AppsFire Wants "The Next Great iPhone App"

**Michael Essany** · 10-22-2009, 05:10 AM

Think of it as the Oscars for the iPhone.

Appsfire is partnering with SFR/AppliStore and LeWeb to launch a cool new contest called the "App Star Awards." According to a piece from Tech Crunch that was covered in the Washington Post, the contest will evaluate 30-second videos about apps still under development.

30 clips will be preselected, 10 in each category: games, entertainment, utility, etc. Those clips will be reviewed and rated by a jury (full list below). Three winners, one in each category, will get a check of $1,500 and a free ad campaign with participating partners.

Although some think this contest is worthy of nothing more than a throw-away blurb on a tech blog, others are actually excited about this contest because it could provide the winning developers an opportunity to rise above the rest in a crowded field of iPhone/iPod apps that have made it incredibly difficult for many developers to gain their footing and have their quality work noticed.

AppsFire, which is a loyal ally to developers in that it allows users to easily share with others the apps you use or recommend, should be commended for rolling out a contest that legitimately affords developers an opportunity to have their work recognized in a new and exciting way.

AppsFire is currently taking pre-registrations on the site, but submissions will open on November 23.

Once all the submitted videos have been reviewed, the winners will be unveiled on stage at LeWeb in Paris on December 9th.

If you're curious as to whom will serve as the esteemed judges for this contest, here's the full list: Michael Arrington (TechCrunch), Loic Le Meur (Seesmic.com), Marshall Kirkpatrick (ReadWriteWeb.com), Robert Scoble, Jeff Clavier (SoftTech VC) Jean Francois Caillard (SFR), Eyal Magen (Gigya), Rani Cohen (TuneWiki), David Sifry (Offbeat Guides, Technorati), David Marcus (Zong), Zee M Kane (TheNextWeb), Patrick Jordan, Just Another iPhone Blog, Yaron Samid (TechAviv.com), Louis Gray (LouisGray.com), and Daniel Brusilovsky (Techcrunch).

This morning, a creative promotional video courtesy of iPhone app Mouthoff was published on thenextweb.com to help hype the contest. Check it out.

<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_-FWcYO9-7Q&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_-FWcYO9-7Q&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Image via Appsfire

**metaserph** · 10-22-2009, 06:01 AM

Seems like an interesting concept. I could add fuel or water to the MS App Lab video joke. Hopefully won't be a parade of "moustache app" vids and some really cool stuff can be highlighted.

**billchase2** · 10-22-2009, 07:06 AM

Cool idea. I hope it turns out well. Could be a great way for unknown devs to get their work out to the public.

**Melech518** · 10-22-2009, 08:42 AM

Sounds like this article is Free Advertising...

**nighthawk283** · 10-22-2009, 10:22 AM

Yup sounds like a adversting but helps the dev

**awesomeSlayer** · 10-22-2009, 06:17 PM

Interesting and yet sounds awesome.

**Happy Noodle Boy** · 10-22-2009, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by Melech518

Sounds like this article is Free Advertising...

The whole purpose of this application/movement is to advertise. How exactly do you report on it without inadvertently advertising what they sell?

It's like reporting on a car dealership and complaining we're doing free advertisement.

**rwin84** · 10-23-2009, 12:09 PM

this carries some merit. this could stir up the devs for some more new apps.

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