Nokia teams with AT&T for $10 million developer challenge

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and AT&T (NYSE:T) launched the 2010 Calling All Innovators challenge, an effort to improve the handset maker's visibility in the North American wireless market that promises application developers from across the globe $10 million in cash and prizes. The Calling All Innovators competition targets apps created for Nokia's Symbian^3-based N8 smartphone, whether built via the Nokia Qt SDK, Nokia's Web Runtime Plug-Ins or the Java Runtime; Nokia will name winners in 17 different categories, including Productivity & Tools, Social Networking & Communication, Photo & Video, Music and Lifestyle & Leisure, as well as six different Games genres. All app submissions will be available for download from Nokia's Ovi Store and all must offer relevance to North American consumers.

Alongside input from judges from Nokia and AT&T, Calling All Innovators winners will be determined by consumers--download totals during the contest period (ending Jan. 28, 2011) will count as part of the awards criteria. Nokia will name three winners in each app category, awarding each $150,000; additionally, an overall contest app and game will be selected as grand prize winners, receiving an additional $100,000. Winning developers will also receive more than $6 million in North American marketing promotion by Nokia and AT&T. Additional details on the contest are here.

"The commitment from Nokia is a clear message that we are serious about the North American market," said Forum Nokia vice president Purnima Kochikar in a prepared statement. Nokia and AT&T will also host a free developer session at next week's CTIA Enterprise and Applications conference in San Francisco--all participants will receive a complimentary Nokia N8 developer pack. Registration details are here.

For more on Calling All Innovators 2010:
- read this release

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