DigiKey, Arduino unveil Dream Lab Challenge with $20,000 in prizes

Global electronic component and automation product distributor DigiKey, alongside open-source hardware and software provider Arduino, announced the launch of the Dream lab Challenge.

The companies said that the Dream Lab Challenge will award winning creators a custom lab with professional-grade test equipment. The contest is open to makers, engineers, students and innovators through September 30, 2026.

Dream Lab Challenge details

DigiKey said that applicants are encouraged to build and document a project featuring the new Arduino UNO Q, a high-performance, hybrid, single-board computer and microcontroller development board.

DigiKey added that projects could be anything from an intelligent robot, an AI-powered vision system, a smart automation platform or something entirely unexpected.

“DigiKey is heavily invested in supporting the next big ideas in engineering and the Arduino UNO Q microcontroller board is an ideal innovative foundation for creators to work from,” said David Sandys, senior director, technical enablement & engagement for DigiKey. “We look forward to seeing the imaginative projects that we can bring to life through the Dream Lab Challenge.” 

All submissions are encouraged to highlight the UNO Q’s capabilities that bridge the gap between hardware and generative AI, and demonstrate creativity, innovation and inventive ways to use it. DigiKey and Arduino will award four creators with a custom dream lab package valued at approximately $5,000. DigiKey said that the lab’s professional-grade equipment is designed to support future experimentation in advanced vision, robotics, local LLMs, VLMs, Edge AI and more.

“Every great invention starts with curiosity,” said Guneet Bedi, senior director for Qualcomm. “The DigiKey and Arduino UNO Q Dream Lab Challenge invites every maker, student, engineer, artist and entrepreneur to build something extraordinary and share it with the world, inspiring the next generation of innovators.”

DigiKey said that U.S.-based creators over the age of 18 can send their submissions via a maker.io project post using the hashtag #UNOQDreamLab, along with filling out the form on the contest page. DigiKey said that winners will be chosen based on creativity and originality, technical execution, use of the UNO Q, quality of documentation, potential impact and innovation.