of the product, and the unique nature of product. Bonus points will be given for a prototype. A number of developers have already uploaded their submissions to the website that you can check out.

The competition is open to contestants in selected countries in the Americas and EMEA including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (excluding Quebec), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.