ADC 2 Details Announced, Multiple Submissions Accepted
Some of you have been asking for clarifications on what we mean by “open only to applications that have not been published”. To be specific, applications that are available on Android Market before August 1, 2009 will not be eligible to participate in the contest. Users have already been providing comments for apps that are currently available on Android Market, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to “judge” the same apps again in this contest. In addition, apps that include or that are based on open source projects are fully welcomed, as long as the application itself is not on Android Market until August 1, 2009.
Submissions for the contest are due on August 31st and if you’re detail obsessed you might want to take a look at the full ADC 2 Terms and Conditions. Buried in article 7a. within those terms is the answer to the question I was looking for, “Can each developer submit more than one application?” The answer is thankful YES:
A Participant may submit more than one Entry. At the time of submission, the Participant must designate ONE and ONLY ONE category that the Entry is submitted under.
I also hadn’t seen the judging criteria – there are 4 areas that users will be asked to “rate” downloaded applications/submissions in… they are:
(1) Originality of Concept–Does the application introduce a great new idea; for example, a new angle on social applications?
(2) Effective Use of the Android Platform–Does the application take advantage of Android’s unique and compelling features, such as built-in location-based services, accelerometer, and always-on networking?
(3) Polish and Appeal–Is the application easy to use and aesthetically appealing?
(4) Indispensability–Is the application compelling and essential, such as a game the user just can’t put down or a utility she can’t live without?
The above is user voting and makes up the first round of voting. Round 2 is 60% based on Google’s own selected judges while 40% is random users like you and me. You can mark November 24th as a day to remember since they’ve pinpointed the winner announcement on or around that day. But have an eraser ready… the announcment of ADC 2 itself was heavily delayed and even the details, which we’re giving you today in mid-July, were initially promised in June.
Better late than never… and the answers to our questions – at least at first glance – are positive ones. Anything really excite you or disappoint you about the Full Terms and Conditions? I’m really excited to test/rate the contestants I know that much!