Project entries submitted in this manner will be classified as editorial submissions to Circuit Cellar rather than Contest entries. Editorial submissions will be accepted at the sole judgment and discretion of Circuit Cellar’s Editorial Director. The first 100 projects accepted as editorial submissions shall receive a cash honorarium. These projects will be posted in a special section along with winning Contest entries. For more information about this program, contact contest.administrator@circuitcellar.com

2. Can I use a third-party commercial board or a Motorola E-Field development system in the Motorola E-Field Sensor Contest?

Technically speaking, any design that uses a Motorola MC33794 E-Field device is eligible. Let's face it, this contest is about an E-Field device used in various applications. It is not necessarily about proving that you have new ways to wire a MC33794 to a Motorola MCU or that you soldered it together yourself. The real focus of this contest is the uniqueness of your application and its software. The judges, however, will probably be more impressed if the commercial source of your project's "brains" is de-emphasized and the project application and software is emphasized. The easiest way to de-emphasize that you are using a Motorola development system or other commercial board in a project entry is to redraw the entry schematic to contain only the hardware circuitry necessary for the project. That tells the judges that, although you used a commercial board for convenience, you did it only for that reason and not because you wouldn't know how to configure the proper Motorola-component circuit. The picture submitted with your abstract should contain your actual hardware, even if this is a commercial development system.

3. The rules state that the only identifying marks on my submitted materials must be my registration number. I won't have that until I register. So, does that mean that I can only submit my materials (electronically) after I register? Or, must I submit them at the time of registration? If the latter is true, then how do I mark my documents ahead of time?

Typically a contestant goes to the web site and fills out the Project Entry Form online before e-mailing their project. When the entry form is received, the Contest Administrator e-mails back a registration number to label the project when it is submitted. This number doesn't have to be plastered on every file but it should be somewhere prominent enough that the judges know what is yours. Most contestants label the ZIP file and the main Word document with the project number.

Some contestants request a registration number months before the end of the contest. Others do it only hours before. Certainly, getting a registration number before the last hour makes better sense. Of course, the contest is about the projects and we don't want to miss receiving yours on a timing technicality. If you have requested a project number at the last minute and do not received the Contest Administrator’s reply in time to meet the 12-midnight deadline, simply e-mail your project anyway. Include all the registration information required on the entry form in the text of the e-mail (don’t put it with the project files) and just send it. Get your project in. The Contest Administrator will sort it all out later.

That’s up to you. We tend to prefer Word files, but the rules allow projects to be submitted in Word or as a PDF. Some contestants will submit projects simultaneously in Word, PDF, and HTML. We don’t discourage this, but it isn’t necessary and it isn’t required.

Motorola would prefer not to exclude smart technical people, especially from its product support and distribution channels, but there is only one ethical choice. It is Motorola's opinion that anyone who works on its behalf, either directly selling or supporting the sale of Motorola components, is ineligible.

Before the deadline, obviously. Seriously speaking, you’ll want to send your entry with plenty of time to get here by September 30, 2003. It should be e-mailed to contest.administrator@circuitcellar.com and not to Motorola. If you send it before the last minute, it gives the Contest Administrator time to inspect the project, make sure files aren’t corrupted, and make sure everything is there. If you’ve forgotten a schematic for example, they would have time to tell you and you could add it before the deadline. When they receive your entry they will send you an e-mail acknowledging receipt.

Yes. Some people don’t trust e-mail delivery. The rules suggest that e-mailing digital entries is the preferred method, but you are welcome to send a CD-ROM or a pile of diskettes and the contest Administrator will put it into a file for the judges. Use the address provided in the rules or send an e-mail to contest.administrator@circuitcellar.com for specific address and shipping instructions. Just make sure that if you haven’t registered online and received a project number to label what you are sending, then you should fill out a hard copy of the entry form and mail that along too. And finally, even if you mail it, the entry has to be postmarked no later than 12 midnight EST on September 30, 2003.

For the most part, following the rules is the best way to impress a judge. They don’t like searching for the key ingredients in your entry. They always seem to appreciate organization and presentation depth. We’re not telling you to submit your contest entry as a magazine article manuscript, but the organized format of a technical article is a good template for describing your project to the judges.

That’s up to you. Circuit Cellar Magazine is the Contest Administrator. As a technical applications magazine, they are always on the look out for good design projects to publish. If you have done your work correctly, your contest entry probably contains 90% of the work necessary in creating that article already. Winning a prize in the contest is not related to publishing your project and it is quite possible that Circuit Cellar may contact you.

Winners will be notified via e-mail or postal mail on or about December 15, 2003. The list of winners will be posted at http://www.jandspromotions.com/efield2003 on or about January 15, 2004.

The E-Field EVM kit is free of charge and includes cost-free shipping to any eligible contestant who is a U.S.-resident living in the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico. Deliveries are prohibited to APOs and PO boxes. There is a limited quantity of E-Field EVM Kits available. A limited number of EVM Kits are being made available for foreign delivery to support editorial submissions using the MC33794. An on-line request form is provided to request an E-Field EVM Kit. If you don’t see an on-line request form posted, it indicates that the free kits are no longer available. Only one EVM Kit is allowed per person.

12. Can I submit multiple entries? If so, what is the maximum allowed?

You can submit as many entries as you want (please see the Contest Rules) but each must have a separate project number.

No. The Project Number is to label the project entry, in this case a single entry, and not to indicate the number of people who worked on it. One person should request a project number for the group. He can include the other contestant names at that time or indicate them in the e-mail that accompanies the final submission. In either case, the Contest Administrator will ask participants whose names go on a project before announcing the winners.

14. If I win, and have to send in my finished project, does Motorola keep it, or is it sent back to me after it's evaluated?

No. According to the rules, if you are chosen as a winner, the contest administrator will notify you and inform you that you may be required to ship your project to them. Your project will be returned after it is photographed.

15. By entering this contest, or requesting an E-Field EVM Kit, is my contact information going to be sold to outside parties?

No, it will not be distributed to others. Motorola may periodically send product information to you, but we will not sell or distribute your name to anyone. Circuit Cellar may use it to update you on the progress of the contest or notify you of follow-on contest opportunities. In either case, all privacy act conditions apply, and all contact information will be used solely by Motorola or Circuit Cellar personnel.