Overview

Microcontrollers are little bits of awesomeness that allow us to do some seriously cool things. The Arduino is one of the better known microcontrollers in the DIY space, but there are many others as well. To celebrate them, we've teamed up with SparkFun for our SparkFun Microcontroller Contest!

To enter the contest, make a new Instructable that involves a microcontroller, any microcontroller, and be sure to share the code you used. The Instructable can cover getting started or show how to make some epic project. It's up to you!

For this contest we'll be giving away $1,000 worth of goods from SparkFun, laser-etched Leatherman Squirt E4s, and Instructable Prize Packs! So much good stuff. So get going on your project, we can't wait to see what it is!

Links:
How to choose a MicroController
Arduino Tutorial Bundle .:Arduino Experimentation Kit:. (ARDX)

Ready to start? Click here!


Multiple entries are accepted, but each entrant can only win one prize. Contest is open to international entries. Contest closes for entries at 11:59pm PST, Feb. 13.

Requirements

Ready to enter the Microcontroller Contest? Excellent, here's how it works.

Publish! - Publish a new Instructable that shows how to make a project involving a microcontroller. Instructables must be published during the contest period to be eligible. That's from Jan. 17 to Feb. 13 (11:59pm PST).

Enter! - Upon publishing your Instructable you'll see checkboxes for open contests. Select the Microcontroller Contest. If you missed it and it's eligible, it will show up below.

Now what? - Entries need to be accepted by a moderator before they're in the contest. This usually happens quickly, but can take up to 48 hours. What matters is the submission time, not acceptance time. So if you enter it at 11:59pm on the last day, it can be accepted the next morning and still be in the contest. And then it's on to the...

Voting Phase - After the contest closes for entries, it immediately enters the voting phase. At this time, any Instructables user can vote for as many entries as they want. Voting can be done on the Instructable page or here on the contest page. These votes help determine the...

Finalists - Half of the finalists are determined by the user votes, and the other half are determined by Instructables staff. It's our own checks and balances system. Then it's on to the...

Judging Phase - A panel of judges made up of Instructables staff, friends of Instructables, and respected members of the community judge the finalists. Each judge rates the entries on a scale of 1 to 9 and we average out the ratings to determine the winners.

Winners! When the winners have been decided they are announced here on the contest page. Both winners and non-winners will be notified when this happens so you don't need to keep checking. We do as much as we can to determine the winners as quickly as possible, but sometimes there are emergencies, lost Wifi connections, and other bits of randomness that may cause a delay. All the same, if you entered, we will let you know when the results are posted.

OK, then, good luck and have fun!

The Microcontroller Contest is closed.

13 Prizes

First Prize (3 winners)

Three first prize winners will receive a $250 gift certificate for SparkFun and a Leatherman Squirt E4 multi-tool laser-engraved with a message of their choice!

Also included is an Instructables Prize Pack, which includes a one-year Pro membership, t-shirt, and more!

Second Prize (5 winners)

Five second prize winners will receive a $50 gift certificate for SparkFun and a Leatherman Squirt E4 multi-tool laser-engraved with a message of their choice!

Also included is an Instructables Prize Pack, which includes a one-year Pro membership, t-shirt, and more!

Runner-Up (5 winners)

Five runner-up prize winners will receive a Leatherman Squirt E4 multi-tool laser-engraved with a message of their choice!

Also included is an Instructables Prize Pack, which includes a one-year Pro membership, t-shirt, and more!
How It Works

Write an Instructable

Create a new Instructable that fits the guidelines outlined in the contest description above. To be eligible, Instructables must be published between Jan 17, 2011 and Feb 13, 2011 (11:59pm PT).

Enter

Upon publishing your Instructable you'll see checkboxes for open contests. Select Microcontroller Contest. If you have entries currently eligible for entry, it will also show up by clicking "Enter this Contest" on the right side of this page.

Accepting

Entries are accepted by Instructables staff within one business day Monday - Friday. What matters is the submission time, not acceptance time.

Judging

A panel of judges made up of Instructables staff and respected members of the community rate the finalists. The averages of the ratings determine the winners.

Winners

When the winners are decided they will be notified and announced here on the contest page.