Following in the wake of RIM's recent announcement of the South African BlackBerry App Master competition, Google has given African developers another chance to shine on the international stage.

With more than 300 000 Android devices being activated daily, a growing number of these activations are taking place in markets across Africa, making local mobile content more relevant than ever before. In lieu of this, the search giant today announced its Google Android Developer Challenge, inviting talented developers in sub-Saharan Africa to design original Android applications that will stand out from the crowd.

Categories for entries include entertainment, media and games; social networking and communications; and productivity, tools and lifestyle. Contest winners will each receive an Android phone and a cash prize of US$25 000.

“In the past year alone, we have met with over 10 000 developers and techies across sub-Saharan Africa. We are continually impressed by the ingenuity and enthusiasm of this community to solve real problems with technology,” said Bridgette Sexton, programme manager at Google. “At every Google event in Africa, Android is the most popular topic – as Android users multiply, so does the appeal for developers to build apps on this free open source platform.”

Google will be hosting two Android events in Cape Town (3rd May) and Johannesburg (4th May), in collaboration with Google Technology User Groups (GTUGs). New Android developments and insights will be discussed along with opportunities Android holds for application developers and consumers in South Africa.

Developers who wish to participate in the challenge can submit applications on the challenge website by the 1st of July 2011. The winning application will be announced on the 12th of September 2011.