Aug 4, 2011 14:17 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft launched a new contest involving Internet Explorer 10, the default browser of Windows 8, the next generation of the Windows client. Some web developers are bound to be familiar with the 10K Apart challenge that was brought to them by the MIX Online team in collaboration with An Event Apart.

Well, the duo is back, this time with 10K Apart: The Responsive Edition, putting a new spin on the Cloud application development contest, even though the main challenge is still pretty much the same, devs need to build the best app they can using no more than 10K of code.

“As the title indicates, this year’s 10K contest requires that your applications be “reasonably responsive” (yes, it’s vague by design),” said Nishant Kothary, cofounder and Creative Director of MIX Online, adding that “We felt it best to leave some wiggle room to encourage new discoveries.”

“This is also why we’re going to allow the use of the bleeding edge CSS Grid Layout Module. Since IE10 is the only browser that’s implemented Grids, we worked with Aaron Gustafson to create a JavaScript implementation in the form of an eCSStender extension. It’s incredible wizardry, and we recommend you check it out even if you’re not participating in the contest. If you do, using it won’t count towards your 10K.”

The 10K Apart: The Responsive Edition website is live and devs can already submit their applications. Participants have until September 12th to enter the contest. It might be a very good idea for them to read the official rules first though.

According to Microsoft, the size of the submission package cannot exceed 10K, but this is 10K zipped, so the size of the unzipped pack can be larger without any problems. Furthermore, all usage of approved libraries will not be counted against the 10K limit. All the apps need to do in order to qualify for a chance at the prizes is be responsive.

Another important detail is that the apps should function in Internet Explorer Platform Preview 2, but not just in IE10 PP2 but also in the latest Firefox and Webkit-based browser (either Chrome or Safari) releases.

Microsoft is offering 10K in prizes:

“Grand Prize: Best Overall App - Registration to any AEA Event, $3000 Visa Cash Card, Responsive Web Design book and Adaptive Web Design book.

3 Runners Up Best Design, Technical, People’s Choice - Registration to any AEA Event, $1000 Visa Cash Card, Responsive Web Design book and Adaptive Web Design book.

9 Honorable Mentions - Responsive Web Design book and Adaptive Web Design book.”

Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) Platform Preview 2 (PP2) Build 10.0.1008.16421 is available for download here.

Windows Internet Explorer 9 RTW for Windows 7 and Windows 7 SP1 is available for download here.