On February 15th, we'll officially be launching the Microservices Zone. Unofficially, you can check it out here. We've already published some fantastic microservices content, but we'd like to invite all of our contributors to share their own thoughts on this exciting topic.

To that end, we'd like to introduce the At Your (Micro) Service contest, starting February 1st!

How to Win

For this contest, we're offering not one, not two, but FIVE ways to win. Each comes with its own awesome prize.

Way #1

Be the contributor whose original DZone content receives the most cumulative pageviews during the contest period (February 1st through February 28th). Content published to the Microservices Zone will count for THREE TIMES the pageviews.

The Prize: Apple iPad Mini

Way #2

Be the contributor whose Microservices Zone content receives the most cumulative pageviews during the contest period (February 1st through February 28th).

The Prize: NEST

Way #3

Be the contributor who has the most Microservices Zone Posts published to DZone during the contest period (February 1st through February 28th).

The Prize: Amazon Echo Show

Way #4

Be our randomly-selected Microservices author. Any contributor who has a post published to the Microservices Zone will be entered into our prize drawing.

The Prize: ASUS Chromebook

Way #5

Be the contributor whose original DZone content receives the most cumulative Likes during the contest period (February 1st through February 28th).

The Prize: LCD Projector

Wondering where you are in the running? You can check our public Leaderboard at any time for the most up-to-date standings.

Contest Rules

No plagiarism! Seriously, this is our Number 1 rule.
The contest will run from Thursday, February 1st at 12:01am EST to Wednesday, February 28th at 11:59pm EST.
All contestants must be registered as DZone members and have a complete profile. By "complete profile," we mean it must have the following: username, an email address, and a photo attached to your account.
Only articles that are "DZone Originals" will count toward pageview totals. That means that syndicated content does NOT count. That also means that posts copied directly from your blog or website and then submitted to DZone do NOT count.
All articles MUST be submitted by the author—no exceptions!
Only content published during the contest timeframe will count.
Submissions must follow the updated DZone Article Submission Guidelines, particularly regarding proper English grammar and spelling.
At the end of the contest, before issuing prizes, all finalists will be reviewed for eligibility, including a review for pageview gaming and unauthorized content re-syndication.

Getting Inspired

Excited to take part in the contest but unsure what to write about? No problem - we've got some tips to help you get inspired.

First, read the official Microservices Zone description for an overview of what the Zone is all about:

"The Microservices Zone will take you through breaking down the monolith step-by-step and designing microservices architecture from scratch. It covers everything from scalability to patterns and anti-patterns. It digs depper than just containers to give you practical applications and business use cases."

Next, take a look at the articles already published to the Microservices Zone. Could you write a rebuttal to any of the opinion pieces? Do any of the post titles get your creative juices flowing?

Finally, check out the writing prompts below and pick your favorite(s)! The first five are also posted to our Bounty Board, which means if you write them, you'll win an additional prize.

What aspects of microservices are more hype than substance? Is the "hype" surrounding microservices dying down? Why or why not?
What are common mistakes people make when getting started with microservices? How can they avoid them?
When working with microservices, what are your suggested tools and techniques? How do you stay current with changing industry trends?
Create a detailed tutorial on how to use Docker containers to deploy and run microservices developed using SpringBoot.
Tell us about your microservices challenges. What issues do you face when building aps with microservices? What hurdles do you have to overcome when refactoring legacy apps to a microservices architecture?
What are your favorite patterns for refactoring microservices?
What frameworks or tools do you use to build microservices? Why those? Review at least two different frameworks/tools for building microservices?
What capabilities do you need in customizing delivery pipelines for microservices and microservices at scale?
How do you store and access your microservices data?
How have you used microservices? Any best tips or tricks to suggest?

FAQs

When Will the Winners Be Announced?

We'll announce the winners of all five prizes on Thursday, March 1st.

How Will You Announce the Winners?

The winners will be notified via email and announced in a DZone.com contest recap post.

I'm New to Contributing to DZone. Can You Help Me Get Started?

Sure! Below are some great resources for first-time DZone authors.

Is There a Limit to How Frequently or How Much I Can Post?

Nope! As long you're posting DZone original content, you can post as many articles as you want! In fact, we encourage it. However, keep in mind that our team may not be able to publish all of your posts within the contest time period.

What Microservices Topics Should I Be Writing About?

Check out this thorough glossary for inspiration on topics related to microservices.

How Will I Know I've Been Entered?

All original articles published to DZone during the contest period will automatically be entered into the running for the contest. You can post your article here.

If you have any questions or concerns, email me at kristenp@dzone.com or leave a comment.

Good luck, and may the best writers win!

Big Things Come in Small Packages: Enter the At Your (Micro) Service Contest

Got thoughts on breaking down the monolith, implementing microservices architecture, or supporting inter-service communication? This contest is for you.