Bluetooth SIG has announced an all-new version of its awards, where it's looking to offer cash prizes to budding start-ups.
The 2017 Imagine Blue Awards is offering two prizes, with $10,000 up for grabs to the best prototype winner and $5,000 for the best student project.
The award is open to crowdfunding projects, as long as they're not shipping before the March 2017 conclusion of the awards and entrants just have to send an image of their device, a two minute video and a presentation describing what it does and why it's better with Bluetooth technology.
Essential reading: Best smartwatch 2018
It's not unlike Intel's Make it Wearable $100,000 award that found the Nixie wearable drone and Blocks modular smartwatch back in 2015 – albeit, the Bluetooth event has a substantially lower prize fund.
The awards will take place at the annual Bluetooth World event, which is set to be held in California on 15 March next year.
"Bluetooth is transforming our interactions with technology and the world around us, and the most innovative creators are using it to turn their dreams into reality faster than ever before," said Errett Kroeter, vice president of marketing at Bluetooth SIG.
"These awards will showcase the amazing range of innovation that Bluetooth is unleashing from the creative innovators and students everywhere."
We'll be tracking this event closely and reporting back on the exciting prototypes that make the shortlist.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.