SparkFun Holds First Halloween Costume Contest

BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, is celebrating Halloween by hosting its first ever costume contest. The company will reward three lucky entrants with free SparkFun goods for demonstrating the most innovative use of electronics in their Halloween costumes. Skeptical about incorporating LEDs, sounds or animated effects into a costume this year? Don't be -- e-textiles is an up-and-coming area of the embedded electronics world that invites people from all technical backgrounds (from true beginner to expert engineer) to fuse clothing, fabric or other materials with electronic bits and pieces.

The rules of the contest are pretty simple. Participants should submit a photo or video of their costume in action, along with a brief explanation of what it is and how it works to ([email protected]) with the words "Halloween Costume Contest" as the subject line. Entries must be received by October 31, 2012 to be considered. Each costume must contain electronic components (the more, the better) and they don't have to be SparkFun parts. The winners will be chosen by a panel of SparkFun employees based on creativity and engineering execution.

The first place winner will receive $200 in SparkFun bucks, second place will receive $100 in SparkFun bucks and third place will receive $50 in SparkFun bucks. Winners will be announced Wednesday, November 7, 2012. May the best costume win!

If you haven't yet incorporated electronics into a costume, it's easier than ever before! SparkFun's line of LilyPad products (https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/135?) was created to ease users into the world of e-textiles. The company's resident e-textile specialist Dia Campbell has created a new tutorial (http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/396) just in time for Halloween, which details how to incorporate LEDs and simple circuits to add electronic effects to a costume.

"What I love about LilyPad products is how much they lower the barrier-to-entry for advanced e-textiles," Campbell said. "The jump from extremely basic LED circuits to Arduino projects can be really daunting to those who have no programming experience at all. LilyPad lets people who haven't had a lot of experience with microcontroller circuits start slow -- learning how to build the circuit, use the pins and enjoy a cool animated effect -- all without coding."

For more e-textiles ideas and techniques, check out the rest of the tutorials from Dia and SparkFun at (http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/category/16).

About SparkFun Electronics

Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.

SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 135 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

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Press Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
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SOURCE SparkFun Electronics