Deutsche Telekom has launched Interactive TV Award 2009, aimed at developers, creative minds and members of the TV audience. Following the success of last year’s contest, Deutsche Telekom is opening up this year’s to a wider spectrum of participants and also to more compelling innovations by granting contestants greater freedom.
A total of 105 developer teams from 13 countries participated in last year’s Deutsche Telekom Interactive TV Award. This time, the Award is divided in three categories: the MPF Award for innovative developers, the Freestyle Award for creative minds and the Audience Award for all those who want better television.
Compared to last year’s Award, developers of the MPF Award will be able to implement their creative concepts more freely thanks to the flexible IPTV development environment offered by the Microsoft Development Platform which developers will be able to use experiment with their ideas.
This platform offers shorter development times, more freedom of design for interactive applications and significantly reduced entry barriers which especially increases the chances for developers and teams with very good ideas but limited capacities.
Together they use the experimental playground provided by the Microsoft Presentation Framework (MPF, to construct trend-setting concepts for the TV of the future. The five finalists of the Developer Award will each be rewarded €10,000 and the final winner will receive an additional €30,000.
Creative inventors who do not wish to be held back by any technical barriers can take part in the Freestyle Award. The main focus here is on the innovative idea for interactive television. The feasible possibility of implementing the concept will only play a secondary role for this category.
The three finalists of the Innovative Idea Award will each be awarded €5,000 while the final winner will receive an additional €15,000.
The “Audience” Award is less about professionals and more about asking members of the TV audience who are interested in the television of the future about their ideas and perceptions of the future television.
It is specially directed at all television enthusiasts who are looking forward to the next generation of television and would like to participate in making it happen.
In the course of this Award, every viewer will finally get the chance to submit his/her ideas in the form of videos, pictures or simply text at the website of the Deutsche Telekom Interactive TV Award.
The winners in this category will not be determined by a jury but ia lottery draw. They can win (non cash) prizes such Entertain packages by T-Home and Microsoft Xbox 360.
Depending on progress and the outcome of the Award, T-Home Entertain plans to implement the winning MPF entry as early as 2010. More details on the website.