The people at Sitemasher have launched an appealing contest which invites design students and design industry professionals to enter it.
The Sitemasher Website Design Contest is designed to recognize excellence in implementing powerful websites using Sitemasher.
The contest is split in two categories:

• Design students will receive a cash prize for education and an award they can use to grow their career and resume.
• Design professionals will receive a cash prize and an award to promote their excellence in design and proficiency with Sitemasher.

Prizes

There are prizes for each category and they consist in serious amounts of cash.
1st prize: $1,000
2nd prize: $500
3rd prize: $250

Additionally, the top 10 finalists in each category will receive the following prizes:

• A one-year subscription to Sitemasher Basic*
• Your design will be featured on the Sitemasher website.
• An award recognition graphic icon for your own website.

*Please read restrictions in general rules.

How the entries are judged

Websites will be judged on design, usability, and functionality by a panel of web designers, associations, and professionals. The judges will be given a score card to grade each area as follows:

• Design: The website must be designed and built within Sitemasher, which is free to use, but the website doesn’t have to be published live. The design must demonstrate an overall visual concept, an intuitive navigation scheme, and a high quality of execution.
• Usability: Basic techniques to enhance usability need to be used throughout the design. Clearly label links and images for easy use in both text and graphical browsers. Only one site consisting of at least five pages is required per submission, but links must be placed so users can easily navigate a full website. Your design should also be usable on a number of different platforms and screen resolutions. Designs should be creative and unique.
• Functionality: The website must maximize and extend the use of Sitemasher by utilizing multiple media types and promoting user interactivity. Examples of Sitemasher functionality include list and article management, multimedia content, roles, and search engine optimization.

More information you can get on their blog post or the contest page with the full details of this design challenge.