Monday, 10 December 2007

Sun Announces Open Source Community Innovation Awards Program

Sun Microsystems has launched a multi-year program called the Open Source Community Innovation Awards Program, aimed at fostering innovation and recognize some of the most interesting initiatives within Sun-sponsored open source communities worldwide.

Participants for the program’s inaugural year includes GlassFish, NetBeans, OpenJDK, OpenOffice.org, OpenSolaris and OpenSPARC .

Prizes are expected to total at least USD 1 million a year.

Beginning in mid-January 2008, Sun, and the six open source communities will announce details on how developers can participate in the individual programs. Each community will have its own contest rules and judging criteria. Prize winners will be announced in August 2008.

"Developer communities are at the heart of tech industry innovation and are Sun's lifeblood," said Jonathan Schwartz, CEO and President of Sun Microsystems in a prepared statement.

"Every software product at Sun -- literally billions of dollars in assets -- is going free and open source, and fueling the communities and innovation around these technologies is our top priority. I can't wait to see the creativity, passion, and vibrancy of the program's participants."