RippleLabs, along with host organization Bitcoin Foundation, is holding a contest for digital currency entrepreneurs, and the price is the BTC equivalent of $10,000. 

 
This will all be part of the larger Bitcoin Conference 2014 in Amsterdam, taking place from May 15–17. The contest itself, the Bitcoin 2014 Startup Challenge, will be held from 15.00–17.00 on May 17 at Passenger Terminal Amsterdam. 
 
Here are the details of the contest: 
 
  • Entrants need to register their startups by 18.00 GMT on May 6th. Registration is here. 
  •  Finalists will be announced May 9. 
  •  Finalists will then have a chance to present their ideas to “a panel of renowned venture capitalists, experienced investors, and digital currency experts and a live audience.” 
  • The final amount will be pegged to the CoinDesk BPI’s BTC-USD closing price for May 17, so whatever 10 large is worth in bitcoin at that time will be the prize. 
  •  Note that finalists must be registered for Bitcoin Conference 2014 and personally on hand to compete. 
  •  Actual details of the competition, other awards and the judging criteria will be announced in the coming days. 
 
Bitcoin in Amsterdam 
 
The Bitcoin Foundation describes Amsterdam as “one of the most prolific fintech hubs in Europe.” BitPay appears to have reached a similar conclusion, having just opened its European headquarters there. 
 
Kadhim Shubber also notes that the Netherlands is leading the way in Bitcoin innovation in Europe, with already some 5,000 restaurants that will gladly sell you food for Bitcoin. 
 
Conference Schedule 
 
The sessions throughout the conference break down into four categories: 
 
  •  “The Digital Economy” 
  •  “Bitcoin Technology: Present and Future” 
  •  “Rules of the Game: The Legal Landscape” 
  •  “Enterprising in the Digital Age: Merchant and Consumer Services” 
Highlights include 
 
  • Gavin Andresen’s annual State of Bitcoin address; 
  • a session on wallets that includes Blockchain.info’s Nicolas Cary, Kipochi founder Pelle Braendgaard, Elliptic co-founder Tom Robinson and Xapo CEO Wences Casares; 
  • a panel on law and policy featuring the Cato Institute’s Jim Haper; 
  • and Bobby Lee’s session on Bitcoin in Asia.