Hardware Battlefield Is Returning To CES Where One Startup Will Win $50,000

Hardware Battlefield is back! For the second year in a row, TechCrunch is bringing our premiere launch competition to the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The winning startup gets $50,000 and, more important, notoriety and access to a group of early adopters, investors and consumers who love cool new gear.

The application process is now open and will close on October 30, 2014. Apply here.

Like our Startup Battlefield conducted at Disrupt, the competition is held in front of a pack of hand-picked judges who will award the prize live on our site. The best thing? The Hardware Battlefield is taking place at CES 2015 in Las Vegas but is open to all comers and you don’t need a conference badge to enter, attend the battlefield events, or simply spectate. Our goal is to find the diamond in the CE rough. We don’t care about Samsung, Sony, and Philips – we care about you. But you need to apply.

Entry is free and is open to all hardware companies who are planning to launch (crowdfund or ship) product in a two week window before or after January 10. We highly encourage launching your product for the first time on our stage so it receives the biggest impact.

At the time of application, companies must have a functional prototype to demo to the selection committee. In selecting final contestants, we will give preference to companies that launch for the first time to the public and press through our competition. We consider new products from existing companies to be significant. Companies launching new feature sets do not qualify. We welcome startups from around the globe to submit their startups for consideration!

More details can be found here.

The application process is now open and will close on October 30, 2014. Apply here.

Email myself, John Biggs or TechCrunch’s Battlefield editor, Sam O’Keefe with any questions.