挑战
Rethink the Windows-based PC experience today and the role it plays in people's lives. Envision how form factor influences the digital lifestyle-from personal productivity at work or home, to entertainment, mobility and lifestyle. Think big, be bold, be inspired, but pay attention to sustainable technologies, and ecological and environmental innovation.

竞赛日程

August 15, 2006 through December 18, 2006, 11:59 pm EST: online entry submission is open. Entries must be submitted online by 11:59 pm EST.
January 5, 2007: A hard copy of entry materials must be received by Microsoft by close of business day.
January 6, 2007 through February 5, 2007: Entries will be judged and qualifying Finalists will be selected by a distinguished panel of IDSA-member judges from the International PC and industrial design community.
February 9 - March 23, 2007: Finalist entries will be posted on startsomethingpc.com visitors will be invited to vote for their favorite entry to determine the Public's Choice Award.
April 2007: All winners will be announced.
May, 2007: Winners will be honored at the 2007 WinHec Conference.

参赛资格

open to amateur, student and professional industrial designers who are 14 years or older at the time of entry, however residents of the following countries are ineligible to participate: Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Students do not need to be enrolled in an industrial design program to participate and student entries can be submitted in any category, even if the design is in research or corporately funded.
Employees of Microsoft Corporation, IDSA and their immediate family members (sibling, child, parent, spouse or anyone living in the same household as an employee) are not eligible to enter.
Employees of organizations and students at schools represented on the jury may not participate in the competition. Judges will be named on or around April 14th, 2006.
Multiple people may collaborate on an entry (so long as all meet the eligibility requirements stated above), however, only a single person may submit an entry and the prize will only be awarded to that person. Microsoft and the IDSA are not responsible for any decisions regarding re-distribution of prize money within a team.
Entries may be sponsored by corporations, but no entries may be in production during the course of the competition.

设计类别
Designs for practically any Windows-based PC design concept may be entered; however challenges of manufacturability should be considered. Entrants may submit one unique entry per category (for a total of 4 entries per person) based on primary role/benefit of the design as related to the digital lifestyle challenge and reinforced in the essay questions:
Personal Productivity (at work, at home or on the go)
Entertainment
Communication & Mobility (at work, at home or on the go)
Living and Lifestyle**
**Living and lifestyle category provides for a more free-form exploration, reducing emphasis on manufacturability as judging criteria to focus on more forward-looking scenarios.

评审
All eligible entries will be reviewed based on the criteria listed below, each to be weighted equally. Each entry will be scored on its own rating sheet based on how well it meets the criteria of design excellence described below. Those entries which in the judge's sole opinion best meet the criteria listed below will be named Finalists and posted online for public voting.
Innovation: is the design new and unique?
User Experience/Interaction: in what ways does the design make the PC easier to use?
Aesthetics: how does the appearance enhance the emotional appeal of the product?
Technical ability: how is the design enhanced with new technologies?
Ecology: how is the design environmentally responsible?

Other judging considerations:
Manufacturability including thermal cooling and noise reduction
Market viability

Any Peripheral component design concepts included with an entry (e.g. Cell Phone, Digital Media Receiver, Printer, Portable Media Player, etc) will be considered during the judging process to help aid in answering the challenge statement.

The judging is blind: the designers, their names and the names of their consulting firms or schools may not appear anywhere in the entry kit other than the Design Credit List.doc. Failure to abide by this rule results in immediate disqualification.

The decisions of the judges are final and binding in all matters related to this contest. The judges reserve the right to not award a prize if in their sole opinion no entries meet the minimum standards of the criteria listed below.

奖金
A total of five (5) winners will be selected from among qualified entries in all categories:
Judge's Award 1st, 2nd & 3rd place- Prize $25,000 US, $15,000 US, $10,000 US
Selected by a distinguished panel of IDSA-member judges from the International PC and industrial design community.
Chairman's Award - Prize $25,000 US
Selected by Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect, with the assistance of his advisory committee.
Public's Choice Award - Prize $10,000 US
Selected via public vote.
Educator Award: If a student entry wins, the faculty advisor named in the entry will receive a $2,500 US prize, or a $2,500 US grant will be awarded to their school, in compliance with public sector gift rules.

All prize values in U.S. Dollars. Any applicable taxes on the prize or expenses not listed herein are the sole responsibility of the winner(s). Prizes may be subject to U.S. withholding taxes and non-U.S. winners may be required to complete an IRS W8-BEN. No barter, transfer, or assignment of any prize permitted, except by Sponsor at its sole discretion.

Publicity & Exposure
Microsoft, as sponsor, will promote finalists' and winners' designs in press and industry outreach, as well as sustain the website after launch as a resource for the industry at-large and enthusiast browsing.
Winners will be showcased online on Microsoft properties including but not limited to startsomethingpc.com, with attribution.
At the completion of judging, the site will serve as a virtual directory of ID talent, connecting businesses with entrants who explicitly opt-in during time of submission.
Winners will be showcased jointly by Microsoft and the IDSA at the 2007 WinHec Conference and the 2007 Icsid/IDSA Connecting '07 World Design Congress.
Winners will be published in the Summer 2007 issue of Innovation and in IDSA's other print and web media.

作品提交
1. Review All Entry Requirements
Please download the entry kit and review all materials provided as well as Entry Rules & Terms of Use prior to submission. Be sure to review all items in the Entry Kit including tips and resources for additional inspiration and/or consideration.

2. Submit online Entry
Submission will take place in two parts. Both parts are necessary for your entry to be accepted.

online submissions will be open between August 15, 2006 and 11:59 pm EST, December 18, 2006. Details on online submission criteria can be found in the Entry Kit.

An entrant may submit an entry in each of the four categories, however, each entry must be substantially unique, and may only be submitted in a single category. In other words, you may NoT submit the same entry in multiple categories. If a single entry is submitted in multiple categories, it will be disqualified from the competition.

By submitting your entry, you agree that any or all of the material may be published and utilized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Microsoft, and any other party authorized by IDSA and/or Microsoft in connection with the awards.

Designs must adhere to entry kit criteria. Entrant names and the names of their consulting firms or schools may not appear anywhere in the entry kit.
Use of Microsoft and/or IDSA and/or ICSID branding, the Microsoft Windows flag, and/or copyrighted

Microsoft elements not provided for in the entry kit are strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification. All Entry materials must be submitted in English. The application must have been created solely by the entrant(s), and the entrant(s) must have a non-restricted right to submit it in this Competition. The entry cannot defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person's personal or proprietary rights. Modifying, enhancing or altering a third party's pre-existing work does not qualify as entrant's original creation. Entry may not be offensive, as determined by judges in their sole discretion. Any entrant whose work includes likenesses of third parties or contains elements not owned by the entrant (such as, but not limited to depictions of buildings, trademarks or logos) must be able to provide legal releases for such use including Sponsor's use of such entry, in a form satisfactory to judges. Entries not complying with all rules are subject to disqualification.

Required
Entrant must obtain a free Microsoft .NET Passport.
Completed Entry Questions (Word .doc or RTF in English language)
Completed Designer Credit List (Word .doc or RTF in English language)
one Thumbnail glamour shot image (.jpg or .gif, 120px x 120px, 72dpi)
one .zip compressed file containing up to ten (10) color or black and white photo illustrations, in Web-standard .jpg format (no larger than 72dpi, 800px x600px) or single .jpg/.gif image glamour shot meeting above. Note: Submissions showing a monitor with a display must contain either the enclosed wallpaper image or a black screen.

Optional
one-page research summary attached to Entry questions.
Windows Media Video (WMV) not to exceed 2 minutes and 3 MB in size; a longer WMV will be accepted via mail-in CD media. You must indicate clearly on the hard copy that there is a video in the materials.
Images containing peripheral component design concepts (e.g. Cell Phone, Digital Media Receiver, Printer, Portable Media Player, etc.) may be included if they help to support but not to exceed total of 10 images submitted.
once your entry is submitted for review, you will receive an Entry Kit ID number for tracking your submission.

The names of the designers, or school or company affiliations should not appear anywhere on the submission material except in the Design Credit List doc. The Entry Kit ID number that you get when your submission is accepted should be used to identify your mail-in printed materials. Failure to comply with this rule will result in immediate disqualification.

3. Await Confirmation E-Mail
You will receive a confirmation e-mail with approval status once your entry has been reviewed. Most submissions are reviewed for compliance with entry rules within 4-7 business days. Entries are not to be considered eligible for judging until 1) A confirmation email with unique entry number is received, noting that all entry kit requirements have been met and 2) CD/DVD submission of print-ready images plus hard copies of all entry materials has been received.

If your submission is declined, you will receive an e-mail detailing the eligibility requirements not met. If the deadline for online submissions has not yet passed, you may make adjustments to your entry from the My Entries page, without re-entering all of your information.

Hard Copy Mailing: once a submission is approved, a confirmation email will be provided with an entry ID number and the mailing address for your hard copies via traceable courier. Do not send your material to IDSA. Mail-in material must be received by Microsoft to the address provided by January 5, 2007, 11:59 pm EST without exception or extension. Details on requirements are listed in the Entry Checklist section of this document.

You must submit your entry online between August 15, 2006 and 11:59 pm EST, December 18, 2006, followed up with print and supplemental materials mailed to the Microsoft address specified in your submission approval email by January 5, 2007 at 11:59 pm EST. Please factor this deadline into your submission. Both online and mail-in materials must be provided. The hard copy materials must be exactly the same as the online materials, and must indicate clearly if there is a video in the materials. Please read the Competition Rules for complete details below. No registration fee is required.
Place your Entry Kit ID # on the envelope of your entry. This is how your design will be identified. You may include a printed paper with the ID number in your kit to ensure readability.
All materials included in the online submission must be printed out and included. All materials must be exactly the same as those submitted online.
Two (2) CD or DVD discs containing Windows XP PC-readable images (300dpi, 1280px x 1024px minimum) including the glamour shot in a compatible format (e.g. .PNG, .JPG .PSD)

Please make sure to put your entry kit number on your pictures and supporting material and be sure not to include your name or your design firm's name anywhere. No physical models will be accepted.

General Conditions
The laws of the State of Washington in the United States govern this Competition. All federal, provincial, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Potential winners may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release and where legal, Publicity Release, within 14 days following the date of issuance of notification. Non-compliance within this time period or return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for Microsoft Corporation, IDSA and their agents to use winner's name and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation unless prohibited by law. By entering, participants release and hold harmless Microsoft Corporation and its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotions agencies, prize suppliers, and all of their employees, officers, directors, shareholder's and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Competition, the use of any entry, or the acceptance or use of any prize won.

By entering, each entrant grants to Microsoft (including its affiliates, employees, agents, and contractors), IDSA and the Competition Judges an irrevocable, royalty free, fully paid up, worldwide license to use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze the Application and all its content in connection with this Competition. Microsoft shall be free to use for any purpose the residuals resulting from access to or work with the Entrants' Applications. The term "residuals" means information in intangible form, which is retained in memory by persons who have had access to the Applications, including ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained therein. Microsoft shall not have any obligation to limit or restrict the assignment of such persons or to pay royalties for any work resulting from the use of residuals. However, this paragraph shall not be deemed to grant to Microsoft a license under the Entrants' copyrights or patents. The intellectual rights of the resulting designs remain the property of those directly responsible for the design and its submission. Microsoft retains an exclusive first right of refusal on acquisition of any of the resulting designs submitted into the competition at negotiated rate. Should Microsoft or related party wish to acquire the rights to produce or otherwise utilize a design beyond the immediate scope of the Competition, those involved in the direct results of the work agree to assign all rights, including patent rights, in the work to Microsoft or the related party for compensation at a level comparable to a normal professional fee. IDSA shall not be involved in any dispute and shall be held harmless and free of any liability in any dispute regarding intellectual property rights or compensation or payment for any professional competition or program that it endorses.

The Applications or any part of the Entry must not be, in whole or in part, governed by an Excluded License. An Excluded License is any license that requires, as a condition of use, modification and/or distribution of software subject to the Excluded License, that such software and/or other software combined and/or distributed with such software be (a) disclosed or distributed in source code form; (b) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works; or (c) redistributable at no charge. Permission is also granted for Sponsor to promote winning entries in perpetuity in any medium it may see fit including, but not limited to, website, television, radio and/or printed materials. Entrants shall not receive any compensation or credit for use of entries, other than that disclosed in these rules. Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these conditions.

The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other mechanical or electronic means that permits the participant to automatically enter or vote repeatedly (as solely determined by Sponsor) is prohibited. If for any reason this contest is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, uploads of malicious files or viruses, or any other causes beyond the control of Microsoft Corporation which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Microsoft Corporation reserves the right at its sole discretion, to disqualify any entry or any individual who tampers with the entry or voting process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and select winners using all eligible, non-suspect entries and/or votes received as of the date of termination. Microsoft assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Microsoft is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or telephone lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received on account of technical problems, human error or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer relating to or resulting from participation in this contest or downloading any materials in this Contest. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, MICROSOFT CORPORATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON (S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

相关链接
» http://www.nextgendesigncomp.com/

往届回顾：微软/IDSA下一代2005PC设计竞赛结果揭晓