58 billion paper coffee cups are thrown in the trash each year. That's a lot! We think that there are some better ideas for paper coffee cups than just tossing them out so we teamed up with the betacup to bring you the Coffee Cup Challenge! Enter your awesome idea for a paper cup reuse and win a solar-powered Voltaic backpack!

The rules are simple: submit a new Instructable that reuses a paper coffee cup in some way. You can use more than one cup and you can use other stuff along with it, but there has to be at least one cup used.

So get your thinking caps on and start reusing those cups! We can't wait to see what you'll make.

Now that you're warmed up, head over to the betacup where a competition is in the works for the best idea to reduce the number of paper cups that get tossed in the trash. Best idea wins $10,000!

Multiple entries are allowed, but each entrant can only win one prize
International entries are allowed for this contest

To enter the contest:

Publish a new Instructable that documents your project
In the publish page there will be an option to enter the contest. Check the box for the Coffee Cup Cha
If you missed that check box, click the "Enter now" link on the contest page.

Prizes

First Prize (2 winners):
Voltaic Converter backpack. Charge up your mobile devices with the solar panels in the back of this bag and keep your adventure going!

Plus an Instructables Prize Pack including a one-year Pro membership, Robot t-shirt, and more!

Runner Up (10 winners):
$25 in Starbucks gift cards so you can get enough caffeine to plan your next project.

Plus an Instructables Prize Pack which includes a one-year Pro membership, Robot t-shirt, and more!

Open to enter: April 12, 2010 12:01 AM PST
Deadline for entries: May 9, 2010 11:59 PM PST

View Contest now!

Step 1: Official Rules

1. All federal, state, and local taxes on prize are the sole responsibility of the winner. No purchases are necessary; void where prohibited by law.

2. Participants agree to abide by all decisions of Instructables, contest co-sponsors, and judges, which shall be final and binding with respect to all issues relating to this contest.

3. Prize is not transferable and no cash alternative or prize substitution is available. Instructables and contest co-sponsors reserve the right to substitute a similar prize of equal or greater value if the prize listed is unavailable for any reason. All potential winners are subject to verification at the discretion of Instructables and contest co-sponsors.

4. Winner agrees that prizes are being provided "as is", and Instructables and contest co-sponsors make no warranty, representation or guarantee regarding the prize, including but not limited to its quality, condition, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

5. Instructables and contest co-sponsors are not responsible for problems including (but not limited to) damaged, incorrect, inaccurate, lost, delayed, or defective entries, or for injury or damage to any computer resulting from participation in this contest. Entries that have been tampered with or altered are void.

6. Instructables reserves the right to modify, cancel, postpone or end the contest at any time as necessary, at its sole discretion, or to disqualify any participant or winner, at its sole discretion, deemed to have cheated, destroyed, obstructed, or otherwise acted illegally or in bad faith in relation to this contest.

7. Instructables reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be in violation of the Terms of Service; to be acting in violation of these Official Rules; to be acting in a unethical or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.

8. By submitting an entry and entering this contest, you represent and warrant that: you are over the age of 18, or entering with the knowledge and permission of your parent or guardian (subject to verification), and that the entry does not contain or incorporate the intellectual property and/or confidential information of any third party.

9. By submitting an entry and entering this contest, you hereby grant Instructables and the betacup a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicenseable, worldwide, royalty free right to publish and distribute your entry for their promotional purposes.

10. Governing Law: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of the official rules, or the rights of entrants, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with, the substance laws of the State of California and any applicable laws and regulations of the United States.