Enter the AWS Serverless Chatbot Competition!

Earlier this month I was asked to be a judge for the AWS Serverless Chatbot Competition and I was happy to accept!

Build a Chatbot
We want you to build a chatbot for Slack using AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway. You can also use other APIs (the Slack Events API will be helpful), additional services (AWS or otherwise),  and other data sources.  Your entry should be creative and original, and should provide genuine value to Slack users.

The AWS Free Tier provides you with access to Lambda, API Gateway, and other AWS services at no charge. New and existing AWS users get 1 million Lambda requests and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time for free. New AWS users get 1 million API calls per month to the API Gateway for up to 12 months after signing up.

Your Entry
After you build your chatbot, I would encourage you to spend some time on the packaging and the marketing. Be sure to supply the following items as part of your entry:

• Demonstration video of your chatbot in action.
• Brief explanation of what it does and what makes it unique.
• Link to your public or private GitHub repo (include all files needed to run your chatbot).
• Instructions for testing and using your chatbot.

Your chatbot can be a new or existing application, but it must use Lambda and API Gateway. The code must function as shown in the video, and the submission must be in English. It also has to be substantially different from any other app submitted by the same submitter, team, or organization.

Prizes
Individuals, teams, and organizations with 50 or less employees are eligible for the Serverless Chatbot Hero Award. This award includes one ticket to AWS re:Invent and access to discounted hotel room rates, along with recognition at the Serverless State of the Union address, some cool swag, $100 in AWS credits, and publicity opportunities for their bot. We will make up to eight of these awards.

Larger organizations are eligible for a non-cash, recognition-only award.

See the FAQ for more information on rules and eligibility.

Timeline
Here’s the timeline for the competition:

• August 10 – September 29, 2016 – Submission period.
• October 3-7 – AWS Judging.
• October 15 – Winners announced.

Get Started Now
Here’s what you need to do to get started:

1. Read the Rules and Eligibility Guidelines.
2. Register for the AWS Serverless Chatbot Competition.
3. Create AWS and Slack developer accounts.
4. Visit the Resources Page to learn more about the APIs and services.
5. Build your chatbot. Our sample code (aws-serverless-chatbot-sample) is a good place to start.
6. Create your demo video and your other materials for the submission.
7. Submit your materials before 5 PM ET on September 29, 2016.

I’m looking forward to seeing, using, and judging the entries!

Relevant Webinars
Here are some upcoming webinars that will help you to get started:

• August 24 – Getting Started with Serverless Architectures.
• August 30 – Building Serverless Chatbots.

You may also find these recordings of past webinars to be helpful:

• AWS Lambda – Event-driven Code for Devices and the Cloud.
• Build and Manage Your APIs with Amazon API Gateway.

— Jeff;