This morning at WES 2009 Conference, John announced the 2009 BlackBerry Developers Challenge. This is the second year that we are sponsoring the challenge, although the focus for this year's contest has shifted slightly and entries will be evaluated on both the application submitted and its supporting business plan.

Developers can pre-register now at http://www.blackberrypartnersfund.com/09contest to receive details on the challenge. Submissions officially open on June 1st and the winner will be selected at the BlackBerry Developers Conference on November 9-11, 2009 in San Francisco. Full contest rules and regulations will be published on our site on June 1st.

Here is a high level overview of the challenge and the prizes that are up for grabs: Grand Prize Package worth $50,000 (including a $25,000 Cash Prize and $25,000 value package including mentoring sessions with RIM executives, a free Alliance Membership courtesy of RIM, mention in the challenge press release, and an opportunity to pitch BlackBerry Partners Fund for a potential investment.  A runner-up will receive a $10,000 cash prize. There will be ten finalists who will all receive their DevCon registration for free.

To be eligibile you will need to complete the registration form (available June 1 ^st) and have a working BlackBerry Application (can be in beta).  You must be a start-up that is not-professionally financed (with a maximum of $1MM outside investment).

A panel of judges will select ten finalists by looking for the most compelling product or service, clearly defined value proposition, viable business model, and entrepreneurs who have the ability to execute.

Final judging will take place at DevCon, where each finalist will present their application or service to be considered for the Grand Prize.  The winner will then be invited to demo the application during a keynote at DevCon the following day.

So why are we doing this?  We believe that strong developer ecosystems yield significant innovation and opportunity.  As venture investors, we are always looking for bright entrepreneurs doing never-before-thought-of-things.  So this year we are merging an app contest and business plan competition to discover a compelling investment opportunity for the Fund.  The Grand Prize may be valued at $50,000, but if we are successful it could be worth much much more.

The challenge opens June 1 ^st.  Good luck!