Messaging app maker Telegram, which recently updated its bots platform, will give away $1 million to developers for creating an “impressive bot” that is fast and useful.

The money will be given in the form of grants, starting at $25,000 each. It wants bots to work in its “inline mode” and suggested developers focus on integrations, tools for bot builders, AI and natural language processing.

“We don’t mind if you port your bot from a different platform – just make sure it really feels at home in Telegram. We have many nifty interface options that aren’t available elsewhere and make using Telegram bots a breeze,” it added.

Prizes will be given in several batches throughout the year, with the final deadline for submission being 31 December.

“Our Bot API 2.0 allows developers to create fluid and easy-to-use interfaces for powerful bots. And we will be seeing a lot of new ones in the coming months, after all, 2016 is the year of bots,” the company had said when it launched the new platform.

Last September, Telegram saw 12 billion messages sent daily via the app, a significant increase from 1 billion in February and 2 billion in May 2015.

Last week, rival Facebook became the latest high-profile convert to the bots cause, announcing bot support for its Messenger platform.