Amazon.com has announced its third annual Amazon Web Services Start-Up Challenge, a contest for entrepreneurs and start-ups.
The winner of the contest will receive $50,000 in cash, $50,000 in Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits, mentoring sessions, and premium gold support for one year. The winner may also receive an investment from Amazon.
All finalists will receive $5,000 in AWS credits and all qualified participants will receive $25 in AWS credits.
Adam Selipsky
Contestants will be judged on originality, potential and how their business uses the pay-as-you-go platform offered by AWS. The challenge is open to people in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Israel.
“In the three and a half years we’ve been operating these services, we’ve been blown away by the innovation we’ve seen from hundreds of thousands of customers in a wide range of industries. One of the things we look forward to all year is the creativity that comes from the contestants in this challenge,” said Adam Selipsky, Vice President of Product Management and Developer Relations for Amazon Web Services.
“By opening up the contest to start-ups and entrepreneurs in other parts of the world where AWS is being rapidly adopted, we expect to see the most exciting competition to date.”
Participants in the challenge are required to submit an online application form by August 26, 2009. Finalists will be announced in early October. Each finalist will be profiled in an online video on the AWS website where registered customers can vote for who they think is the best contestant.
In late October, the finalists will be flown to Silicon Valley to present their business ideas to a panel of AWS executives and participate in an event with an audience of start-ups. The winner will be announced that evening.
