Design your own Kindle (and win it) with Engadget, Amazon, and Adafruit Industries!

Reading isn't just about the text that you're reading, it's an intimately personal experience in every sense of the word -- the way the book feels, the crease of the pages, the wear on the cover, it's all totally unique to your copy at the time that you're reading it. Put simply, it's an experience no one else will ever have. Between three models, dozens of accessories, and countless e-books, no two Kindles are alike, either -- but Engadget has partnered with Amazon and the DIY experts over at Adafruit Industries to hook up five extraordinarily lucky readers with truly unique reading devices. These guys are the laser etching experts -- see one of the Kindles they've done here!

Here's the deal: we're asking you to think of a design that would look great on the Kindle's brushed metal back -- something that means a lot to you, something that'll make passers-by drool with envy when you casually hold up your new toy while reading The Economist from the comfort of your train, plane, or bus seat. Draft up that design (seriously, make sure it's awesome, because you'll be facing some stiff competition) and send it to us. We'll post some of our favorites as finalists and hand the reigns over to you -- our dear readers -- to select five winners who will each have their designs laser-etched into reality on the backs of their very own Kindles!

The rules:

• Send your design to us by emailing it to contests [at] engadget [dawt] com with the subject "I want my custom Kindle!" (no quotes). Submissions must be in EPS or AI format, must be in black and white only, and must be composed strictly of vector graphics with all fonts converted to curves. We can scale your design as necessary, but keep in mind that you'll be dealing with an etchable area roughly five inches by seven inches. You can find a (very large) image of the back of the Kindle 2 here for your reference.
• We can't print anything you don't have the rights for, so to be safe, original work is the best!
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  
• Five (5) winners will each receive one (1) Amazon Kindle 6" Wireless Reading Device customized by Adafruit Industries. Approximate retail value is $299.00.
  
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Design entries can be submitted until Friday, July 24th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 25th 2009 4:20PM]

Well here's my approach at it. I took a comedic approach but I'm not sure it will go so well. Hopefully you guys get it. :p

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l320/sorensen3021/rmao.png

[Sean F Posted Jul 26th 2009 2:27PM]

i dont get it, but i also do not know what the letters mean

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 25th 2009 8:56PM]

Here is my entry. Took a long time but I want a Kindle soo Badly.

http://imgur.com/87aO4.jpg

[mikhos Posted Jul 26th 2009 10:56AM]

my design...

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_cMu2J5HE5AA/SmxuOL1fNqI/AAAAAAAAAFk/F4tKMMK9c1o/s400/kindle%20contest.png

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 8:03PM]

Here was my submission:
http://j.photos.cx/2girls1kindle-204.png

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 12:47PM]

Here's what mine would look like...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/battletops/kindle.jpg

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 2:25PM]

Nice concept!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 9:44AM]

wow, scarily similar to mine:

http://theunseendj.com/images/box-of-delights-preview.jpg

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 4:34PM]

wow! I'm loving most of these images more than my own :( good job folks

heres mine: http://www.henryplant.com/engadget

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 4:46PM]

In looking through the archives I noticed that it took engadget 3 months to select the finalists for the photo contest they had. I hope it doesn't take that long for this one... the anticipation will kill me! :)

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 5:17PM]

My entry, woot!

http://deathreferencedesk.org/skellykindle.jpg

It's an offshoot of my ambassador for one of my websites, the Death Reference Desk. I'm a librarian, and I've never even *seen* a Kindle. This naturally brings me great shame, and I'd love to actually own one. Best of luck, y'all!

[Sean F Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:08PM]

is that in vector format? It looks like just a black and white image. If not very nice

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:55PM]

Yep, I submitted it in vector, derived from a raster image. It definitely lost some detail but overall turned out pretty nice, I think. I found it on the Historical Anatomies of the Web site run by the National Library of Medicine. It was engraved by “Lavalée" in Jacques Gamelin’s “Nouveau receuil d’ostéologie et de myologie dessiné après nature,” published in 1779 ( = public domain; government site = also public domain).

Original image:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/historicalanatomies/Images/1200_pixels/Gamelin1_t02.jpg

Referring thumbnail page with some other pretty stuff:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/historicalanatomies/gamelin_home.html

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 2:04PM]

Nice image... but wouldn't using someone else's art be a copyright infringement?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 7:18PM]

It's in the public domain--you can't "infringe copyright" if it doesn't exist. But you can revitalize forgotten and obscure works.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 11:24PM]

Ahh... I see. Sorry... didn't read the part of your post about it being public domain.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2009 6:48PM]

Were we suppose to get entry confirmation after submitting our designs?

[Sean F Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:12PM]

no

[Fazfly Posted Jul 26th 2009 7:25PM]

Heres mine:

http://www.mypicx.com/uploadimg/1957250953_07262009_1.jpg

I'm more of a writer than an artist, so I'm hoping it will stand out. Also, hoping desperately that their lasers are fine enough that it would actually be readable on a Kindle.

[Sean F Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:12PM]

Does it not make sense or is that just me, cool though

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:20PM]

I can't see it... broken image.

[Fazfly Posted Jul 27th 2009 4:32PM]

Heres an explanation if you don't get it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us

And heres another link if the above one doesn't work: http://img199.yfrog.com/img199/1231/finaldraft.jpg

I think thats all the questions :)

[McScowl Posted Jul 27th 2009 12:50AM]

Here's my submission: http://www.jtmcdowell.com/blog/artwork/kindle_design.jpg

I've always wanted to design something that was somewhat steampunk and I felt this was a good opportunity to do that. I also don't get to work with Illustrator much so overall this ended up being a lot of fun to do. Hopefully everyone likes it.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:58PM]

Oooo, I love the framing around the Kindle title and serial numbers. Nice integration!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 2:12PM]

Nice!

[omtara Posted Jul 27th 2009 1:44PM]

The competition supposedly ended, but the results were not posted yet.... An update from the author is appreciated.

[0John0 Posted Jul 27th 2009 2:31PM]

Mine... :)

http://i30.tinypic.com/33jskgp.jpg

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 8:00PM]

Here's my entry! Just playing around with my love of old quotes. :)
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ilfp0i&s=3

[Darayz Posted Jul 28th 2009 4:31AM]

I did something very similar to you. I took the opening lines to Moby Dick and stylized them.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/3765276524_d32c5b972e_o.jpg

I like yours better =)

[UndeadArgos Posted Jul 27th 2009 9:15PM]

I'm anxiously awaiting an update on this from the editors (been 3 days since submissions stopeed). In the mean-time it looks like we're having a show-and-tell in here so here's my entry: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28663134@N08/3723406636/

Hope I win!! I need my Metroid fix!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2009 9:42PM]

My wife is working to achieve her dreams of becoming a published author, and while she is yet unpublished, her manuscript recently won some awards, and a freelance editor from Tor is looking to pick her up. And I just so happen to be a programmer... which doesn't help at all. However, away from my time programming, I do some CG based art as a hobby. I actually created some cover work for her, which featured the main character. When I saw this contest, I knew my wife, being the book enthusiast that she is, would love a kindle. I adapted (read: completely and totally redid) that cover piece for this Kindle contest. Since the author actually has no decision in the cover work, chance are that this cover will never see the light of day.

This is my first attempt at using Illustrator, although I've actually had it for some time. I am now thoroughly convinced that Illustrator is a work of pure evil... dun dun dun...

So this is my sexy-ish version of the main character of that book, Kindle-ized: http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss121/Lexiconluvr/Desideria-Kindle.jpg

Thanks Engadget for the awesome contests!

[rcappo Posted Jul 28th 2009 1:55AM]

I submitted a picture as well, I'm a little surprised with how many other people created an image. There are some talented people here (The Steam Punk one is my favorite so far, if I could have done it with Raster images and software I know how to use, I would have done a high tech version of that)

My image I submitted is the US flag. It's simple enough, but would look good on the back of a Kindle. Though I do wonder if anybody else submitted this...

I had the hardest time getting Inkwell to work. I had to upgrade X11 and do a few other things and then it crashed quite a bit. If I didn't have so many computer problems maybe I could write the book I have an idea for.

[McScowl Posted Jul 28th 2009 2:54PM]

Thanks! I'm glad you like my design. Good luck!

[Centipede Posted Jul 28th 2009 12:53PM]

Here's my entry: http://www.weeblick-ts.com/images/the_centipede_bw_line.jpg

I'm really liking the steampunk one though.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 1:57PM]

heres mine: 3 Wolf Moon Kindle :)

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f156/gaspain/3WolfMoon.jpg

[lunged Posted Jul 28th 2009 2:29PM]

The anticipation is killing me!
This was my entry:
http://web.mac.com/lunged/random/tiger.jpg

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 3:09PM]

Aaaah!!! I want to know!! I don't even know if i made mine properly...but anyway...here is what it might look like if I were to be one of the lucky ones!!!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/bereglez90/kindle2.jpg

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 3:11PM]

Oops...that's a bad picture....nvm...that's not what it will look like...

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 6:13PM]

Here is mine!

http://i32.tinypic.com/255nek8.jpg

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 6:29PM]

It says this in the rules

If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.

So dose that mean they have there winners already? is it over or should i still be looking in my spam for some kinda email telling me if i have won or not? I'd like to see what ones did win though, do we know if we will get to see?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 11:00PM]

Yeah I thought it was going to be random like the other contests, and as it says if you click the full rules link, but thats not how it's going to work.
"We'll post some of our favorites as finalists and hand the reigns over to you -- our dear readers -- to select five winners who will each have their designs laser-etched into reality on the backs of their very own Kindles!"
I'm assuming there will be some sort of poll with like 20 or so entries, and the top 5 will win, and then receive the emails.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 29th 2009 2:09PM]

I know I already posted my entry, but while we wait for engadget - there are two hidden messages in my design. Both require a knowledge of the two timeframes in the book in order to break.

The puzzle from the earlier timeframe should be able to be broken by looking at the clues in the design.
The puzzle for the later timeline can only be broken if you happen to know what it is (or you have a million years to try every expression in the book using the encryption method from that timeframe).

There's other hidden gems too in the design that are tied to the plot specifically.

Check it out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/msekolpsu/3755015565/

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:54AM]

Does anyone know if winners where picked yet? I'm so anxious!

My entry is here:
i-want-my-custom-kindle