When you’re hearing about the latest web technologies and techniques don’t you always think “I wish I could play with these right now”?

Enter Amped - the Hackday, reloaded, brought to you by Web Directions, happening in Sydney this October 16.

http://ampedweb.org/

We’ve taken the traditional hack day, pulled it apart, thought long and hard about what’s great, what’s not so great, and how as many different kinds of web folks can come together for one intense 10 hour period of hacking, designing and making amazing things.

Then we’ve assembled all the pieces to create an event that’s challenging, inspirational, and more fun that it should be legal to have with technology.

Whether you’re a developer, designer, an IA, IxD, whatever your role, at Amped you’ll find

* challenges to engage you

* mentors to inspire you and bring out your best

* prizes including an all expenses paid trip for Tokyo for Web Directions East for the top FOUR place getters

* a sensational closing party

Not only that, but Amped is catered, with food and drink to keep you energized throughout the day. And best of all, thanks to our generous partners, Amped is free.

=====  How does it work? =====

Step 1 - sign up. Places will go fast!

Step 2 - in the weeks leading up to Amped, we’ll let you know more about the challenges, so you can be prepared to hit the ground running on the day

Step 3 - turn up to the PowerHouse Museum on Saturday October 16th ready to rock

The challenges will help provide structure to your work on the day - you’ll be able to choose from a range of possible challenges focussing on front end design and development, interaction design, data and information visualisation, back end development, mobile web application development and more.

Each challenge area will have mentors on hand to help you, and there’ll be prizes for the best work on each challenge.

Then it all wraps up with a fantastic party - food and drink, music and more.

It’s free, fun, and open to everyone, but places are limited, and will go fast. So register now, and clear your diary for Saturday October 16.

http://ampedweb.org/

=====  What’s all this about amazing prizes? =====

Then, the winners from each challenge go into the Amped smackdown - with the overall winners off to Tokyo for an all expenses paid trip to Web Directions East.

Yes, that’s right, The Grand Prize is a once in a lifetime, all expenses paid trip to Japan to attend Web Directions East for the four top placegetters. Plus there’s a tonne of amazing prizes from our partners to be won.

=====  Help us spread the word =====

With something as amazing as Amped, it’s really important that we spread the word and give as many people as possible the chance to be there on the day, especially those people who wouldn’t necessarily come along to something like Web Directions itself. We’d love your help with reaching out to these people, so, if you can

1. forward on this event to anyone at all who you think might be interested

2. tweet or blog about Amped (hashtag #amped)

3. spread the word to any web communities you are a part of

you’ll be doing your bit to help out something that we hope will be a real catalyst for something exciting in the Australian web industry. Thanks and look forward to seeing you there!

=====  Web Directions South - your discount code =====

With the race to launch Amped, we haven’t yet had time to go in there and turn off that very generous discount you’re eligible for as a previous Web Directions attendee.

http://south10.webdirections.org/

Amped is free, but, if this event has got you excited about the web again and you want to bite off a bit more of the action for the week, you can still come to Web Directions on October 14 and 15 for just $799 - just use the code WDS10-THANKS when you register and we’ll see you there!