The Internet of Things (IoT) is currently trending high in discussions both within the high-tech industry and beyond. Slowly, yet steadily, an increasing number of people start realizing that the creation of IoT projects does not have to be complex or expensive. So, we wanted to promote this idea further by bringing together developers from across the globe and asking them to work on a common goal: bring to life IoT solutions to everyday problems. 

First off, you need to submit your idea at any time from July 20th until August 10th, 2017, 23:59 PDT. You should sign up with Cayenne here, so that you can participate in the contest. Then, you should submit a concise description of your project. There is no need to get into details at this stage. Just share with us your ideas about how you can simplify the connected world by using ESP8266 and the Cayenne IoT Project Builder. All projects, potentially ranging from a temperature monitor to an automated garden, will be considered. However, the top 75 ideas will receive a SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Dev Board by August 24th.

You then need to submit your actual project by October 12th, 2017, 23:59 PDT, which marks the end of the second and final stage of our competition. More details on where and how to submit your projects will be given at a later stage, again, on this website. So, stay tuned!

However, you can find below the basic principles on which the competition is based:

Project Submission Requirements

• • Project Focus: Using IoT technology to solve everyday problems and simplify the connected world. Projects can be related, but not restricted, to home automation, room monitoring, home security, plant or aquarium monitoring, etc.
  • Must-use: at least one ESP8266 board or module and the Cayenne IoT Project Builder 
  • Your submission must contain screenshots of Cayenne project dashboards and pictures of the hardware setup. A video demonstration, though, is highly encouraged. 

Judging Criteria

• • Combination of ESP8266 hardware with Cayenne software
  • Compelling use of IoT technology to solve an everyday problem
  • Real-world practicality and usability: Does your project ‘simplify the connected world’?

Winners will be announced on October 17th, 2017. Below you can find the prizes they will win.

Prizes

• • 1st place: $200 cash + $100 SparkFun promo code + swag
  • 2nd place: $150 cash + $50 SparkFun promo code + swag
  • 3rd place: $100 cash + $50 SparkFun promo code + swag
  • 4th place: $50 cash + swag
  • 5th place - 16th place: Runner-ups. $25 cash

*All winners will also receive an ESP-WROVER-KIT from Espressif.

**Cash prizes will be sent via PayPal.

Contest Support

All contest support will be provided by the myDevices team, primarily through the Cayenne Forums. A specific area for the contest will be provided in the near future. Otherwise, all questions and help enquiries can be routed through community.mydevices.com.

So, what are you waiting for? Start brainstorming about your ESP8266-based IoT project now!

Good luck to everyone!