DO YOU WANT TO WINAPP-DEVELOPMENT AWARDS UP TO $250,000?
4 app awards · Up to 1,000 finalist kits. Proposals: November 20, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern OR 1,500 eligible entries, whichever is earlier. Finalist apps must launch by March 1, 2027 and remain available through May 1.
Giveaway details + how to enter
Student App Project Budget: Development Time, Cloud Costs and Ongoing Support
- Prize
- Four app awards totaling $500,000: $250,000 highest qualifying recurring-revenue app, $100,000 aging-in-place app, $75,000 most popular and $75,000 most inventive. Up to 1,000 finalists receive $160 camera/sensor kits. Grand prize requires 100 verified paying accounts and at least $500 monthly recurring revenue.
- Ends
- November 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
Affiliate disclosure: Freebie Mom may earn a commission when you use our signup links, at no extra cost to you.
Student App Project Budget planning starts with the details you can control. Write down what you need, compare complete costs and keep a short record of purchases and rewards so your next decision is easier.
Budget time before buying services
List the proposal, prototype, testing and support work a project needs. Break it into small milestones and decide who is responsible for each one.
A student project can become expensive in time even when the initial software tools are free.
Separate setup and recurring costs
Record any one-time equipment or registration costs separately from hosting, storage, subscriptions and other ongoing services. Check each provider’s current pricing.
Read what happens when a free allowance ends and whether billing continues automatically.
Plan for testing and privacy
Include testing on supported devices and time to review platform permissions, data handling and accessibility. Read the actual developer requirements before choosing a design.
Use legitimate test accounts and data with appropriate permission. Do not put private user information into a public demo.
Include maintenance after launch
A released app still needs support, updates and a plan for changing service costs. Keep documentation and account ownership clear, especially for team projects.
Treat any potential award or future customer revenue as uncertain; base the project plan on resources actually available.
The separate Ring $500K Appstore Challenge appears below. Optional affiliate offers are independent of the sponsor’s promotion; complete the sponsor’s entry yourself for a chance to win.
Ring $500K Appstore Challenge
APP-DEVELOPMENT AWARDS UP TO $250,000
Up to 1,000 finalist kits + 4 conditional app awards
How to enter ✨
- Tap ENTER HERE and open the full Official Rules before applying.
- If eligible, prepare your own original app proposal and complete the required student/team registration and rights agreements. This article is not an entry or a proposal-writing service.
- Selected finalists must build, certify and publish an app by March 1 and meet the May 1 measurement requirements. Winners must attend the required June event.
Freebie Mom tickets are separate. They do not enter this giveaway or improve your odds. Complete the sponsor’s entry yourself.
More prize & drawing details
Phase 1: innovation 50%, feasibility/integration 30%, usefulness 20%; finalist decisions by December 14. Acceptance/release steps are due within three days. App awards determined about May 17; $250,000 award goes unawarded unless its 100-account/$500 MRR minimum is met. Genuine user/revenue rules exclude linked, recent, incentivized and manipulated accounts. Each entrant can win one app award. Required background checks, broad exclusive/perpetual entry rights, rights assignment and June 3 Hawthorne Demo Day attendance apply; sponsor provides specified travel for a winner/team representative, not guests. Development expenses remain yours. Rules’ $609,400 combined ARV does not reconcile with the itemized cash/kit/travel caps; $500,000 here is the app-award pool only.
Full entry limit: One original proposal/app per person; solo or teams of up to three eligible students. Judged/metric-based development contest, not a random drawing or guaranteed kit offer.
Eligibility: U.S./DC, age 18+, authorized to work in the U.S., enrolled full/part time in an eligible associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral program. Development, rights and finalist attendance requirements apply.
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Official rules · Checked Nov. 7, 2026.
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