Ring Announces Appstore Challenge with $500,000 in prizes for college students
By Ring on October 22, 2026
Starting today, eligible U.S. college students can submit entries to the Ring Appstore Challenge. If you're selected, you'll build an app for the Ring Appstore, launch it to Ring customers, and compete for four prizes worth a combined $500,000, including a $250,000 Grand Prize.
Applications close November 20, 2026. Register at ring.com/appchallenge.
What is the Ring Appstore Challenge?
Quick Answer: A competition for eligible U.S. college students to propose, build, and publish an app on the Ring Appstore, with $500,000 in prizes.
The Ring Appstore is where third-party developers publish apps that work with Ring cameras, sensors, and APIs. For this challenge, you’ll take an app from a written proposal to a published product with real customers. You can enter on your own or with a team of up to three people.
How does the challenge work?
Quick Answer: Apply by November 20, 2026. Finalists will be announced by December 14, certify their apps by March 1, 2027, and compete on the Ring Appstore until May 1, 2027.
1. Submit your idea (October 22 – November 20, 2026)
In 500 words or less, tell us what your app will do, who it's for, and why Ring customers should use it. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 20, or sooner if we receive 1,500 eligible entries.
2. Get selected (by December 14, 2026)
Ring judges will select up to 1,000 Finalists. If you're selected, you'll have three days to return your acceptance paperwork, and then we'll send your Ring Challenge Kit and details on how to submit your app to the Ring Appstore.
3. Build and certify (through March 1, 2027)
Build your app with your Challenge Kit, the Ring Developer Portal, and weekly office hours with Ring engineers. Your app needs to pass Ring Appstore certification by March 1, 2027. Certification review can take one to two weeks, and longer if reviewers request changes and you need to resubmit. We recommend submitting your app for certification by February 15, 2027, so you have time to make fixes. Apps that haven't passed certification by March 1 won't be eligible to compete.
4. Launch and grow (March 1 – May 1, 2027)
Certified apps go live on the Ring Appstore starting March 1, so every finalist starts competing at the same time. From then until May 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET, you'll run a real business. Revenue and users decide two of the four prizes, so marketing your app and listening to customers will matter as much as the code. Your app must be live when the challenge ends to be eligible for a prize.
5. Present at Demo Day (June 2027)
Winners will be selected on or around May 17, 2027, and will travel to Ring headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to present their apps to Ring leadership at Demo Day on or around June 3.
What can you win?
Quick Answer: Four prizes totaling $500,000. Every eligible app is considered for all four, and each app can win one.
Highest Revenue: $250,000 Grand Prize
Awarded to the app with the highest monthly recurring revenue (MRR) from active paid subscriptions on May 1, 2027. To qualify, your app will need paid subscriptions from at least 100 unique accounts and at least $500 in MRR. If there is not an app that meets the minimum criteria, then the Grand Prize will not be awarded. Revenue from any single account is capped at $25 a month, so a broad base of subscribers matters more than a few large ones.
Most Impactful Aging in Place App: $100,000
A Ring judging panel will choose the app that does the most to help older adults live safely and independently at home, and to support the people who care for them. Judges will look at practical usefulness, ease of use, impact on users and caregivers, and how well the app uses Ring and Amazon technology. Alexa integration isn't required, but apps that combine Ring and Alexa into a complete solution for older adults and their caregivers will stand out. Ideas might include family check-ins, routine reminders, or inactivity alerts. Apps should be consent-first and respect the independence of the people using them.
Most Popular App: $75,000
Awarded to the app with the most total users on May 1, 2027, at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Both free and paid users count, as do residential and business users.
Most Inventive App: $75,000
A panel of Ring judges will choose the most original use of Ring and Amazon technology, including Alexa and AWS. Judges will weigh four criteria equally: originality, quality of execution and user experience, integration with Amazon and Ring technology, and usefulness to customers.
If your app leads in more than one category, you'll receive the higher-value prize, and the next eligible app will receive the other.
What do finalists receive?
Quick Answer: Finalists will receive Ring hardware, developer tools, and support from Ring engineers, at no cost.
Finalists will receive:
1. A Ring Challenge Kit with a Ring camera, a Ring sensor, and an applicable Ring subscription.
2. Development guidelines and full access to the Ring Developer Portal, including API documentation, sample apps, and a sandbox with synthetic devices.
3. Weekly office hours with Ring engineers.
4. Access to the Ring Appstore MCP server, so you can build with an AI coding assistant in your IDE.
Winners will also receive travel and hotel accommodations for Demo Day.
Contest entry is free, as is publishing on the Ring Appstore. You're responsible for any other costs to build and run your app, such as cloud hosting, third-party APIs, AI or computer vision models, and marketing. Free tiers and student credit programs can help reduce these costs.
What happens to your app after the challenge?
Quick Answer: After the challenge, the app remains yours and will continue to run.
You will build, own, and publish your app under your own developer account. Subscription revenue that your app earns, minus the standard Ring Appstore revenue share and any applicable fees, is yours during and after the challenge. After May 1, 2027, your app can stay on the Ring Appstore as long as it meets Ring Appstore policies, and your developer account and Developer Portal access do not expire.
How are proposals selected?
Quick Answer: Judges will score proposals on innovation (50%), technical feasibility and Ring integration (30%), and consumer value (20%).
Innovation covers how original your idea is and how creatively it uses Amazon and Ring technology. Feasibility asks whether your app can realistically be built and certified by March 1, 2027, and how deeply it integrates with Ring devices and APIs. Consumer value asks whether it solves a real problem for Ring customers. Proposals that copy or closely resemble an app already on the Ring Appstore won't advance.
A few things make a proposal stronger:
1. Start from a need you've seen yourself, like a relative living alone or a recurring problem in your apartment building.
2. Name the specific Ring devices, events, or APIs your app depends on.
3. Scope it to what you can build and certify by March 1.
4. Explain who will use or pay for your app and how you'll reach them.
Who can enter?
The challenge is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., who:
1. Are at least 18 years old.
2. Are authorized to work in the United States.
3. Are enrolled full- or part-time in an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree program.
Every member of a team must be eligible, and Ring may verify enrollment. Apps can't track or identify people without their consent, target children, or work around Ring's security, privacy, or billing rules. See the Ring Appstore Permitted Content Policy for the full requirements.
Applications close November 20, 2026. Register at ring.com/appchallenge.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to know Ring's APIs already?
A: No. The Ring APIs are standard REST, so if you have some programming experience and can make HTTP requests, you can build a Ring app in any language. Finalists get documentation and a sandbox for testing.
Q: How do we apply as a team?
A: Submit one registration and include your team name. The Ring Developer Portal supports team accounts, so everyone can work on the build.
Q: How are revenue and users verified?
A: Ring verifies the numbers before finalizing winners. Only unique, active Ring accounts that are at least two months old count. Purchases from entrants, their families, or members of their households don't count, and neither do purchases refunded or canceled within two weeks of the challenge ending. Artificially inflated numbers lead to disqualification.
Q: Where can I find the full rules?
A: See the Official Rules. For other questions, contact ring-app-challenge@amazon.com.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 18 or older, authorized to work in the U.S., and enrolled full- or part-time in an eligible college or university degree program. Void where prohibited. Entry period begins October 22, 2026, at 12:00 AM ET and ends November 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET or when 1,500 eligible Entries are received, whichever occurs first. Up to 1,000 Finalists will receive a Ring camera and sensor kit, and applicable Ring subscription (ARV: $160 each). Four (4) App Prizes totaling $500,000 will be awarded. Subject to Official Rules. Sponsor: Ring, 12515 Cerise Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250.
If you have stories or videos you’d like to share with us, please send them to stories@ring.com.