PC branding campaign, Intel openly challenged PC designers and manufacturers worldwide to come up with the next generation of small-form-factor Media Center computers, ponying up $1 million to the winner.

Dubbed ” The Intel Core Processor Challenge,” the grand prize winner gets up to $300,000 for mass production costs and $400,000 for co-marketing activities with Intel. The chip manufacturer’s main goal is to get vendors to “think sexy, stylish and small,” something most PC builders are unwilling or unable to do. I’m expecting Shuttle, AOpen and ION Electronics to be down with this pretty quick, though.

Official announcement and rules.