Not your average app building competition: The AdMob Student App Challenge

Did you know that there are more mobile devices than people? In 2014, there were 7.4BN* devices and an estimated 7.2 billion people. Mobile is quickly becoming the most popular way to get online, even exceeding the time spent on desktop computers**. This has contributed greatly to the growth of the app ecosystem, with consumers spending on average 37 hours a month*** on mobile apps. As apps are becoming more prominent in our everyday lives, it�s more important now than ever to learn app development.

That�s why we�re launching the second AdMob Student App Challenge, an app building competition open to students around the world. If you�re a student who loves to code or has a great idea for a mobile app, this is your chance to build an app, learn how to make money from it, and win awesome prizes. The prizes will include a week-long trip to San Francisco and a visit to the Googleplex.

To win the challenge, you�ll need to build a great app (either Android or iOS) and create a sound business plan that shows how you managed the project, gained users, and leveraged AdMob to make money. The contest will be judged by a panel of app industry leaders. To learn more about the judges, visit here.

The winning team will receive:

• An all expenses paid, week-long trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA 
• A featured spot on the Google Play Store 
• A promotional video starring you and your app 
• A healthy amount of Google schwag, including a new Google device 

Last year�s global winner was Phani Gaddipati, who created Stacks Flashcards, an app that lets people create electronic flashcards on any subject, quiz themselves and analyze their performance. Check out his video to learn more.

In addition to one overall winner, the finalist from each of the four global regions (North America, Latin America, Europe Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific) will receive Google devices and see their app featured on the AdMob website.

The challenge starts today, and you�ll have until June 28, 2016 to build your winning app. Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge. .

Best of luck -- we can�t wait to see what you build!

Posted by Henry Wang
Product Marketing, AdMob

* Cisco, Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2014�2019 White Paper, February 2015
** eMarketer, US Time Spent with Media, October 2014
*** Nielsen, Smartphones: So Many Apps, So Much Time, July 2014

[New eBook] Download The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization

There are many questions to answer when developing a new app. One of the most important being, �what�s the best way to make money?�.

Research firm Canalys predicts that by 2019, there will be 6.9 billion mobile phones in the world, in the hands of nearly 75% of the Earth�s population.* With growing demand in new markets and so many options for monetization, answering this question can be complicated.

Today we�re launching a new ebook �The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization�, the latest in our No-nonsense series. This guide is designed for app developers starting to consider how to monetize their app. It provides a comprehensive overview of app monetization and shares helpful examples and practical tips to get you started.

In 10 minutes you�ll learn:

• What the seven primary app monetization models are and the pros and cons for each
• How to choose the right monetization strategy for your app
• Important considerations to keep in mind when implementing your monetization plan

Download a free copy here.

Also, within the next few weeks, we�ll be releasing blog posts with app developers sharing candid stories and helpful tips on app monetization. Our next post will highlight the tactic Christoph Pferschy, the app developer behind Hydro Coach, used to scalably release 22 localized versions of his app.

Until then, for more tips on app monetization, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Joe Salisbury, Product Specialist, AdMob

* Canalys 2015, �Worldwide smart phones forecast overview 2015-2019�

New year with new opportunities

What�s your New Year's resolution for 2016? If it�s doing what you love while earning money, you can start turning your passion into profit by signing up for AdSense and earning money from your content.  For more information, see our site or hear from our publishers.

If you already have an AdSense account, consider the following alternatives to earn money online:

• Google Consumer Surveys: Earn incremental revenue beyond ads each time visitors complete short, user-friendly surveys in exchange for access to your content.

• Google Contributor: With Contributor, anyone can pay a monthly subscription to see fewer ads across the Web. Each time an ad is removed on your site, a thank-you message appears in its place and Contributor helps to fund your content.

• Google AdMob: If you have an app, you can gain insights about your users, drive more in-app purchases, and maximize your ad revenue with AdMob. 

Happy New Year and see you online!

Google AdSense Team

Explore opportunities with the new AdSense Optimization tab

Today, we�re excited to announce the new Optimization tab, a dedicated place in your AdSense account that shows tailored tips for your site. This new tab is a one-stop shop for all the resources that could help you increase your revenue and user engagement on your site.

With the new Optimization tab, you can:

• Explore new opportunities and features that could boost your income
• Run A/B experiments and check results to make better decisions for your site
• Find valuable optimization resources in one place

The new Optimization tab is currently in beta and available for a limited group of publishers. It will roll out to all AdSense publishers over the coming weeks. Check your account now to see if you have this exciting feature in your account!

To create a great optimization experience for you, we�re planning to add more features to the new Optimization tab, including new experiment features and a host of new opportunities. We hope that this new tab will help you explore more opportunities for your site and continue to turn your passion into profit.

We�d love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Posted by Ben Birt

Software Engineer