Finalists
Each winner was awarded a Top Creations
13-17 Year Old Creators
The winner was awarded a Top Creation
First 100 Submissions
Each winner was awarded a First 100 Submissions
The challenge
We are thrilled to announce LEGO MINDSTORMS Voice Challenge: Powered by Alexa – an opportunity for Alexa developers, LEGO MINDSTORMS enthusiasts, and creators around the world to explore and build the future of voice-based experiences through construction and robotics play. Enter for your chance to win from over one hundred prizes worth up to $100,000, including one grand prize winner who will take home $20,000 in Amazon Gift Cards, LEGO models, and a trip to LEGO Headquarters in Denmark — where they will have an opportunity to tour the LEGO House and meet LEGO toy designers. In addition, the winner's creation will be featured for LEGO fans to view at the annual LEGO World event in Copenhagen.
Using the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit, you can connect LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 to Alexa, in order to unlock a new world of voice-powered experiences. Through this contest, you have the chance to activate your LEGO collection, and think outside the box with a new input — your own voice. Create voice-powered experiences such as a series of figures that dance to music, a robot that defends its territory from invaders, or an immersive skill-based world where your creature responds to voice commands and sensor-based triggers. The possibilities are endless.
To compete, you will build a LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 creation that connects to and works with compatible Amazon Echo devices through the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit. You will then submit what you have built for a chance to win.
For inspiration, check out this video:
First 100 SubmissionsThe first 100 participants to submit their LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 creation connected to Alexa will receive a $150 Amazon.com Gift Card. Each project submission must exhibit a unique experience with Alexa, using a LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 model of your choice, and include a description, video demonstration, code snippets, and detailed building process to be considered. For a complete list of requirements, see the Official Rules and Submission Checklist below.
Prizes
We are giving away up to $100,000 in prizes to the top creations, and first 100 submissions that have the required information listed in the submission requirements. Our judges will pick the top creations based on the judging criteria outlined in the Rules section.
Grand Prize
- Trip to LEGO Headquarters in Denmark! Tour the LEGO House, interact with LEGO toy designers, and have your creation featured at LEGO World in Copenhagen.
- $20,000 in Amazon.com Gift Cards
- 42099 LEGO TECHNIC 4x4 X-treme Off-Roader
- 42100 LEGO TECHNIC Liebherr R 9800 Excavator
Finalists
- $10,000 in Amazon.com Gift Cards
- 42099 LEGO TECHNIC 4x4 X-treme Off-Roader
- 42100 LEGO TECHNIC Liebherr R 9800 Excavator
13-17 Year Old Creators
- $5,000 in Amazon.com Gift Cards
- 42099 LEGO TECHNIC 4x4 X-treme Off-Roader
- 42100 LEGO TECHNIC Liebherr R 9800 Excavator
We will be awarding a special prize for the top creation submitted by creators who are 13-17 years old!
First 100 Submissions
Each of the first 100 participants to submit a complete and valid submission to the contest page will receive a $150 Amazon.com Gift Card. To be eligible, your submission must include a description, video demonstration, code snippets, and detailed building process to be considered. See Submission Checklist for more details.
Resources
Use the information here to learn about the tools, resources, and skills you will need to build a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 creation that works with Alexa!
Register to Get Updates- Start by creating a free account on Hackster.io (or sign-in if already a member).
- Register for the contest by clicking “Register as a participant” and opt-in to receive contest updates.
We have provided an instructional series that walk you through building an example LEGO Mindstorms EV3 creation that works with Alexa. Whether you are new to Alexa and LEGO Mindstorms or quite knowledgeable, we suggest everyone start here to learn how to get set up and start building:
Once you complete Setup, you will proceed to additional missions that are designed to walk you through building an example creation that works with Alexa. Links are provided below for reference but you can also access these from each mission as you go through.
Each subsequent mission builds upon the last and will take you step-by-step in building a fully functional, example Mindstorms EV3 robot that interacts with an Alexa Skill.
Once You're Building Your Own CreationAfter you start designing and building your idea, visit the contest discussion to get help from us and other participants. This is the best spot to make sure your questions and thoughts are seen.
For additional help with Alexa, feel free to browse the Alexa Gadgets Developer Forum (be sure to use the topic “lego voice challenge” in any questions you ask).
Between the ages of 13 and 17? Make sure to include this completed consent form in your project submission.
Learn MoreThese resources are referenced in throughout our missions and will come in handy as you learn more about the different ways you can create your own LEGO Mindstorms EV3 creation that works with Alexa.
- Alexa Gadgets Toolkit Overview
- Alexa Gadgets Toolkit Documentation
- Alexa Gadgets Raspberry Pi Samples
- Alexa Skills Kit Documentation
- EV3Dev Overview
- EV3 Python API Documentation
- EV3Dev Python Robot Examples
- YouTube Video: Voice & Robotics, Episode 3 (Musical Keyboard, using Color Cycler)
- Alexa Gadgets Developer Forum (be sure to use the topic “lego voice challenge”)
Judging Criteria
Eligible Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges on a 100 point scale. See the Official Rules.
Submission Checklist
Make sure that your contest submission includes the following information:
- Name, introduction, and description of your submission.
- Video demo of working prototype.
- Submission walk-through showing how you created your project, key code snippets, images, screenshots, and video.
- Working gadget source code (1+ Python files).
- Working skill source code. Ideally a single Node.js Lambda file if you choose the Alexa-hosted route. Otherwise, it can be written in a language of choice supported by Lambda, e.g. Node.js, Python, etc.
- Optional (but encouraged): Assets and instructions enabling others to build your project. This includes LEGO build instructions, coding instructions, and LEGO hardware components list.
Contest Status
Timeline
Contest begins
September 24, 2019 at 6:00 AM PDT
Submissions close
December 31, 2019 at 11:59 PM PST
Winners announced by
Jan 17, 2020