IoT For Everyone!

If you are a winner, we will contact you directly via email to arrange the shipment of your prize.

Participants who receive free hardware and do not submit a project may be ineligible for future giveaways unless the hardware is returned.

If you receive free hardware and become unable to submit a project, please contact us at help@hackster.io and let us know as soon as possible. We may choose to arrange for the hardware to be shipped to another participant.

To be eligible for judging, an entry must meet the following content/technical requirements:

Free SparkFun Blynk board:

• You must create a free Hackster.io account and register as a participant for this contest.
• Your original idea must be submitted on this contest page by filling the idea form (“Apply to receive a SparkFun Blynk Board”).
• All ideas must be submitted in the English language.
• Your idea must include/use the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app.

Contest Submissions:

• Your project must be created using the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app.
• Your final project must be fully documented on Hackster per the “project” template.
• Your final project must be submitted within the project template.
• Your final project must consist of the following materials:
• Images
• Instructions
• BOM
• Schematics
• Code
• CAD if any
• All project submissions must use the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app

In addition:

• your entry must be your own original work; and
• your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
• you must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
• your entry may not include any third party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people) unless you have obtained permission to use the materials.

Winners are selected based on the following criteria: 

Free SparkFun Blynk board:

• Presentation (20 points)
• The way you describe and present your idea. The easier to understand, the better!
• Demonstrated use of the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app. (60 points)
• Are you using the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app to the full extent of its potential? Are you using it in ways never seen before?
• Creativity (20 points)
• Your idea doesn't have to be original, but it should be creative (a fresh take on an old idea is often worth as much as a brand new idea). 

Contest Submissions:

• Project Documentation (60 points)
• Story/Instructions – Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or video (20 points)
• BOM – Detail the hardware components as well as apps you used (10 points)
• Schematics – Use software like Fritzing.org, draw your circuit diagrams, and/or take detailed photographs (10 points)
• Code – Include working code with helpful comments (20 points)
• Great photographs, videos, and screenshots are worth a thousand words. Ask yourself: "If I were a beginner reading this project, would I understand how to recreate it?"
• Creativity (40 points)
• Your idea doesn't have to be original, but it should be creative (a fresh take on an old idea is often worth as much as a brand new idea). All submitted projects must use the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app.

ONLY continental USA residents are eligible for the First Prize trip to SparkFun AVC. First prize includes airfare for two, htel (2 nights for two; Friday and Saturday night), transportation to and from the Saturday event, waived general admission for two, and a competitor's packet.

• Trip to AVC! Travel to Boulder, Colorado and experience the annual SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition! ( USA winners only )

• $500 SparkFun Gift Certificate + 10,000 blynk points

• $300 SparkFun Gift Certificate + 10,000 blynk points

How to submit an idea to win a free SparkFun Blynk Board:

• Submit your idea by May 8, 2016
• If you are not already a member, you will need to create a free Hackster.io account.
• Register for the contest by clicking "Register as a participant" on the main contest page.
• Submit your idea by clicking "Apply to receive a SparkFun blynk board" and filling in the form.
• Teams of up to 3 people are allowed.
• Participant agrees to pay local tax at customs if applicable in order to receive the SparkFun blynk board.
• Hackster is not responsible for lost packages, packages held/returned at customs, or packages returned due to incorrect addresses.

How to enter your full project in the contest:

• Build and submit your project by July 15, 2016
• Build your project using the SparkFun Blynk Board with the Blynk app.
• Add a new project by clicking the + symbol at the top right side of the screen and follow the submission template.
• Share detailed instructions with images in the story section
• Share the bill of materials
• Share the electronics schematics
• Share the source code (optionally via Github or Bitbucket)
• Share the CAD files if any

Winners of free devices will be announced individually by email on a rolling basis.

Contest winners will be announced on July 29, 2016. The list of winners will be visible on the main page (Contest brief).

 You are eligible to enter if you meet the following requirements at time of entry:

• You are a hobbyist or professional in the field of technology development; and
• If you are considered a minor in your place of residence, then you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this challenge.
• You are NOT a resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria; and
• US. export regulations prohibit the export of goods and services to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Therefore residents of these countries/regions are not eligible to participate.
• You are not involved in the execution or administration of this Challenge; and
• You are not an immediate family member of (parent, sibling, spouse/domestic partner, child) or household member of a Hackster employee;

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13794

escription: Blynk is an easy to use app builder that allows users to add a variety of buttons, sliders, graphical displays and even RGB controllers to their phone. The SparkFun Blynk Board is specially designed to work with the ‘widgets’ within the Blynk mobile app to create your next IoT project. Monitor local weather conditions, control LEDs from your phone, even send a tweet when it’s time to water your plants! Every Blynk Board comes fully programmed and also includes a Blynk subscription code card (15k Energy at a $10 value), which will be needed to connect the Blynk Board to your Blynk account, connect to a Wi-Fi signal and you are ready to start Blynking! You’ll be controlling the Blynk Board from half way around the world in no time.

On board every Blynk Board is the economic yet powerful ESP8266 framework that will allow you to connect to most 2.4GHz WiFi networks, that are either open (no password) or protected with WPA, WPA-2, or WEP authentication. The Blynk Board interfaces with the outside world using input/ouput (I/O) “pins” that can either control real-world objects, like motors or LEDs, or read in values from sensors (like light or position). Each of the Blynk Board’s pins are accessible via the large, metal-encircled holes on the edge of the board. These large holes are designed to interface with alligator clip cables – a staple interface cable for beginner and advanced electrical engineer alike. During setup, the RGB LED on the Blynk Board will be your window into its soul. The board uses this multi-colored LED to indicate all sorts of status modes including how to identify which board is yours.

Blynk is a digital dashboard for your iOS or Android device that allows you to easily build graphical interfaces by dragging and dropping widgets to control for your newest IoT projects! With the Blynk app you will be able to control the Blynk board or any other compatible hardware remotely by displaying sensor data, analyzing your surroundings, activating a function of your project and much more.

Are you just getting started with IoT or electronics? Our IoT Starter Kitincludes all the parts to complete the fourteen starting IoT projects.

Note: The Blynk app is compatible with iDevices running iOS 7.0+, and Android’s running any version above or equal to 4.0.

Note: Android is currently supported, however iOS is still being approved by iTunes. We expect it within the next week.

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blynk-control-arduino-raspberry/id808760481?ls=1&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.blynk