Altia, Inc., the leader in user interface tools, has announced a new contest that offers university students the opportunity to create an innovative user interface with the companys award-winning software kit. Students are invited to use a trial version of Altia Design to build the most visually-appealing graphical user interface (GUI) possible. Projects will be judged by a first-rate panel of user experience experts, who will determine the contest winner.

Using the pre-defined criteria, the judges will rank each GUI on four main categories: Usability, Market Viability, Use of Altias Tools, and Overall Creativity.

"Our software allows designers to create beautiful works of art -- in the form of rich user interfaces. We want to see how the next generation of designers uses our tools to create the next generation of product," said Steve Tengler, Altias User Experience Director. "This contest will provide the winner a generous stipend for school expenses, along with a paid internship working on designing interfaces with our team. Our judges have over 80 years of combined experience in this field, and we are eager to find a deserving winner."

This years contest has an automotive theme. Participants are asked to submit designs for an automotive instrument cluster, center stack, visual heads-up display, or rear seat entertainment interface. Upon registration and verification of student status, participants will receive a trial license of Altia Design 10.1, the latest version of Altias user interface design software, which will be valid through the contest period. Submissions will be accepted until Monday, April 2nd, and the winner will be announced on Friday, April 13th

The winner will be contacted directly to arrange distribution of the $2000 scholarship to his or her universitys financial aid office and confirm internship details. Winner may opt to telecommute.

For full details of the contest, visit www.altia.com/contest and review the list of judges, official contest rules, judging criteria, eligibility, and to register. For more information, email edu@altia.com.