Challenges and Competitions
As part of Google’s ongoing commitment to supporting students in their education and studies, we are pleased to offer the following challenges and competitions that encourage students to apply their skills in fun and rewarding ways.
Android Developer Challenge
Cool apps that surprise and delight mobile users, built by developers like you, will be a huge part of the Android vision. To support you in your efforts, Google has launched the Android Developer Challenge, which will provide $10 million in awards – no strings attached – for great mobile apps built on the Android platform.
The deadline for applications for this year’s challenge has passed. The Android Developer Challenge II will launch after the first handsets built on the platform become available in the second half of 2008.
Code Jam
Google’s annual contest to see who are the world’s top programmers.
Stay tuned for more information about the 2008 Code Jam competition.
Highly Open Participation Contest (Schools)
Following the success of the Google Summer of Code program, Google is pleased to announce this new effort to get young people involved in open source development. We’ve teamed up with open source projects to give pre-university student contestants the opportunity to learn more about and contribute to all aspects of open source software development, from writing code and documentation to preparing training materials and conducting user experience research.
The application deadline for this year’s contest has passed.
Lunar X Prize
Imagine a privately-funded group successfully sending a robotic rover to the moon. This may become a reality for your students as Google and the XPrize Foundation team up to motivate people all over the world to participate in the Google Lunar XPrize, a $30 million prize to be awarded to the first privately-funded robotic rovers to land on the Moon before December 31, 2014.
Online Marketing Challenge (University)
The Google Online Marketing Challenge is a great hands-on exercise for undergraduate or graduate students in classes such as advertising, ecommerce, integrated marketing communication, management information systems, marketing and new media technologies. The goal for students is effective online marketing via sound marketing analysis to optimize, manage and update a Google AdWords campaign.
The Challenge is happening right now. Winners will be announced in July 2008.
Summer of Code
Google Summer of Code™ is a program that offers student developers stipends to write code for various open source projects. Google will be working with several open source, free software and technology-related groups to identify and fund several projects over a three-month period.
The application deadline for this year’s program has passed. If you are interested in participating in future instances of Google Summer of Code, check out our Frequently Asked Questions and the program wiki.
KML in Research Competition
Google is constantly looking for new ways to spur innovation and creativity in science and engineering. We are looking for the best examples of your work in Google Earth using KML. We'll reward the brightest scientists, researchers, and students from all over the world.
YouTube’s Symphony Orchestra
YouTube is offering musicians around the globe the opportunity to join a symphony orchestra via video through the world’s first collaborative online orchestra. This is a chance to perform alongside world-renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and learn from composer Tan Dun. All video entries will be combined into the first-ever collaborative virtual performance, and people around the world will select their favorites to perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
