DiabetesMine™, a leading informational and community Web site for people with diabetes, hosts an annual competition to foster innovation in diabetes design and to encourage creative new tools that will improve life with diabetes.

Sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), the competition is open to any individuals or organizations passionate about diabetes and product design, such as enterprising patients or parents, start-up companies, design students, independent developers or engineers, or pharmaceutical research and development professionals. Entries from participants age 17 and younger are welcome and are judged in a separate category.

The Design Challenge concept began in early 2007 when DiabetesMine creator Amy Tenderich posted an open letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs calling for the top consumer design experts to help revolutionize the design of diabetes devices. In the weeks and months that followed, numerous individuals and organizations came forward with compelling new prototypes, designs, and ideas for products ranging from glucose meters, insulin pumps, devices for transporting medical information such as glucose results, and more.

The contest typically opens in February with a final deadline for entries in April. The winners are announced in June.

The three grand prize winners for the 2011 DiabetesMine Design Challenge each received $7,000 in cash, plus a complimentary consulting session with IDEO global innovation and design experts, and other prizes. For more information, visit the DiabetesMine site through the External Link below.