The Life Hacks Challenge invites you to build Alexa skills that make everyday tasks faster, easier, and more delightful. We are looking for skills that can reduce workload, streamline tasks, support self-improvement, or improve lifestyle and health. Life hack skills can be in any category, as long as they improve an element of a user's life. Submissions to the Life Hacks Challenge can be an update to an existing skill, or an entirely new skill. 

In one sense, Alexa skills are life hacks already. By enabling hands-free, voice-enabled access to information, products, services, and so much more, users can simplify daily tasks and improve their overall productivity. Alexa defines a life hack as any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life. This can range from skills that help customers get a better night’s sleep, save money, drink more water, or cultivate a healthier mindset, to MacGyver-style expedient solutions to everyday problems, and more.

And while many skills available today already meet this definition, the Life Hacks Challenge is about raising the bar. It's about making existing skills even better, and building new skills that customers simply can’t live without.

Eligibility

  • Individuals, and teams of individuals from around the globe, as long as they are not on the excluded country list or from a country where local law prohibits, who have reached the age of majority[1] in their country of residence at the time of entry. Please see the official rules for details.
  • Individuals 13 to 17 years old in the US or Canada who: (1) have a parent or guardian submit their skill in the Amazon Developer Console on their behalf under that parent or guardian’s account, AND (2) provide a signed consent form from the parent or guardian that lists all minor(s) for whom the adult is submitting the skill.
  • Employees of Amazon, Devpost, and contractors currently under contract work for Amazon or Devpost are not eligible.

Software partners and those receiving funding or assistance from Amazon for application development are not eligible. Any application that is or was funded or compensated, partially or fully, by Amazon for its development is not eligible for entry.


[1] Age of majority – the threshold of adulthood as recognized or declared by law; most countries set the age of majority at 18 including the US, UK, Germany, and India

Requirements

Main Requirement: Build (or update) and publish a skill that provides a convenience, saves time, or improves an everyday task in your life.

Submission Package: A skill description, video demo, and other information must be submitted on the Devpost website by April 30, 2018 at 5:00pm ET to be considered. For a complete list of requirements, see the Official Rules.

Certification: The skill must be submitted to the U.S. Alexa Skill Store by April 30, 2018 at 5pm ET and it must PASS certification by May 14, 2018 at 5pm ET to remain eligible.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$250,000 in prizes

Grand Prize

Winner selected from the 10 finalists
• $20,000 USD Grand Prize
• $5,000 USD Finalist Prize
• Alexa Skills Challenge Trophy

Finalist Prize (10)

• $5,000 USD
• Promotion of your skill in the Alexa Skill Store

Bonus Prize: Best Life Hack for Echo Show & Echo Spot

Awarded to the best existing and updated skill built for Echo Show & Echo Spot
• $5,000 USD

Bonus Prize: Best Life Hack for Echo Show & Echo Spot

Awarded to the best new skill built for Echo Show & Echo Spot
• $5,000 USD

Bonus Prize: Best Work-from-Home Hack

• $5,000 USD

Bonus Prize: Best Health and Wellness Hack

• $5,000 USD

Bonus Prize: Best Skill by High School Students in the U.S. or Canada

• $5,000 USD

Bonus Prize: Best Skill by University Students

• $5,000 USD

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

How to enter

HOW TO ENTER (AGE 18+) 

  1. Register for the Alexa Skills Challenge: Life Hacks on Devpost.
  2. Sign up for an Amazon Developer Account
  3. Review the Resources page to learn more about the Alexa Skills Kitdesigning for voice, and submitting your skill for certification.
  4. Build your skill!
  5. Host your skill on AWS Lambda (recommended), or another hosting service of your choice. You may apply to receive $100 AWS promotional credit.
  6. Include your Skill ID from the Skill Information tab in your developer account. 
  7. Shoot your demo video and take screenshots of your functioning skill. Review the rules for video requirements! 
  8. Submit your skill on alexalifehacks.devpost.com AND submit your skill for U.S. Alexa Skill Store certification before 5:00pm ET on April 30, 2018. Your skill must pass certification before 5:00pm ET on May 14, 2018.
  9. Have questions? Contact us at support@devpost.com.

 

HOW TO ENTER (AGE 13 - 17 FROM THE U.S. AND CANADA ONLY) 

  1. Register for the Alexa Skills Challenge: Life Hacks on Devpost.
  2. Ask your parent or guardian to sign for up an Amazon Developer Account.
  3. Ask your parent or guardian for help with your submission on alexalifehacks.devpost.com. This will include providing a signed consent form enabling you to use their Amazon Developer Account. The submission form must include your Skill ID once you’ve built it. It will also include a demo video and screenshots of your functioning skill. Review the rules for video requirements.
  4. Review the Resources page to learn more about the Alexa Skills Kitdesigning for voice, and submitting your skill for certification.
  5. Build your skill!
  6. Host your skill on AWS Lambda (recommended), or another hosting service of your choice. Your parent or guardian may apply to receive $100 AWS promotional credit.
  7. Ask your parent or guardian to submit your skill on alexalifehacks.devpost.com AND submit your skill for U.S. Alexa Skill Store certification before 5:00pm ET on April 30, 2018. Your skill must pass certification before 5:00pm ET on May 14, 2018.
  8. Have questions? Contact us at support@devpost.com.

Judges

Panel of Judges

Panel of Judges
(coming soon)

Judging Criteria

  • Novelty & Quality of the Idea
    (including creativity and originality, and the extent to which the skill provides a convenience, saves time, or improves an everyday task)
  • Implementation of the Idea
    (including the user experience such as its ease-of-use, whether it performs as expected, includes fresh content, and more)
  • Potential Impact of the Idea
    (including the extent to which the skill is widely useful, might be customizable, might be extended to other scenarios, and more)
  • Quality of the Submission Package
    (including quality of the description, video demo, and any other materials submitted to Devpost)
  • Customer Engagement (round 2 only)
    (a variety of factors are considered such as new customers, recurring customers, customer ratings, and more)

Tell your friends

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.