Got a great app idea? Enter the Microsoft and Mojio app contest

You could win a $1,000 Visa gift card in the Windows Phone developer contest sponsored by Microsoft and connected-car company Mojio.

Have you ever had a great idea and thought, “Wow, that would make a great app!”? Do you consider yourself a bit more tech-savvy than most? Do you love the Windows Phone ecosystem?

If you said “yes” to the statements above, then consider entering the Microsoft and Mojio Windows Phone App Developer Contest.

Microsoft partnered with the Vancouver, Canada-based Mojio, a Windows Dev Center Partner and creator of the open platform for connected cars, to encourage the development of Windows Phone apps in five categories:

• Green app: an app that reduces car-drivers’ carbon footprints.
• Gamification app: an app that “gamifies” the driving experience in a safe manner.
• Business app: an app that helps a business better manage its resources, such as people, time and money.
• Fleet app: an app that more effectively manages a vehicle fleet.
• Wildcard app: an app that doesn’t fit any of the above categories but could still be useful to Mojio.

Contest entries can be submitted by video until February 12. Microsoft and Mojio will judge the entries and will announce the five grand-prize winners on March 2. The winners will receive $1,000 Visa gift cards and get their apps highlighted by Mojio.

For more information on contest rules and how to enter, go here. And to learn more about how to develop apps for Mojio, go to its Developer Center.

The contest taps into a recent hot trend on the connected-car concept. What’s a connected car, you may ask? Consider it a “smart” vehicle–one that’s connected to the Internet for various applications.

Those apps could include a “new driver” app that allows parents to monitor their teenager’s driving habits from afar, apps for community-driven traffic alerts, and technology that eliminates the dreaded “blind spot” in many cars.

So put your thinking caps on: What kind of apps would you love to see? The only limitation is your imagination!