BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 17 -- MEMGen Corp. has launched a microdevice design contest, The 3-D MEMS Design Challenge, open to anyone with commercial or research interest in microdevice design, manufacturing or use, including electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, design contractors, university faculty and students. The top three winners will receive prototypes of their designs and cash prizes of $10,000, $5,000 or $2,500, and the first-place winner will also receive a SolidWorks Office 2003 3-D CAD package. Entries must be submitted to MEMGen by April 15; winners will be announced on May 1. The first 25 contestants to submit a competition application before Feb. 13 will receive special gifts, the company said. There is no limit to the number of entries per person or organization. Submissions will be judged by a panel of independent industry experts, including Al Pisano, Ph.D., of the University of California at Berkeley; Elliott Brown, Ph.D., of UCLA; and Marlene Bourne, senior analyst at In-Stat/MDR. Selections will be based on design novelty, creative use of 3-D and commercial utility. MEMGen is a microdevice and microsystem manufacturer and the developer of EFAB micromanufacturing technology. For more information about the design competition and for contest rules, visit: www.memgen.com