BBC and Slashdot Turn to the Masses for Web Design Ideas

April 28, 2006; 08:13 AM

Web design afficionados can test their coding mettle in contests to redesign the look and feel of two of the web's most popular destinations.  Technology website Slashdot and British media giant BBC have recently announced contests for redesign of their webpages, and offered prizes to attract talent from their audiences.

BBC created a dedicated website for the design competion at open.bbc.co.uk/reboot/.  As stated there, "reboot:bbc.co.uk is a competition to redesign the BBC homepage, win some prizes and get yourself noticed." The winner will receive a high end Apple laptop, a visit to the BBC and have their design implemented and showcased on the bbc.co.uk homepage later this summer.  Entries will be judged by a panel of judges chaired by the BBC's Director of New Media and Technology.

Slashdot also turned to the general public, in order to renovate its design.  The redesign contest is "intended to be more about design than architecture, but good ideas are good ideas", according to Slashdor creator Rob Malda, a.k.a. CmdrTako.  Yesterday he revealed the first batch of contest entrants at http://slashdot.org/~CmdrTaco/journal/134433.  Notably, one design proposal contained racing stripes and fins "to lower wind resistance".  The official announcement is at http://slashdot.org/articles/06/04/26/1512247.shtml .

 The current state of affairs.