Amazon is proud to sponsor the Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge: Aging & Engaging, an opportunity for you to build Alexa experiences that meet the needs, dreams and aspirations of adults age 55 and older. No two people in this group have the same life experiences at the same time. One can be athletic, active, or independent, while another may need support. Think about creating Alexa experiences for the fitness-focused and life explorers; solo agers and those with family; those still in the workforce and those searching for their next chapter; and those who are cared for, or who are family caregivers themselves.
Compete to win part of $45,000 in total prizes, and the chance to have your skill highlighted across the Alexa community. See the Official Rules for full details.
Requirements
What to Build
Entrants must build functioning Alexa Skills that are designed and targeted to the demographic of adults 55 years of age and older; and align with one of the categories listed below. Skills must be submitted for certification to the U.S. Alexa Skills Store before the challenge deadline. Skills are not required to pass certification, but proof of submission for certification is required. It’s time to get creative!
Categories:
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Keep Moving - Build a skill to empower adults to live strong and active lives to maintain strength, fitness and independence.
Example: pickleball to yoga to chair exercises -
Stay Sharp - Life is a journey with aspirations at every age. Build a skill that lets people explore, smile, solve riddles, or answer questions throughout the conversation. Help users learn to go digital, play a game, or go on an adventure.
Example: a tech adventure to explore features; or perhaps a game experience down memory lane from the 60's or 70's, such as the first moon landing -
Be Supported - With age, simple things sometimes become difficult. Build a skill that supports and simplifies a task or daily activity.
Example: home maintenance, household chores, pet care, laundry -
Let's Connect - Connecting with friends and family brings joy, improves wellbeing and combats social isolation. Build a skill that connects users to friends, a peer group or family.
Example: family news, friends night out, a joint activity
What to Submit
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Include a video (about 3 minutes) that demonstrates your submission. Videos must be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook Video and made public.
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Include a completed submission form on Devpost that includes your Skill ID AND proof of submission of your skill to the U.S. Alexa Skills Store before the September 26th deadline. Include #alexaskillschallenge in the “Testing Instructions” field when submitting to the U.S. Alexa Skills Store.
- See the Official Rules for full details.
Prizes
$45,000 in prizes
Grand Prize (Best Overall)
• $15,000 in USD
• Coffee chat with Amazon Alexa Representative
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Runner Ups (Best Overall)
(4)
• $5,000 in USD
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Category Prize: Best Keep Moving Skill
• $2,000 in USD
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Category Prize: Best Stay Sharp Skill
• $2,000 in USD
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Category Prize: Best Be Supported Skill
• $2,000 in USD
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Category Prize: Best Let's Connect Skill
• $2,000 in USD
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Bonus Prize: Best Overall Multi-Modal Skill
• $2,000 in USD
• Blog post or social media mention
• Announcement at Voice Summit
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges

Heidi Culbertson
Sr Business Development Manager, Alexa | Amazon | LinkedIn

Ginna Baik
Sr Business Development Manager, Smart Properties - Senior Living | Amazon | LinkedIn

Jeff Blankenburg
Principal Technical Evangelist | Amazon | LinkedIn

Lisa Falkson
Senior Conversation Designer | Amazon | LinkedIn

Emerson Sklar
Principal Evangelist, Alexa Devices | Amazon | LinkedIn

Kristie Kotch
Senior Conversation Designer | Amazon | LinkedIn

Mark Tucker
Sr. Technical Director | RAIN | LinkedIn

Noelle Silver Russell
Founder | AI Leadership Institute | LinkedIn

David Frerichs
Principal Engineer | Amazon | LinkedIn

Steve Moran
Founder | Senior Living Foresight | LinkedIn

Mary Alexander
Vice President of Business Development | Home Instead an Honor company | LinkedIn

Michael Skaff
Chief Information Officer | Jewish Senior Living Group | LinkedIn

Keren Etkin
Author, Founder | The Age Tech Revolution, TheGerontechnologist | LinkedIn
Judging Criteria
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Quality of the Submission
Including the uniqueness, creativity, and ingenuity of the Skill, originality, hackathon theme relevancy, whether a good use case for the Hackathon, ease-of-use, and whether the skill is conversational and contextual. -
Technical and Design Implementation
Including the use of self-service APIs, skill components, and other Alexa Skill Kit tools. Implementation also encompasses conversation design principles such as cooperation, trust, brevity, and dialogue written for how we speak. -
Potential Impact
Includes the extent to which the skill can engage, entertain, assist, and/or educate. Does the skill have the potential to scale (new users, returning users, frequency of use).
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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