This guest blog entry was written by Articulate VP of Community Tom Kuhlmann.

Have you looked at the winning entries from last year’s Guru Awards and thought, “I can do that”?

Well, now’s the time to throw your hat in the ring because today we’re announcing the 2010 Articulate Guru Awards.

You can win cash, prizes, and accolades and admiration from all!

Here’s All You Need to Do

Create a course in Articulate Studio ’09. If you don’t own a copy of the software, no problem. Just download a free, fully-functional 30-day trial.

Use any of the Articulate Studio ’09 products. You can use a single Articulate product or a combination — but to really catch the judges’ eyes, consider integrating Presenter ’09, Quizmaker ’09, and Engage ’09 into one course. Here are some other things the judges will be looking for:

• Broad, effective, and innovative use of the features in the Studio ’09 authoring tools
• Use of compelling media, like graphics, audio, and video
• A design that promotes knowledge transfer, with a focus on interactivity

Submit your files by August 11, 2010 to enter the contest.

That’s it!

Want Some Bonus Tips?

• If you need a little inspiration, review the courses in our Community Showcase — you’ll find lots of great examples, including winning entries from last time.
• What if you’ve got great Articulate authoring skills, but all your course examples are proprietary or confidential? Just create a new course on a topic you know! It doesn’t have to be long or exhaustive, and it can feature any content you like. Choose a subject that’s fun to you, such as gardening, running, technology, rock climbing, parenting… whatever! That’s what last year’s Silver Medal Guru did.
• Check out all of the great Community Tutorials on getting more out of Studio ’09. They’re sure to inspire you.

What Can You Win?

We’ll award three prizes:

• Grand Prize: $1,500
• 2nd Prize: $500
• 3rd Prize: $250

Plus, all prize winners will also receive:

• One license of Articulate Studio ’09 Pro
• One license of Articulate Studio ’09 Pro donated to the school or charity of their choice
• Fame, prestige, and recognition by being featured on our website

We’ll announce the winners in September 2010. Stay tuned to this blog for more information, including more tips for preparing a winning entry!

You may enter as many courses as you like before August 11, 2010.

Next Steps

You can get started right now by reviewing the official rules. Then build your course, and submit your content.

Good luck! We can’t wait to see all the great courses the Articulate community comes up with!