The Khronos Group has added a Linux category to its graphics coding contest featuring over $100,000 in prizes. The contest promotes OpenGL ES (embedded subset), an open, cross-platform API intended to provide small-footprint embedded applications with advanced hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics capabilities.

OpenGL ES was announced in September of 2002 by Khronos Group, an industry consortium of digital media and graphics companies including SGI, ATI, Sun, and others. The first OpenGL ES specification was released in July of 2003, and in January of this year, an Adopter's Package was released that includes tests and a sample implementation. A month later, the first comformant library implementation arrived. The Khronos Group first announced the OpenGL ES coding contest in August.

According to Khronos, the OpenGL ES Coding Challenge is intended to kick start development of the next generation graphical applications. Entries can include games, creative visual demos, and educational tutorials.

Linux developers will be able to enter the Challenge using the OpenGL ES 1.0 Sample Reference Implementation. Developers for Nokia Series 60, PocketPC 2003, Smartphone 2003, and Win32 will use the OpenGL ES 1.1 implementations. A separate prize category will be offered for the best Linux entry.

Contestants may develop on desktop Linux systems, but are encouraged to perform tests and screenshots on Linux handhelds such as Sharp's Zaurus PDA, Yopy PDAs, or Motorola Smartphones.

All participants will “enjoy the benefits of global marketing efforts,” according to Khronos, and “entries may be used as the basis for an open source library of sample code and applications for hardware accelerated OpenGL ES games, demos, and screensavers,” it says. Winners will be awarded prizes that include tools of interest to developers and development companies.

The contest runs until Feb 15, 2005. Multiple entries will be accepted.

 
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