No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited.
Overview of the Tournament
The 2008 TopCoder High School Tournament (TCHS08) will take place between December 17, 2007 and March 15, 2008. It will consist of three (3) online elimination rounds and one (1) onsite Championship round. The prize purse for this competition is at least $50,000 in scholarships and other prizes. Up to ten (10) competitors will win a scholarship and for competing in Online Round 3, up to 100 competitors will receive a participatory prize. The top 50 finishers in the Online Round 3 will advance to the onsite Championship round, being held on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA on March 15, 2008.
Eligibility
TopCoder members meeting the following criteria are eligible to compete in TCHS08:
- Must be at least 13 years of age; AND
- Must be no older than 20 years of age on March 16, 2008; AND
- Must be pursuing a secondary (non university) education at some point during the season*; AND
- Must have competed in at least three (3) rated TCHS SRMs between July 12, 2007 and January 12, 2008.
*The season will run between July 12, 2007 and March 16, 2008.
TopCoder members who are between 13 and 20 years of age (inclusive) on January 12, 2008 are eligible to win scholarships and prizes, unless otherwise prohibited. TCHS08 is void in the Quebec province of Canada, and elsewhere where prohibited by applicable law. Residents of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria are ineligible to receive cash prizes and are ineligible to attend the onsite final round of competition as competitors.
Employees of TopCoder, Inc. and of all official tournament sponsors, regardless of commitment date as sponsor, including any companies involved in the production (including prize suppliers), implementation and distribution of this tournament and their advertising or promotion agencies, parent companies, service providers, agents, officers, subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other persons or entities directly associated with the tournament and members of the immediate families (parent, child, sibling, and spouse of each) and/or persons living in the same household as such persons, are ineligible to enter the tournament. TopCoder members who are performing internships for any official tournament sponsor between January 12, 2008 and March 15, 2008 are also ineligible to compete.
In the event that a competitor is disqualified from any round, no other competitors will be added in his/her place. The only exception to this is advancement to the onsite Championship round.
Registration
Registration for the 2008 TopCoder High School Tournament will open at 9:00 AM EST on Monday, December 17, 2007, and will close at 5:00 PM EST on Thursday, January 10, 2008. In order to compete in the tournament, competitors must have registered prior to 5:00 PM EST on Thursday, January 10, 2008. In order to be eligible to compete in any portion of the TCHS Tournament, competitors must be a registered TopCoder High School member and have registered separately for the Tournament. There is no limit to the number of registrants for the tournament; however each individual may only register once.
Online Elimination Rounds
All members who have competed in at least three (3) rated TCHS SRMs between July 12, 2007 and January 12, 2008 and who have registered for the tournament are eligible to compete in Online Round 1.
Everyone who competes in an online round must register for each round in the TopCoder Competition Arena no later than five (5) minutes prior to the start of the online round. TopCoder will communicate each Online Round in Eastern Standard Time (UTC/GMT -5). Contestants may be located and competing in time zones other than Eastern Standard Time and must adjust accordingly. If a coder does not participate, for any reason, in an online round he/she has advanced to, it will be treated as an automatic loss in that round of competition.
All competitors will be randomly assigned to virtual competition rooms. Rooms will be created such that each room has a maximum of 25 competitors. The number of rooms in each round is (the # of competitors who advanced to the round)/25.
The dates and times of the online rounds of competition are as follows:
| Round of Competition | Date and Time * | # of Participants | # of Advancers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Round 1 | Saturday, January 12, 2008 Register: 10:00 - 12:55 PM START: 1:00 PM |
All Registered Participants | 500 |
| Online Round 2 | Saturday, January 19, 2008 Register: 10:00 - 12:55 PM START: 1:00 PM |
Up to 500 | 100 |
| Online Round 3 | Saturday, January 26, 2008 Register: 10:00 - 12:55 PM START: 1:00 PM |
Up to 100 | 50 |
| *All times are listed as Eastern Standard Time (GMT/UTC -5) NOTE: In the event that a round must be cancelled for any reason, the round will take place the following day at the same time. |
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Scoring and Advancing during Online Rounds
After each Online Round, the highest scorers from across all rooms will be identified and will advance to the next online round. Coder advancement in all rounds is determined by comparing the total point values from all three phases of the round for each coder. In order to advance, a coder must finish each round with a positive (i.e., greater-than-zero) point total. The structure of each Online Round is as follows:
Online Round 1
All registered competitors will compete and up to 500 will advance. The highest 500 scoring competitors across all rooms will advance to Online Round 2.
Online Round 2
Up to 500 competitors will compete and up to 100 will advance. The highest 100 scoring competitors across all rooms will advance to Online Round 3.
Online Round 3
Up to 100 competitors will compete and up to 50 will advance. The highest 50 scoring competitors across all rooms will advance to the Onsite Finals.
NOTE: In the event of a tie for any advancing position during the Online Rounds, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:
- Total points acquired (higher is better) during the previous round of competition.
- If a tie still remains, then by best rating at the start of the tournament.
- If a tie still remains, all tied coders will advance to the next round.
Competition Round Structure
Each online and onsite round of competition consists of three phases: Coding Phase, Challenge Phase, and System Testing Phase. (Note: The format of these competition rounds is similar to the format of TopCoder High School Single Round Matches. The rules in place for TCHS Single Round Matches as of January 12, 2008 will also apply to the online and onsite rounds of TCHS08.)
The Coding Phase is a timed event where all contestants are presented with the same three questions representing three levels of complexity and, accordingly, three levels of point earnings potential. Points for a problem are awarded upon submission of any solution that successfully compiles and are calculated on the total time elapsed from the time the problem was opened until the time it was submitted.
The Challenge Phase is a timed event wherein each competitor has a chance to challenge the functionality of other competitors' code. A successful challenge will result in a loss of the original problem submission points by the defendant, and a 50-point reward for the challenger. Unsuccessful challengers will incur a point reduction of 25 points as a penalty, applied against their total score in that round of competition.
The System Testing Phase is applied to all submitted code that has not already been successfully challenged. If the TopCoder System Test finds code that is flawed, the author of that code submission will lose all of the points that were originally earned for that code submission. The automated tester will apply a set of inputs, expecting the output from the code submission to be correct. If the output from a coder's submission does not match the expected output, the submission is considered flawed. The same set of input/output test cases will be applied to all code submissions for a given problem. All successful challenges from the Challenge Phase will be added to the sets of inputs for the System Testing Phase.
Onsite Championship Round
Important Information:
Travel Confirmation
The fifty (50) advancers from Online Round 3 will travel to the campus of Purdue University on Friday, March 14, 2008 to compete in the Final round of the TCHS08 Tournament being held on Saturday, March 15, 2008. All contestants must arrive at the campus of Purdue University no later than 4:00 PM EDT on Friday, March 14, 2008.
All contestants must confirm their attendance at the onsite Championship round no later than 5:00 PM EST (UTC/GMT -5) on Monday, February 18, 2008. That is, contestants must have acquired any necessary travel visas and know for certain that they can travel to the U.S. by that date and time. In order for a finalist to confirm attendance for the onsite finals, it is necessary to show proof of visa and/or passport by the deadline (5:00 PM EST (UTC/GMT -5) on Monday, February 18, 2008) if the finalist is required for travel from outside the United States. Finalists may do this by emailing a copy of their documents to Jessie D'Amato Ford at jdamato@topcoder.com. Competitors who fail to meet this requirement by the deadline will not be able to attend the onsite finals and will be replaced as an onsite finalist.
Visa Assistance
At the end of Online Round 1, TopCoder will issue visa invitation letters at the request of international competitors who require one to obtain a travel visa to enter the United States. All competitors who advance to Online Round 2 will receive a visa invitation letter request form. Competitors have until 5:00 PM EST (GMT/UTC -5) on Friday, January 25, 2008 to request a letter. Visas can take a significant amount of time to obtain in certain countries; therefore, for those competitors who need a letter, it is in their best interest to request one well before the deadline. The cost of obtaining a visa is the sole responsibility of the competitor. If a competitor fails to request a visa invitation letter by the date above, TopCoder will not be able to assist in the visa process.
TopCoder will provide air travel arrangements for each competitor. The flight will be reserved and paid for by TopCoder and will be for arrival on March 14, 2008 and departure on March 16 2008.TopCoder will pay for each competitor's airfare up to $1,500, though we reserve the right to make exceptions to the maximum amount based on individual circumstances. Extended flights and/or hotel room nights requested by a competitor that result in additional costs will be the responsibility of the competitor.
Ground transportation to and from the Indianapolis International Airport will be provided for each competitor by TopCoder. Hotel accommodations and certain meals will be provided for each competitor as well. All other expenses are the responsibility of the competitor. TopCoder will not provide travel or lodging accommodations for guests or chaperones of the competitor.
Hotel Information
Union Club Hotel
101 N Grant St
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(800) 320-6291
(765) 494-8913
All competitors will be staying at the Union Club Hotel at Purdue University. TopCoder will make reservations for all the competitors. Guests and chaperones can make reservations by calling the hotel.
Championship Round
TopCoder will determine the room assignments for the Championship round prior to the start of the round. The date and time of the onsite Championship round are as follows:
| Round of Competition | Date and Time (Eastern Daylight Time) |
|---|---|
| Championship Round | Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM |
The Championship Round will be a single round of fifty (50) coders. The winning individual in the Championship Round will be the competitor with the highest score in the round. In the event of a tie in the Championship Round, the tie will be resolved in the following manner (in order):
- Total points acquired (higher is better) during Online Rounds #1, #2 and #3 of the 2008 TCHS Tournament
- If a tie still remains in the Championship Round, then the prize will be distributed equally among the tied competitors.
About the Prizes
The tournament will award participatory prizes to up to 100 competitors and at least $50,000 in scholarships and prizes. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner. Prizes will be distributed as follows:
| Competitor | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st place finisher | $15,000 |
| 2nd place finisher | $10,000 |
| 3rd place finisher | $5,000 |
| 4th place finisher | $2,500 |
| 5th place finisher | $1,500 |
| 6th - 10th place finishers | $800 each |
| 11th - 20th place finishers | $450 each |
| 21st - 50th place finishers | $250 each |
| Up to 100 competitors who compete in Online Round 3 | Limited edition 2008 TopCoder High School Tournament t-shirts will be sent by TopCoder |
* Prize will be awarded at the conclusion of the Championship Round. Winners must be present at the Awards Ceremony to receive prize. TopCoder reserves the right to increase the total prize purse or change the prize breakdown distribution at its sole discretion at any point during the tournament.
Conditions of Participation
By participating in the tournament, you agree to be bound by these rules and to all decisions of TopCoder, which are final, binding and conclusive in all matters.
Contestants must not cheat. All ideas for code and/or challenge submitted must be the contestant's alone. TopCoder uses the word "cheat" to mean collaboration of any sort - including, but not limited to, working with another competitor, submitting code that was not fully authored by you, and using resources, software, etc. that are not allowed in TopCoder competitions. TopCoder reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove any competitor from the tournament who it suspects has cheated.
All decisions relating to the viability of submissions, the ranking of submissions and all other matters pertaining to the tournament shall be within the sole discretion of TopCoder or its designee and shall be final and binding in all respects.
All contestants who advance to Online Round 3 must complete the following items and submit them to TopCoder by 10:00 AM EST (UTC/GMT -5) on Saturday, January 26, 2008:
- Update your profile
- Please submit a photo, if we do not have one on file for you. If you also want your photo to be posted on your member profile on the TopCoder website, please submit your photo by clicking the "Click here to send your photo" link in the Update Profile section.
All contestants who advance to the onsite Championship round must complete the following items and submit them to TopCoder by 5:00 PM EST (UTC/GMT -5) on Monday, February 18, 2008:
- Confirmation of attendance/proof of travel documents - Please email Jessie D'Amato Ford to confirm your attendance onsite. If you require a passport and/or visa to visit the United States, you must show proof of your documents via a scanned copy of the necessary documents.
- Competitor questionnaire - the questions and responses will be published in the 2008 TopCoder High School Tournament Program
- Travel/Lodging form - provides TopCoder with the appropriate information for your trip to the onsite Championship round
- Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release
- TopCoder must receive the original copy of a notarized affidavit unless a notarized affidavit is already on file with TopCoder. The document must be postmarked by February 18, 2008, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than March 7, 2008.
- If TopCoder already has a notarized affidavit and a tax form on file for a contestant, that contestant may affirm the affidavit online. No hardcopy needs to be sent to TopCoder.
- IRS Tax Form W-9 or W-8BEN, as appropriate
- TopCoder must receive the original copy of a signed tax form unless a tax form is already on file with TopCoder. The document must be postmarked by February 18, 2008, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than March 7, 2008.
- If TopCoder already has a tax form on file for a contestant, the contestant does NOT need to send an additional tax form unless his/her address has changed.
- Travel Waiver - Must be completed for all competitors under the age of 18.
- TopCoder must receive the original signed Travel Waiver. The document must be postmarked by February 18, 2008, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than March 7, 2008.
- Letter from your secondary school on official stationary that states you are currently a full time student. The letter must be written in English and signed by an official school staff member. The letter must be sent directly by a school official to TopCoder, Inc., Attn: Jessie D'Amato Ford, 95 Glastonbury Blvd, Glastonbury, CT, 06033, USA, and must arrive no later than March 7, 2008.
Failure to submit the above items on time will result in a forfeiture of advancement as an onsite finalist. In that case, the next highest scorer(s) from Online Round 3 will advance.
All participatory prizes will be sent via the United States Postal Service. Unclaimed or undeliverable participatory prizes will be forfeited. Competitors who do not submit the required information listed above by the applicable deadlines will forfeit their participatory prize.
As a condition of participation in the tournament, all information provided by you in your TopCoder High School member profile must be comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date. TopCoder may require you to complete an additional registration form to register for the tournament. In order to be eligible to participate in the tournament, you must have completed any and all registration forms required by TopCoder.
As a condition of winning and redeeming a prize, certain contestants will be required to submit a completed (i) Competitor Questionnaire, (ii) Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, (iii) IRS Form W-9 or W-8BEN, as appropriate if one is not already on file with TopCoder, (iv) Travel Form, and (v) Travel Waiver, as appropriate. In completing the Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, a prize winner (a) confirms his/her eligibility, (b) represents and warrants that he/she has not cheated; that the idea for the code and/or challenge submitted is his/hers alone, (c) verifies the accuracy of the demographic information submitted to, and contained in, the TopCoder High School member profile, (d) authorizes TopCoder to publicize the tournament's results, (e) agrees to sign any applicable forms required by tax authorities, (f) licenses to TopCoder rights to all information submitted during the tournament (including rights to source code and other executables), and (g) releases TopCoder from liability arising out of any prize won. TopCoder requires contestants to complete the Form W-9 or W-8BEN for tax reporting purposes. If prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if the prize winner fails to return the Questionnaire, Affidavit, W-9 or W-8BEN, Travel Form, or Travel Waiver, as specified, the prize winner will be disqualified and the prize won by the disqualified prize winner will be forfeited. Providing false information in the registration process or in the required forms described in this paragraph will disqualify a prize winner.
By participating in a tournament and redeeming a prize, a winner releases and agrees to hold harmless TopCoder, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, sponsors, and prize suppliers, and all of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents, from and against any and all liability for any loss, property damage or damage to person, including without limitation, death and injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from or arising out of participation in this tournament, or participation in any tournament-related activity, or the receipt, use or misuse of a prize. TopCoder specifically disclaims all liability associated with, and makes no warranties with regard to, any prize given.
In addition, all prizewinners agree to cooperate with TopCoder's publicity efforts, without further compensation. This includes the agreement to use their name, handle, address (city and state) and likeness for publicity purposes, where legal, for this or similar future tournaments, and to use the statements made by, or attributed to, the winners relating to TopCoder and any and all rights to said use, without further compensation. Furthermore, all prizewinners agree to promptly notify TopCoder if a third-party, including tournament sponsors, contacts the prizewinner regarding employment opportunities and/or media interest/interview as a result of the prizewinner's participation in the tournament.
TopCoder reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to revoke any and all privileges associated with competing in this tournament, and to take any other action it deems appropriate, for no reason or any reason whatsoever, including if TopCoder suspects competitors of cheating, tampering with the entry process, the operation of the Web site, or the tournament process, or otherwise being in violation of the rules. TopCoder reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the tournament if it is not capable of completion as planned for any reason, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort.
Other
The tournament is void in whole or in part where prohibited by law.
A list of tournament winners by coder handles will be available on the web site at http://www.topcoder.com/tc, and will be displayed for at least 3 months after the end of the tournament.
This tournament is brought to you by TopCoder, Inc. (http://www.topcoder.com/) 703 Hebron Avenue (now 95 Glastonbury Blvd), Glastonbury, CT 06033.