Amazon offers $250,000 prize fund for Alexa skills aimed at kids

Amazon's latest bid to boost its smart assistant's skill set is centered around kids. Alexa Skills Challenge: Kids wants Alexa tricks aimed at kids under the age of 13, with the best ones claiming cash prizes from a fund of $250,000. The overall winner will claim $25,000, so a farm yard animal noise generator won't cut it. All eligible participants in the challenge will also pick up a limited-edition Echo Dot, and there's dedicated prizes for high school and university student devs. Amazon is looking for educational or fun vocal tricks for its voice assistant profile, having added kids skill functionality back in August.