Amazon Start-Up Challenge goes global

Photo by Om Malik

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the public cloud division, may soon become a billion dollar a year business. But its economic impact is much bigger and wider than most think. It is crucial to the start-up revolution that is sweeping the planet.

Or as Amazon CTO Werner Vogels says: with AWS all you need is an idea, a credit card and a dream. In order to push that philosophy, Amazon holds an annual contest, the AWS Startup Challenge, which is now back for its fifth year. 

The annual Amazon Web Services (AWS) Start-up Challenge is back with an expanded worldwide footprint! This annual contest, launched in 2007, is a way for promising start-ups to get noticed and compete for an opportunity to win up to $ 100,000 in cash and AWS credits.

This year, we will select 15 regional semi-finalists: 5 each from the Americas, Asia Pacific (including Japan), and EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), respectively, who will each receive $ 2,500 in AWS credits. From these, we will select a minimum of 6 finalists to be awarded a package of $ 10,000 in AWS credits and a trip to Palo Alto, California, to attend the final round of judging.

Then, after a day of meetings with our judges, we will announce one grand prize winner at a public event for start-ups and investors. The winner will receive a package that includes $ 50,000 in cash and $ 50,000 in AWS credits. Read more about the full prize list.via AWS Start-Up Challenge.

Previous winners include M-Dot Network, GoodData, Yieldex and Ooyala.

Photo of Werner Vogels by Om Malik

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