A new contest for web developers lets you choose between games and music to try for a $9,000 top prize.

Dev Unplugged, is a Microsoft sponsored competition aimed at developers working in HTML5 to show what a modern web browser can do without the use of plug-ins. Microsoft’s Carter Rabasa said:

“We believe that HTML5 and related technologies, in conjunction with faster and faster browsers, finally give developers the tools they need to create experiences that are as vivid, interactive and compelling as anything you have seen in native applications.”

Looked at another way, it’s more evidence of Microsoft’s commitment to HTML5, and its less than enthusiastic support for Silverlight.

While there’s an obvious Microsoft focus in the competition, the apps aren’t limited to those for Internet Explorer 9. The competition rules http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/#/unplugged/rules say that the content must render correctly in the Release Candidate (RC) of IE9, the latest Chrome beta and the latest Firefox beta.

Microsoft has persuaded experts in both games and music to make content available to help get you started. For game creators, there’s content from Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, while on the music side you can make use of content from Awolnation and Ra Ra Riot.

In addition to the top $9,000 prize, other prizes to the value of $31,000 are on offer, along with front page exposure on theFWA.com and beautyoftheweb.com, laptops and slates, and an all-expenses paid trip to the Future of Web Apps Las Vegas with "golden ticket" VIP access.

The contest opened on March 1st, and entries need to be submitted by May 9th.

You can find out more about Dev Unplugged at: http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/dev/unplugged