Visual Studio’s Java Tools Challenge Offers $85,000 in Prizes

The latest Visual Studio Marketplace hackathon focuses on integrating Java and Visual Studio, and the maker of the best extension or app will win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.

Here’s the challenge, according to Microsoft:

Create a Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) extension that helps developers create, test, deploy, etc. Java apps. Or, create a Java app using Visual Studio Team Services Eclipse plugin (aka Team Explorer Everywhere) or JetBrains IntelliJ plugin.

Developers can submit a version of their existing app or extension, or create a new solution that improves the Visual Studio experience for Java development teams. Individuals, teams and organizations are eligible to enter.

The top prize includes $10,000 cash, a one-year VSPP Premier membership, three subscriptions to Visual Studio Enterprise 2015, and a featured product listing on the Visual Studio Marketplace. There are also separate prizes for the Best Android App and Best Azure SaaS App, among others.

In a blog post announcing the contest, Microsoft exec Brian Harry acknowledged the, um, complicated relationship Microsoft has had with Java in the past, but said the company wants to make VS Team Services the go-to solution for all developers:

“For several years now, we’ve had a concerted effort to build a great solution for Java developers with an Eclipse plugin, a cross platform command line, an IntelliJ plugin, a cross platform build agent and so much more. We’ve also been working hard to integrate popular Java tools like Maven, JUnit test results importing, JaCoCo and Cobertura, SonarQube and the list goes on…At the same time, I have to admit Java and Microsoft aren’t words that you’ve seen lovingly together in the same sentence in the past.”

The hackathon runs through April 30, so you’ve still got two months to submit. Visit the contest page for full details.