Build an Alexa Skill to “Speak Up!” for social good and win a lifetime membership
Publish your Alexa skill by August 18th for a chance to win an Amazon Echo Show and a lifetime membership to A Cloud Guru!
“Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do.” ― Steve Jobs
Submit your Alexa skill by August 18th and the submit entry form below!
Be the voice of social good to millions
Did you know that more than over 35 million people in the US will use an voice-enable speaker at least monthly in 2017? Alexa is a powerful service for amplifying messages of social good and advancement into the homes of millions of users worldwide — so let your voice be heard and Speak Up!
Join the Alexa “Speak Up!” Challenge by simply publishing a skill that amplifies a positive message, or cultivates awareness and understanding of a cause. Enter your submission to the challenge for a chance to win an Amazon Echo Show and lifetime membership to A Cloud Guru!
Get inspired by finding a cause that you care about — consider building a skill that advocates for a non-profit, human rights, global literacy, the environment, educators, or individuals in need.
Don’t know how to build a skill? Don’t worry, A Cloud Guru can teach you how to build an Alexa skill so you can help change the world.
Submit Your Skill by August 18th!
The Alexa ‘Speak Up!’ Challenge is open to developers worldwide.
- Publish your Alexa skill to Amazon’s US or UK skill store by August 18th
- Submit the entry form below prior to August 18th — one entry per skill
- Follow A Cloud Guru on both Medium and Facebook
The Judging Criteria for the Alexa Challenge
The panel consists of several Alexa Champions — individuals formally recognized by Amazon as some of the most engaged developers and contributors in the community.
- 25 points: The Voice User Interface (VUI) Design (best practices)
- 25 points: A Voice-First User Experience (VUX) (considerations)
- 25 points: Integration with AWS services and APIs (example)
- 25 points: Speak Up! for social good and advancement
The Prizes
The winners will be announced on our Facebook page on August 31st!
- 1st Place: Lifetime membership to A Cloud Guru + Amazon Echo Show
- 2nd Place: Two-Year Membership to A Cloud Guru + Amazon Tap
- 3rd Place: One-Year Membership to A Cloud Guru + Amazon Dot
- Bonus: Special prizes will be awarded to top skills that are affiliated with an AWS or Alexa user group.
Don’t Forget Your Free T-Shirt!
Every month, Amazon offers developers of Alexa Skills a free T-shirt once they publish a skill. All you need to do is fill out their form with the name of your published skill and submit to Amazon!
Resources to You Get Started
Below are a few resources to help you publish your first Alexa Skill!
Don’t have an Echo? The Alexa Skill Testing Tool (EchoSim.io) is browser-based interface that allow developers to test their skills in development.
A Free Introduction to Alexa: The “Alexa Course for Absolute Beginners” allows anyone to learn how to build skills for Alexa.
Dive Deeper with Alexa Development: A Cloud Guru also offers an extended version for developers that want to extend their skills.
AWS Promotional Credits for Alexa Developers: Developers with a published Alexa skill can apply to receive AWS promotional credits — making it free for developers to build and host most Alexa skills.
User Groups: Join a local user group! The AWS User Group in South Wales and the Alexa User Group in Richmond, Virginia (RVA) are both offering free workshops on building Alexa skills. As a bonus, anyone that attends their Alexa workshop and publishes 3 skills in 30 days will also receive a free Amazon device!
