Nokia entices devs with global competition

Are you a budding developer anxious to prove your coding skills are second to none? Well, there’s nothing like a bit of great news: Nokia is challenging developers to build an app for their Asha phones, and will be awarding 15 sizeable cash prizes for the best entries. Web apps, native apps and apps ported from other platforms are all welcome.

Your app should fit into one of the following categories:

• Music and entertainment: interactive apps that provide a moment of escape.
• Games: any kind of game.
• Utilities and productivity: apps that make your life easier and more productive at work or at home. Maps and location apps are also a fit.
• News and information: apps that help you keep up to date with topics of interest or enable you to create and share your own news stream.

There will be three prizes for each category: €25,000 for the winner, €15,000 for second place and €10,000 for third place.

On top of this, there will be three awards of €10,000 for the Best User Experience, the Best Web App and the Best New Idea. All winners will be promoted in the Nokia Store and in the Nokia Developer web.

Building your app

There are several ways for you to enter this competition: build a native app using the Nokia SDK 2.0; build a web app using Nokia Web Tools 2.3; port an app you’ve already made for another platform or, if you’ve already published an app for Asha, you can add a new feature and re-publish to make your app eligible.

If you haven’t developed for this platform before, Nokia are making it easy to get started. They’ve provided a detailed guide for porting apps from other platforms and an extensive tech support resource. If you already have apps published on another store then you’re in luck, as you may be eligible for free entry to the Asha Premium Developer Program. The program provides members with web-based remote access to Nokia Series 40 Asha devices for testing, two tech support service tickets, and you even get a free Asha 310 handset.

The judges will be placing a lot of emphasis on user experience and beautiful design, and you’ll also get extra brownie points for incorporating Nokia Ad Exchange.

How to enter

To enter, just head over to the competition site to register your entry. The closing date is 30th June and you must publish your app on the Nokia Store by this time. The terms and conditions are here.

Extra prizes for UK folk

If you live in the UK, there are more prizes to snap up! The best app from a UK-based developer will win £1,000, a ticket to Mobile World Congress and a Nokia device of that person’s choice. If the winner is a student, they will also get a week’s work experience at Nokia UK. All entrants from the UK will be entered into a prize draw to stand a chance of winning one of the following: £500 cash, a Lumia 720, a week’s promotion for their app in the UK Nokia Store, an Asha 311 phone, £50 in NAX credit, £100 shopping vouchers or a £10 Starbucks voucher. Good luck!