THE RESULTS ARE IN! Check out the announcement in chat for the full list of winners!

Submission Guidelines

For more information on how to get started, check out the Contest and Resources pages.

Phases and Deadlines

The contest starts May 2nd, 2013 and ends June 14th, 2013 (the "Promotion Period"). The Contest consists of four (4) phases as set forth in the chart below.

Phase Starts at 00:00:00 UTC Ends at 23:59:59 UTC
Submission and Voting * May 2nd, 2013 June 7th, 2013
Contest Winner Selection June 8th, 2013 June 14th, 2013

*Note that you must include the url your app receives in the Windows Store with your final submission in order to be eligible for prizes (by June 7th). While submitting to the Store is not considered a separate phase, consider the time it takes for your app to be accepted to the Store when planning.

Microsoft recommends allowing 3 days for Store registration to be processed, and 5-10 days for app certification and publication. Registering for the Windows Store can be done any time (you don’t need to have your app built in order to register), so we recommend doing this early. Submitting your app to have it certified and published must be done once your app is finished.

Reviewers can gain entries into the Sweepstakes until June 7th, 2013 (the same end date as Semi-Finalist Voting).

App Criteria

Groups and Categories

Your app should fit within one of the following categories in order to be submitted to the Windows 8 Store:

For helping choosing a category, see Assigning Categories and Subcategories. Also visit Category Guidance for tips on designing apps in the Games, Entertainment, News, and Productivity Categories.

Group 1 Categories:
  • Books & reference
  • Business
  • Finance
  • News & weather
  • Government
  • Security
Group 2 Categories:
  • Games
Group 3 Categories:
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Food & dining
  • Health & fitness
  • Shopping
  • Lifestyle
  • Music & videos
  • Sports
  • Photo
Group 4 Categories:
  • Education
  • Productivity
  • Tools
Group 5 Categories:
  • Social

You must specify one (and only one) of these 20 categories when submitting your app. Winners will be chosen from the Group as a whole rather than from each individual category.

For helping choosing a category, see Assigning Categories and Subcategories. Also visit Category Guidance for tips on designing apps in the Games, Entertainment, News, and Productivity Categories.

Criteria for Submission

  • Minimum requirements for submission: to submit your app during Phase 1 you must include a name, description, and 1 screenshot or mockup.
  • Please refer to these guidelines when choosing a name for your app. Apps that don't adhere to Microsoft's naming guidelines may not be accepted to the Windows Store.
  • To be considered for prizes, you must by the June 7th deadline:

    • submit a demo video.
    • submit your app to the Windows Store. Receiving prizes is contingent upon your app being accepted to the Windows Store.
  • Screenshots are not required, but may be useful to those judging your app.
  • Apps previously submitted to the Windows Store (before the start of this contest) are not eligible to win.

Demo Video Guidelines

Specifications: Your demo video should be between 2 and 3 minutes in length and show interaction with your application. Other than that, there are no specifications. Keep in mind that the purpose of the demo video is to walk your viewers through your app, show them why it’s a valuable product, and to give enough information to receive constructive feedback.

Video Editing Software: Feel free to use your screen capture/video editing software of choice. If you need a recommendation, Camtasia is a great program for recording screen captures and editing demo videos, and they offer a 30 day free trial. Jing is another good option, and it is free.

Screenshots

You may submit up to 8 screenshots to demonstrate how a user will navigate through your app.

Tips

Get Feedback: After you submit your app, it will be available for others to review, vote, and comment on. Check back for comments so that you can discuss and make revisions. If you want to have a longer or in-depth discussion about your app, feel free to use the Windows 8 Developer Chat Room.

Make Updates: The purpose of this contest is to get feedback from other developers, so it is ok (and encouraged!) to submit multiple videos demoing different versions or updates of your app. Feel free to take suggestions from comments on your app page and in the Windows 8 Developers Chat and make revisions before the final submission deadline.