NEW 2010-11 MASTER BUILDER
+ Junior Master Builder (14 years and under)

We are looking for Australia's next Master Builders - senior and junior! If you've built or upgraded a PC, enter the Master Builder competition by sending in your PC's spec and telling us what you've designed it to do. We'll have some of Australia's foremost PC building experts assess how well your PC delivers on its mission, with particular focus on:

Are the chosen components the right ones for the job?
Do the components work well together or are there better combinations?
Is the spec good value for what it achieves?

Starting this month, we’ll pick the best entries and publish them online, with some being selected for printing in the magazine. Each month we pick a winner, who receives that month’s prize. Every entrant can qualify for the semi-finals and the great prizes available there. The very best reader system builders can make it to the final, in which they get flown to the APC Labs to build a system.


WHAT'S NEW IN 2010-11
When you enter a PC, you can also enter it for a new set of award categories (see How to Enter, below). If you turn 14 years of age this year, or are younger, you can now enter the Junior Master Builder category. If you can send us a video of you and your PC, you can enter the Video Builder award category. All builds received will be published and commented on by experts.

HOW TO ENTER

	Enter the details of a PC you have built or upgraded into the Master Builder entry form and tell us what the PC's primary purpose is.We then judge your PC against its intended purpose. This means the PC doesn't have to be a world-beater, just a machine that you believe does its job well.

	This year, you can nominate your PC for new award categories. They include: Best Budget PC; Best Value for Money PC; Best High Performance PC; Best Home Theatre PC; Best Gaming PC; Best Specialist PC; Best Looking PC; Smallest PC, and Weirdest/Craziest PC.

	You can now also enter the Video Builder category, in which we'll award a prize to entrants who submit a video with their entry, in which they describe their build. All entries will be published online, but we'll also select some for APC print magazine - and award a prize to a monthly winner.

	At the end of the competition rounds, we pick the semi-finalists. They will be given a special challenge and can win some amazing prizes. In the previous competition, the challenge was to define on paper the best possible PC build around some parts nominated by the judges.

	From the semi-finalists, we'll pick four finalists. They will be flown to the APC Labs in Sydney to compete in an actual PC building contest. The Final will change format this year and not involve a speed-building competition. Details will be kept secret until the final itself.

MASTER BUILDER FINAL 2009-10

The final for the first Master Builder competition was held in the APC Labs. The Final was won by Jason Campbell, who runs an IT business in Merimbula, NSW. The other finalists included Darren Gatt from Hervey Bay, Qld, Daniel de Vries from Brisbane and Karl Stade from Perth. The video captures some highlights of the 2009-10 final.

The previous Master Builder competition's semi-finalists and finalists.