General Questions & Submission Requirements
How do I follow the hackathon and get updates?
Who can I contact if I have questions about the hackathon? 
What do I need to use to build my bot?
Can I use an existing bot or do I have to create a completely new one?
Is there an example bot using AWS Lambda that I can reference?
How do I learn more about Slack bots?
What is AWS Lambda?
What is Amazon API Gateway?
How much does it cost to use AWS Lambda or Amazon API Gateway?
What is AWS re:Invent?

Testing Process
How can I provide Devpost with access to test my solution?

Eligibility & IP
Who is eligible to enter the competition?
We are an organization. Can we enter?
Can more than one person work on a solution and receive credit for it? And if the app wins a prize, how will the prize money be split among the creators?
Can I enter more than one bot?
Do I retain intellectual property ownership? 
What else will you do with my submission?

 

How do I follow the hackathon and get updates?

When you register for the hackathon, you’ll automatically be signed up to receive email updates about it. Follow us on Twitter at @Devpost.

 

Who can I contact if I have questions about the hackathon?

Email serverless-chatbot-hackathon@amazon.com or post a question to the Discussion Board. If you have questions about AWS Lambda, please visit our Developer Forum.

 

What do I need to use to build my bot?

To be eligible for prizes, participants must build and submit a bot for Slack that runs on AWS Lambda. App submissions must:

  • Be a working bot for Slack that runs on AWS Lambda.
    • Bots must use AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway. See our sample bot code for an example.

While it is not a requirement, we also recommend that your submission:

  • Integrate Slack APIs, such as the Events API
  • Integrate other APIs, SDKs, and datasets as long as the developer is authorized to use them
  • Use additional AWS services
  • Submit to the Slack App Directory
  • Showcase natural language processing of chat conversation, use open source NLP libraries

   

Can I use an existing bot or do I have to create a completely new one?

Yes, you can use an existing bot. Your bot is eligible as long as it is a working bot for Slack and runs on AWS Lambda.

 

Is there an example bot using AWS Lambda that I can reference?

Yes. Please see our sample bot code in GitHub. You can also see community built examples in the Resources page.

 

How do I learn more about Slack bots?

Please see the Bot Users topic in Slack’s API documentation.

 

What is AWS Lambda?

AWS Lambda lets you run code without provisioning or managing servers. You pay only for the compute time you consume - there is no charge when your code is not running. With Lambda, you can run code for virtually any type of application or backend service - all with zero administration. Just upload your code and Lambda takes care of everything required to run and scale your code with high availability. You can set up your code to automatically trigger from other AWS services or call it directly from any web or mobile app.

 
What is Amazon API Gateway?

Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed service that makes it easy for developers to create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale. With a few clicks in the AWS Management Console, you can create an API that acts as a “front door” for applications to access data, business logic, or functionality from your back-end services, such as workloads running on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), code running on AWS Lambda, or any Web application. Amazon API Gateway handles all the tasks involved in accepting and processing up to hundreds of thousands of concurrent API calls, including traffic management, authorization and access control, monitoring, and API version management. Amazon API Gateway has no minimum fees or startup costs. You pay only for the API calls you receive and the amount of data transferred out.

With Amazon API Gateway, you can quickly and easily create a custom API to your code running in AWS Lambda, and then call the Lambda code from your API. Amazon API Gateway can execute AWS Lambda code in your account or make calls to AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Amazon EC2, or web services outside of AWS with publicly accessible HTTP endpoints. Using the Amazon API Gateway console, you can define your REST API and its associated resources and methods, manage your API lifecycle, generate your client SDKs, and view API metrics.

 

How much does it cost to use AWS Lambda or Amazon API Gateway?

You can get started with AWS for free. The AWS Free Tier includes services with a free tier available for 12 months following your AWS sign-up date, as well as additional service offers that do not automatically expire at the end of your 12 month AWS Free Tier term. 

AWS Lambda includes a free tier of one million requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time per month for free. This does not expire at the end of your 12 month Free Tier Term and is available to both new and existing AWS users indefinitely. Details here. Amazon API Gateway has a free tier that includes one million API calls received per month for up to 12 months. If you exceed this number of calls per month, you will be charged the API Gateway rates. Details here.

 

What is AWS re:Invent?

AWS re:Invent is the largest global cloud computing conference and features keynote announcements, training and certification opportunities, more than 400 technical sessions, a partner expo, after-hours events, and more. It will be held in Las Vegas, NV on 11/28/16 – 12/2/16.

 

How can I provide Devpost with access to test my app?

Include a link to your bot code on GitHub. Your Github code repository may be public or private. If your repository is private, access must be given in the testing instructions provided with your submission. Github code will be used only for application review and testing. Make sure to include all deployment files and testing instructions needed for testing your bot.

  

Who is eligible to enter the competition?

The competition will welcome submitters from the following areas: Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), China (including Hong Kong), France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States

The hackathon is open to individuals, and teams of eligible individuals, who have reached the age of majority in an eligible area of residence at the time of entry. The challenge is also open to legally registered corporations or organizations in eligible areas that employ fewer than 50 people at the time of entry. (See the next question for large organization eligibility.).

Please review the Official Rules for complete eligibility requirements.

 

We are an organization. Can we enter?

Organizations with 50 or fewer employees may enter and compete for cash prizes. Organizations with more than 50 employees may enter and compete only for the Large Organization Recognition Award, which has no prize.

   

Can more than one person work on a bot and receive credit for it? And if the bot wins a prize, how will the prize money be split among the creators?

Yes, teams are encouraged. If a team of individuals or an organization is selected as an award winner, the full prize amount will be sent to the submitter. It will be up to the winning team or organization to reallocate the prize between the team members, as they deem it appropriate.

 

Can I enter more than one bot?

Yes. There is no limit to how many times an eligible person, team or organization may enter. An individual may also participate on behalf of more than one team, corporation, or nonprofit organization. However, if you submit two or more solutions that are identical or substantially similar, the Sponsor and Devpost reserve the right to disqualify all the submissions or require you to choose one submission to enter into the competition.

 

Do I retain intellectual property ownership?

Yes. By submitting a solution to the challenge, you do not transfer any intellectual property rights to the Sponsor or Devpost. The Sponsor and Devpost will have the right to feature all solutions entered in the competition for promotional purposes. See the Official Rules for details.

 

What else will you do with my submission?

The Sponsor and Devpost will have the right to publicly display your submission on the challenge website. They will also be allowed to publicize your name on the challenge website in connection with the submission and the challenge during the competition and after its conclusion. For more information on publicity rights, please see the Official Rules.