The contest is now over. Make sure to visit the Google Desktop Blog on Sept. 5th to find out about the winners. If you are a college student in the US, please check out the Google Gadget Awards, which is accepting entries until Nov. 1st, 2006. Do you have what it takes to create a great Google Desktop Gadget? Have you been waiting for some motivation to prove it? Well, good news -- the Google Desktop Gadget Contest is here to spur you into brilliant action.
The contest runs until August 14, 2006 and, while supplies last, each developer who submits an approved gadget will receive a limited edition Google Desktop Developer T-shirt and have their gadget shown to millions of Google Desktop users around the world. A panel of judges will also award three prizes based on popularity, visual appeal, use of new features and creativity. We'll award $5,000 to the first place winner, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place.
Remember, the Google Desktop Gadget Contest ends on Monday, August 14, so get started. We can't wait to see what you come up with.
Key Dates
Contest Ends – August 14, 2006 (all submissions must be received by this date)
Winners Announced – September 5, 2006 (will be posted to the Google Desktop Blog)
Google Desktop Gadget Designer
Developers can make use of the newly released Google Desktop Gadget Designer, which is available as part of the Google Desktop SDK. The designer is a new Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and WYSIWYG UI creator for Google Desktop Gadgets. Key features include:
- Drag and drop UI elements to simplify UI design and development.
- Simple editing and value entry of UI element properties, including assigning functions to events.
- Full test environment; run and test your gadget outside of the Desktop Sidebar.
- Takes care of development busywork such as writing XML definitions and zipping up your files.
Why would I want to submit a Google Desktop Gadget?
- Shows the world how cool your ideas and code are.
- Google Desktop Developer T-shirts may have aphrodisiac qualities...at least in the right environment.
- Lets Google handle promoting and distributing your gadget to millions of potential users by putting it on our download page.
- Looks good on your resume when you apply to work at Google.
- Provides a useful or fun gadget to the world and helps your karma.
- Did we mention those $5,000, $2,000, and $1,000 prizes yet?
Eligibility
- The Contest is open only to individuals who are 18 years or older. Residents of the United States between the ages of 13 and 17 years old are eligible to participate in the Contest but will be required to submit a signed parental consent form in order to collect any prizes won.
- The Contest is void in Brazil, Puerto Rico, Quebec and where prohibited by law.
- Residents of Iran, Sudan, Cuba, Syria, North Korea and Burma are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
- Employees of Google, its affiliates and subsidiaries, contractors, temporary employees, those performing internships from 6/1/06 through 8/31/06, and participating advertising and promotion agencies and prize suppliers, and members of their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse, regardless of where they reside and/or those living in the same household of each) are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
The complete set of eligibility requirements can be found in the Official Rules.
Prizes
When possible, each developer who submits a gadget that is approved and published will receive a limited-edition Google Desktop Developer T-shirt and/or other Google prizes. The submission must be received during the contest period.
In addition, the developers of the best three gadgets, as determined by the panel of judges, will also receive the following cash prizes:
| 1st place |
$5,000 |
| 2nd place |
$2,000 |
| 3rd place |
$1,000 |
The best gadgets will be determined based on:
- Popularity
- Visual appeal
- Use of some new features such as:
- UI Script API (transparency, animation, etc.)
- Sharing/collaboration through the Google Talk API (interactive games, shared lists, etc.)
- Personalization engine (contextual information, etc.)
- Creativity
For examples of existing Google Desktop Gadgets, please visit: http://desktop.google.com/plugins/
Conditions of Participation
The conditions of participation can be found in the Official Rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Google Desktop Gadgets?
Google Desktop Gadgets are interactive mini-applications that can be anything from games to media players. You can find a list of custom gadgets for your desktop at http://desktop.google.com/plugins. Please note that you may need to download the latest version of Google Desktop from http://desktop.google.com/ to use these gadgets.
Google Desktop Gadgets are also easy to create. Our gadget API and new Gadget Designer let you easily use a WYSIWYG design and testing process, along with common scripting languages, to create gadgets. Submit your gadget to Google and, if it's approved, we'll make it available to millions of Google Desktop users. For more details about creating your own gadget, please visit http://desktop.google.com/developer.html.
Do you provide programming support?
We'd like to assist you, but we're not currently able to provide programming support for the Google Desktop APIs. For assistance, we recommend that you visit the developers' group at http://groups.google.com/group/google-desktop-developer
Can I resubmit a gadget that already exists for the contest?
Your gadget can be resubmitted if you've made improvements to it (added transparency, changed layout, enabled sharing/collaboration, etc.). These resubmissions will only be judged on the improvements that you have made to the gadget.
If I improve my gadget during the contest period, can I resubmit it?
Yes, if you make improvements to your gadget, we encourage you to resubmit it prior to the contest deadline. Only the latest version of your gadget will be judged for this contest.
Can I still submit my gadget even though I'm not eligible for the contest?
Sure! We'll still be reviewing all gadget submissions, although you will not be eligible to win the cash prizes.
Can I create a gadget for Google Desktop using the other Google Gadgets API?
Yes, if you create a new gadget that works for Google Desktop, you can submit it for this contest. To find out more about using the other Google Gadgets API, please visit http://www.google.com/apis/homepage/guide.html. Please note that you must submit your gadget through http://desktop.google.com/pluginsubmit to participate in this contest.
The contest is void in whole or in part where prohibited by law.
For additional questions about Google Desktop, please visit http://desktop.google.com/support.
This contest is brought to you by Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043.
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