Since launching the Messenger Platform 1 year ago, there are now 100k developers with 100,000 monthly active bots on Messenger today. 1.2 billion people could now use Messenger to make their lives easier - from booking appointments, finding information, to getting customer support.

We believe that bots for Messenger can also have a strong impact on social good in India. That's why Developer Circles from Facebook is launching the Bots for Good Challenge*, an intercity challenge in India to recognize and reward developers who build the most innovative bots that solve local challenges.

Teams of up to 3 people are invited to participate in the Challenge. Each individual could only be part of one team, and each team can only submit one bot to this challenge. The submission period runs from 29 May 2017 to 19 June 2017.

To guide developers with their bots, Hack Days will be organized at Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. During these Hack Days, developers will get the chance to learn about bot features and best practices and to partake in office hours conducted by technical mentors.

Learning Resources:

To get started on your bot, please read this guide: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/guides/setup. You should have a Facebook App and Facebook Page.

How to create a Facebook App: https://developers.facebook.com/quickstarts/?platform=web
How to create a Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/

Messenger Platform website: https://messenger.fb.com/
Documentation for Messenger: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform
How to Build a Great Bot (video): https://developers.facebook.com/videos/f8-2017/how-to-build-a-great-bot/
Let's Chat about Bots (video): https://developers.facebook.com/videos/f8-2017/lets-chat-about-bots/
Boost Your Business with Messenger (video): https://developers.facebook.com/videos/f8-2017/boost-your-business-with-messenger/

* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Contest begins at 10:00 am IST May 29, 2017; ends at 10:00 pm IST June 19, 2017. Closed contest only open to Developer Circles Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai members who are 18+ & age of majority. Can enter as an individuals or team. Internet access & Facebook and email accounts required. Void where prohibited by law. ANY AND ALL PARTICIPATION MUST COMPLY WITH THE FULL TERMS & CONDITIONS, WHICH INCLUDE IMPORTANT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS. Content you submit or link to may be posted online or elsewhere by Sponsor. Winners will be notified on or about June 28, 2017. Winner (and each team member) may be required to sign and return documentation to Sponsor within 10 days (or other timeframe as required by Sponsor in the notification).  Judges will determine the winner as fully described in the Full Terms, based on following criteria/weights: Unprecedented Solution (20%) Impact (30%) Facebook Products Used (20%); User Experience/ Functionality (30%). Participation in FbStart portion of the prize subject to that program's terms. Prize details may vary.  Sponsor: Facebook, Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA.

$1,728 in prizes

To submit your bot to this competition, you need include the following in your submission:

• Bot name
• One sentence tagline to describe the bot
• List down the frameworks and technology you've used
• Team members. Please note that all team members needs to have registered to the competition on DevPost.
• Short paragraph describing your bot and how it solves a local challenge.
• Link to the bot
• 2-min video demo
• Developer Circles membership

• Unprecedented solution (20%)
  How original is this solution?
• Impact (30%)
  Is it scalable? How impactful will this solution be for its target audience?
• Messenger Bot implementation (20%)
  Is the implementation of Messenger features sound?
• User Experience/ Functionality (30%)
  Is the product easy to use? Does this product work as it should?