RealVNC launches global Raspberry Pi innovation competition

The company, the remote access software specialists, are looking worldwide for “original innovation” in the use of the popular UK single-board computer. They also want the project to involve, to some degree, RealVNC Connect remote access software.

Note that the software has been included in the Raspberry Pi’s base operating system since 2016 and is free for anyone to use for educational or non-commercial purposes. Over 300,000 RealVNC accounts have been created from Raspberry Pi devices since the partnership began, highlights the company.

“Anyone of any age with a Raspberry Pi computer can enter. All that is needed is an original innovation (less than five years old) that is not in commercial use. Entries will be judged for inventiveness and originality, quality of design, potential impact, and how significantly RealVNC Connect is used in the innovation.”

The top prize is $1,000 in cash, and the first 100 entries will receive a free t-shirt and laptop sticker, with the competition logo saying “Certified Innovator”.

The main competition page can be found here. Key dates to note are:

Competition judges include: Tristan Richardson, RealVNC co-founder and the principal architect of the original RFB (remote framebuffer) protocol and VNC application; Emma Smith, the Director of Digital Transformation at the University of Bath; and Matthew Ireland, the founder of MiPi Support.

RealVNC was founded in 2002 by the original creators of VNC technology. They describe themselves as pioneers of screen sharing technology, with their software most commonly used to provide remote technical support for devices out in the field.

“RealVNC exists today because of the support my co-founders and I received at the AT&T Cambridge Laboratory,” said Richardson, right. “We were encouraged to experiment and innovate, and this allowed us to create a new software industry. In much the same way, thousands of Raspberry Pi users are experimenting every day, and we wanted to do our part to encourage and celebrate what they are doing. Who knows – maybe another new tech industry could come from their work!”

Note that aforementioned judge, Matthew Ireland – who we recently covered for his Raspberry Pi-based rural emergency response system, MiPi, right – was one of the company’s main sources of inspiration for the compo, it says.

The competition officially launched on Wednesday 5 July.