FAQ's

CONTESTANTS & MEMBERS:

• What is the difference between a Contestant and a Member?
• How long does the contest last?

CONTESTANTS:

• What are the Prizes for Contestants?
• How do I become a Contestant?
• How do I know my entry is complete in the Paper Design Phase so I'll be eligible for the first judging?
• Can the community members help contestants?
• What does the PIC32 design kit contain?
• Do I get to keep the PIC32 Starter Kit bundle even if I do not go on to the next phase?
• What happens to my design if I do not have all the required information submitted prior to a phase freeze?
• Can I spend my own personal funds to buy additional parts to enhance my design?
• What rules are there around the design?

COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

• Why should I join the member community?
• What Prizes can I win as a community member?
• How can I win prizes as a community member?
• Can I win the weekly contest more than once?
• Do I have to be a registered member before I can vote on a design, participate in the forums, or become eligible for the weekly contest?
• Can the community members help contestants?
• Can I vote for more than one contestant at a time?
• Can I rate more than one contestant at a time?

 

CONTESTANTS & MEMBERS:

back to topWhat is the difference between a Contestant and a Member?

Everyone who registers and accepts the terms and conditions of the challenge are, by default, members. Members can vote for and rate designs as well as participate on forums and blogs where appropriate.

Contestants are those 128 (or fewer, as the contest proceeds) designers whose designs have been selected from the entrants during the Paper Design Phase. Contestants can post on blogs, forums, and participate in the myPIC32 site like members, except they cannot vote or rate designs.

See the Contest Overview for a definition of the phases of the contest and key dates.

back to topHow long does the contest last?

One year, from Embedded Systems Conference April 2008 to Embedded Systems Conference April 2009. See Contest Info/Timeline for more information.

CONTESTANTS:

back to topWhat are the Prizes for Contestants?

Be sure to check out Prize Central, but to summarize… the first 128 contestants get a PIC32 Starter Kit plus other hardware, the next phase 32 get a full MPLAB®C32 C Compiler, the next phase 8 get a logic analyser, and the top 3 designs at the end of the competition can win some serious Home Theatre gear, including a 57" LCD 1080p TV, an Apple® MacBook® Air, Bose® Lifestyle 5.1 Surround Sound system, and more. There are over $150,000 in prizes and cash to be won by members and contestants throughout this year-long contest!

Note that for legal reasons there may be residency restrictions on who can be contestants and win prizes. Check terms and conditions for details.

back to topHow do I become a Contestant?

To become a contestant follow these simple steps:

1. Register on myPIC32.com as a member and accept the terms and conditions of the challenge
2. Complete your Paper Design during the paper design phase by filling in your myPIC32 page as well as fill in all your contact information.
3. Make your submission exciting, interesting, useful!
4. Get the community excited about your submission by allowing the community to see your entry! #Survive the Judges' top 128 selection

As the competition proceeds there are various judging events that pare down the number of top contestants who move forward in the competition. Contestants who fail to make it their next stage are automatically switched to community members. As such, they may vote, rate, read and post comments to open forums, and review "myPIC32" public content.

Unfortunately for legal reasons there may be residency restrictions on who can be contestants. Check terms and conditions for details.

back to topHow do I know my entry is complete in the Paper Design Phase so I'll be eligible for the first judging?

Fill in all your information on the myPIC32 page. All forms must be complete. See Contest Information and Judging Criteria for more details.

back to topCan the community members help contestants?

Yes. But this is not a team competition. You, the contestant, have to be able to prove that most of the work is your own. You can reuse publicly-available software, of course. The higher percentage of reuse of third-party code, the less technically challenging your design is likely to be, so your judging score may be affected. However, if you leverage third party code well, this could be your ticket to the finals! Your call!

We encourage you, if your stuck in a debugging problem for instance, to "ask for help" from the experts and forums and community.

back to topWhat does the PIC32 design kit contain?

The judges will select the top 128 paper designs at the end of the first phase of the competition. These 128 contestants will receive a PIC32 Starter Kit bundle including: PIC32 Starter Kit, PIC32 I/O Expansion Board, Microchip MPLAB® IDE Integrated Development Environment, MPLAB C32 C Compiler (student edition), and a variety of other Microchip components as well as a web cam to use during the second phase to chronicle your design for the community. See Prize Central for complete details.

back to topDo I get to keep the PIC32 Starter Kit bundle even if I do not go on to the next phase?

Of course! You get to keep all prizes you've won, even if you don't make it to the next phase.

back to topWhat happens to my design if I do not have all the required information submitted prior to a phase freeze?

A tragedy occurs. An incomplete design will not fare well with the judges and community, and is unlikely to make it through the judging process. You have some control over when the community gets to see your design. If you choose to keep your new design elements private until the last minute, you don't allow the community time to point out any missing pieces. Your myPIC32 page will have all the fields you need to fill in at each step of the contest. Make sure you fill it all in!

back to topCan I spend my own personal funds to buy additional parts to enhance my design?

Sure. But there is a limit on the total BOM so that someone doesn't win by outspending everybody else. See the Rules and Regulations. We encourage you to utilize Digi-Key's new online catalog (http://www.digikey.com/) to identify items in your BOM.

back to topWhat rules are there around the design?

Well, first and foremost, it has to be primarily based on the PIC32 Starter Kit. The PIC32 has to be the main processor in the design. Because Microchip's footing the bill for the prizes, we think it's reasonable that you also are required to use only Microchip processing elements in your design… so feel free to put a PIC18 or dsPIC33 MCU/DSC on the prototyping board as an adjunct function to the PIC32! See the Rules and Regulations for a more complete answer.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

back to topWhy should I join the member community?

Joining as a member is free, and you may be eligible to participate in the weekly prize drawings. You'll also get much better visibility into some outstanding designs and be part of a unique social-networking experience. As a member, you can rate and vote on designs, and have a real influence on who wins this competition. You can also participate in blogs/forums and interact with some of the best engineering people in the world. You also may be able to take advantage of promotions that happen throughout the year-long competition. Join Now!

back to topWhat Prizes can I win as a community member?

Each week we'll publish a list of prizes to be won and how many members can win. For instance, one week we may publish "Two members will win a 500 GB USB Hard Drive", and another week we may say "Five members will win an 8 GB USB Flash Drive". Each week the prizes will change, and some weeks will have more to be won than others. You need to come back to the site weekly to find out what is up for grabs!

back to topHow can I win prizes as a community member?

In order to get into the drawing for any given week a member must:

1. Be a registered member and have accepted the rules and regulations
2. Be eligible to win weekly prizes
3. Log into the site that week and view at least two designs in progress during that week

 

back to topCan I win the weekly contest more than once?

You can only win once each week – but you can win again in another week, assuming you requalify for that given week.

back to topDo I have to be a registered member before I can vote on a design, participate in the forums, or become eligible for the weekly contest?

Yes.

back to topCan the community members help contestants?

Sure! Sometimes contestants will get stuck, and the community can be a big help in getting the designer moving forward. Sometimes a simple recommendation can make a difference between surviving the next round of judging or not. Contestants cannot enter this contest as a team, and will need to ensure that the hardware and software is his/her creation.

back to topCan I vote for more than one contestant at a time?

At this point, each community member gets one vote to move around and cast as they see fit. We may expand this as the contest moves forward. If you want to vote more than once for a given contestant, why not get your friends and co-workers involved in the voting process? Use the "Share This" button located at the bottom of the screen and invite them to vote too!

back to topCan I rate more than one contestant at a time?

Absolutely. We encourage you to look at as many designs as you can and rate them.