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Photo via Microsoft.

Use Bing, receive free Surface tablets.

That’s the winning formula for the 800,000 students participating in Microsoft’s new “Bing for Schools” pilot initiative that officially launched for K-12 schools today.

The program allows schools across the country to use an ad-free version of Bing that comes with added privacy protections and filtering tailored for students.

Students in those schools will also have an opportunity to earn free Surface tablets (those not participating in Bing for Schools are also eligible). Microsoft now has a new point system via Bing Rewards that awards free Surface RT tablets in exchange for using its search engine.

Teachers, students, parents and friends can use the Bing Rewards program and direct those points to a specific school. Once a school reaches 30,000 credits — the equivalent to about 60 people using Bing regularly per month — Microsoft will send a free tablet with a Touch Cover.

surfacert11Microsoft is already heavily discounting the Surface RT for schools and gave away 10,000 tablets to teachers that attended the International Society for Technology in Education last month.

This is yet another privacy-related move by Microsoft to woo users away from Google and marks another chapter in the ongoing battle between the two tech kingpins.

If you’re interested in signing up your school, head here.

Editor’s note: Schools do not need to sign up for Bing for Schools to receive free Surface tablets. The story has been updated to reflect this.

Previously on GeekWire: LA schools plan to give free iPads to 640,000 students by 2014

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