Component Competition Official Rules and Regulations

Eligibility  |   Placement Scoring  |   Schedule  |   Scoring and Advancing  |   Prizes  |   Conditions of Participation

No purchase necessary to enter or win. The tournament is void where prohibited.

Overview

The 2005 TopCoder Open ("TCO") Component Design and Development Competition ("CDDC") will take place between June 29 and October 14, 2005. It will consist of two competitions - the design competition and the development competition. Each competition will consist of five (5) weeks of online competition and one (1) onsite final round, being the Championship round. The prize purse for this tournament is $75,000 in cash, with $46,500 being awarded for the design competition and $28,500 for the development competition. The eight (8) competitors in each competition with the highest cumulative placement scores after the online rounds of competition will advance to the onsite Championship round, being held at the Marriott in Santa Clara, CA, USA on October 12, 13 and 14, 2005.

back to top Eligibility

TopCoder members meeting the following eligibility criteria are eligible to compete in the CDDC:
  • Must be at least 18 years of age as of June 29, 2005; AND
  • If not a US resident, must be living in, and participating from, your country of residence; AND
  • Must not have been permanently suspended from participating in TopCoder Component projects.
TopCoder members who are 18 years of age or older as of June 28, 2005 are eligible to win cash prizes, unless otherwise prohibited. The TopCoder Open is void in the Quebec province of Canada, and elsewhere where prohibited by applicable law. Cash prizes will not be paid to residents of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria.

Those members who are eligible to compete in both the Algorithm Competition of the TCO and in the CDDC will be permitted to participate in both, and advance to the finals in both. In addition, members will be allowed to compete in both the design and development competitions of the TCO. However, if one member participates in both the design and development competitions AND qualifies as one of the finalists in each, then the member will only be permitted to advance to the Championship round in one of the competitions. The following criteria will be used to determine to which competition the member will advance:
  1. The member will advance to the competition in which he/she achieved a higher cumulative score.
  2. If the member's cumulative placement score is the same for both competitions, then the member will choose the competition in which he/she will compete.
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 and/or persons living in the same household as such persons, are ineligible to enter the tournament. If a competitor's employer signs up as an official sponsor of the tournament on or after June 13, 2005, then that competitor will be disqualified from participating further in the tournament. TopCoder members who are performing internships for any official tournament sponsor between June 13 and October 14, 2005 are also ineligible to compete.

back to top Placement Scoring

Scoring in the CDDC is determined based on the placement for each submission. Placement is determined based on the score awarded for a particular component. For example, if 3 submissions were received for a component and the scores were 93, 89, and 71, the member receiving the score of 93 would be in 1st place and would receive 10 points. Note that only those registered for the tournament are considered when determining place and placement points. In order to receive placement points, a submission must pass the minimum component score of 70. Placement scoring is as follows:

1st Place - 10 Points
2nd Place - 7 Points
3rd Place - 5 points
4th Place - 4 Points
5th Place (and lower) - 0 Points


The placement points outlined are for both Level One and Level Two components.

back to top Schedule

Both the design and development competitions will have five (5) weeks of online competition and one (1) onsite Championship round. Each contestant participating in an online round must submit his/her design and/or development submission for components by the submission deadline as scheduled. TopCoder members from around the world may be participating in the online rounds, but all start times, registration deadlines and submission deadlines will be communicated as Eastern Daylight Time, so contestants in different time zones must adjust accordingly.

Round All Projects Posted* Registration Period Submission Deadline*
Week 1 06.29.2005 9:00AM 72 Hours 07.06.2005 9:00AM
Week 2 07.06.2005 9:00AM 72 Hours 07.13.2005 9:00AM
Week 3 07.13.2005 9:00AM 72 Hours 07.20.2005 9:00AM
Week 4 07.20.2005 9:00AM 72 Hours 07.27.2005 9:00AM
Week 5 07.27.2005 9:00AM 72 Hours 08.03.2005 9:00AM
Championship Round (online portion) 08.24.2005 9:00AM 72 Hours 08.31.2005 9:00AM
Championship Round (onsite portion) N/A N/A 10.12.2005 4:00PM
*All times listed as Eastern Daylight Time


back to top Scoring and Advancing

During each week of competition, eligible competitors can submit design and development solutions for at least one eligible component by the submission deadline. Submissions will be scored by the TopCoder Review Boards and will be subject to final review and appeal in the same manner as standard component design and development submissions. Scoring of each submission by the TopCoder Review Boards is based on the criteria outlined in the Development Review Scorecard for the Development Contest or the criteria outlined in the Design Review Scorecard for the Design Contest. Note that the scorecards to be used for the CDDC are the ones that are in effect as of June 29, 2005. ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED ACCORDING TO THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE TO BE CONSIDERED A VIABLE ENTRY. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. There will be no elimination of contestants during the online competition.

Up to the four (4) highest individual placement scores that each contestant receives for his/her submissions throughout the five (5) weeks of competition will be added together for a cumulative placement score. The eight (8) competitors in each competition with the highest cumulative positive (i.e., greater than zero) placement score will advance to the onsite Championship round.

In the event of a tie of cumulative placement score among the advancers to the Championship round, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:
  1. Highest cumulative component score of the lesser number of components used to develop the cumulative placement score for the tied competitors.
  2. If a tie still remains, then the highest individual component score of the lesser number of components used to develop the cumulative placement score for the tied competitors.
  3. If a tie still remains, then all tied contestants will advance to the online Championship round.
  4. Components where the competitor earned 0 points will not be counted towards tiebreaker scores.
Example:
Contestant #1 submits three components in the design competition, earning the following component and placement scores:

Component #1 - score 88.45; placement 2; placement score 7
Component #2 - score 76.33; placement 3; placement score 5
Component #3 - score 82.89; placement 3; placement score 5

Cumulative placement score: 7 + 5 + 5 = 17

Contestant #2 submits two components in the design competition, earning the following component and placement scores:

Component #1 - score 92.56; placement 1; placement score 10
Component #2 - score 75.83; placement 2; placement score 7

Cumulative placement score: 10 + 7 = 17

To determine who advances to Championship round, look at the highest cumulative component score of the lesser number of components used to develop the cumulative placement score for the tied competitors.

Contestant #1: 88.45 + 82.89 = 171.34
Contestant #2: 92.56 + 75.83 = 168.39

Contestant #1 would advance to the Championship round.

Championship Round

The eight (8) advancers in each competition from the five (5) weeks of online competition will travel to the Santa Clara Marriott on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 to compete in the final competitive stage of the tournament being held on Wednesday, October 12, 2005. All contestants must arrive at the Santa Clara Marriott no later than 4:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 11, 2005. All contestants must confirm their attendance at the onsite Championship Round no later than 5:00 PM EDT on Monday, August 22, 2005 by emailing jdamato@topcoder.com. That is, contestants must have acquired any necessary travel visas and know for certain that they can travel to the US by that date and time. If a contestant is unable to attend the onsite round, he/she will forfeit his/her eligibility to receive any prizes awarded to onsite finalists, and his/her spot in the tournament will be given to the competitor with the next highest positive (i.e., greater than zero) cumulative placement score from the online competition.

TopCoder will provide travel arrangements for each competitor up to a cost of $1,000 per person. (That is, if a contestant's airfare is greater than $1,000, the difference between the cost of the airfare and $1,000 will be deducted from the contestant's total TCO prize money won. If the contestant's total TCO prize money is not sufficient to cover the additional costs, they will be subtracted from the contestant's overall TCO winnings.) TopCoder will also provide ground transportation to and from the airport, as well as hotel accommodations and certain meals for each contestant. All other expenses are the responsibility of the contestant. TopCoder will not provide travel or lodging accommodations for competitor guests at the 2005 TCO.

Online portion of Championship Round: There will be an online portion of the Championship Round, which will follow the normal component design/development process (up to and including final review). To ensure that the submitters receive no advantage from the Review Board, the reviews will only include required items. No comments or recommendations will be included.

Onsite portion of Championship Round: There will also be an onsite portion of the Championship Round. During the onsite Championship Round, competitors will need to implement an enhancement to their development/design submission from the online portion of the Championship Round. Competitors will be given a choice of three (3) enhancements that they can implement, however only one (1) will be scored. The onsite portion of the Championship Round will last six (6) hours, from 10:00AM to 4:00PM on Wednesday, October 12, 2005. There will be a mandatory 30-minute break from 12:00 - 12:30PM. All competitors must step away from their workstations during the 30-minute break. The onsite Review Board will review the submitted enhancements on Thursday, October 13, 2005. There will be a one and a half (1.5) hour online appeals phase on Friday, October 14, 2005, after which the final scoring will be performed. Competitors will not see the review scorecards until the appeals phase starts. Appeals will not be responded to until the appeals phase is over.

The Championship Round will include eight (8) members in each competition. Two winners will be crowned, one Design Champion and one Development Champion. Each champion will be the competitor who receives the highest score for his/her enhancement during the onsite portion of the Championship Round.

Championship Tiebreaker: In the event of a tie in the Championship Round, the tie will be resolved in the following manner (in order):
  1. By cumulative placement score as of the end of the five (5) weeks of online competition (highest cumulative placement score wins).
  2. If a tie still remains, then by highest cumulative component score of the lesser number of components used to develop the cumulative placement score for the tied competitors.
  3. If a tie still remains, then the prize money will be distributed equally among the tied members.
back to top About the Prizes

All contestants who submit components that pass screening during at least one week of online competition will receive a prize. The tournament will award $75,000 in cash prizes, with $46,500 being awarded for the design competition and $28,500 for the development competition. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner. Prizes will be distributed as follows:

Competitor(s) Design Prize Development Prize
1st place finisher* in the Championship Round $20,000 $12,500
2nd place finisher* in the Championship Round $10,000 $6,000
3rd place finisher* in the Championship Round $5,000 $3,000
4th place finisher* in the Championship Round $2,500 $1,500
5th - 8th place finishers* in the Championship Round $1,000 each $750 each
First previously unrated participant to win a component during the online rounds of the CDDC*** $2,000 $1,000
Participant whose rating increases the most throughout the online rounds of the CDDC** $1,000 $1,000
Participant who submits the most passing submissions (review score of 70 or higher) during the online rounds of the CDDC $1,500 $1,000
Online participants who pass screening for at least one component Limited edition 2005 TopCoder Open t-shirt Limited edition 2005 TopCoder Open t-shirt
* Prize will be awarded after the conclusion of the Championship Round. Winner must be present at the onsite round to receive prize.
** To calculate the rating change, TopCoder will subtract each participant's rating at the time the first TCO online round was posted from each participant's rating after all TCO online rounds have finished (including final fixes). The calculation will be performed only after all components that affect the final rating have been completed. This includes all components posted at or before the last TCO online round is posted, regardless of whether the components are related to the TCO. The participant with the highest positive rating difference will be awarded the prize. If no participant has a positive rating increase during the course of the online rounds of the TCO, no prize money for this criteria will be awarded. In order to qualify for this prize, the participant must have a rating in the appropriate category (design or development) before the start of the first TCO online round.
*** If two previously unrated participants tie for this prize by submitting and winning during the same round, the one that submitted first will be the winner. If a participant makes several submissions for the same project, their time of submission will be taken to be the time of their last submission.


In order for onsite finalists to receive their onsite cash prize, they must first complete all TCO-related work for all online rounds and the Championship Round, including final fixes.

back to top 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. Also, by participating in this tournament, you consent to providing certain information to Sun Microsystems, Inc. for Java Studio Creator promotional purposes. Such information shall include the information contained in your TopCoder member profile and your competition statistics.

Contestants must not cheat. All ideas for any code solution submitted, including but not limited to design ideas and source code, must be the contestant's alone. Any attempt to intentionally affect your rating(s) negatively in order to obtain an advantage over other TopCoder competitors is grounds for immediate account termination.

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.

As a condition of participation in the tournament, all information provided by you in your TopCoder 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.

Contestants who advance to the onsite Championship Round must complete the following items and submit them to TopCoder by 5:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 7, 2005:
  • Competitor Questionnaire - the questions and responses will be published in the 2005 TopCoder Open program
  • Travel form - provides TopCoder with the appropriate travel information for your trip to the onsite tournament rounds
  • 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 September 7, 2005, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than October 5, 2005.
    • If TopCoder already has a notarized affidavit and a tax form on file for a contestant, that contestant may send in simply a signed affidavit. No additional notarization is needed.
  • Applicable tax form (unless one is already on file with TopCoder)
  • Update member profile, including t-shirt size and address
  • Submit member photo if one is not already on file with TopCoder
Failure to submit the above items on time will result in a forfeit of advancement as an onsite finalist.

All prizes (cash prizes and participatory prizes) will be sent within 60 days of the Championship Round. In order for a cash prize to be sent, the designer/developer must fully finish his/her component (that is, final fixes must be completed before cash prizes will be sent). Unclaimed or undeliverable prizes will be forfeited. Competitors who do not submit the required information listed above by the applicable deadlines will forfeit their prizes.

As a condition of winning and redeeming a cash prize, certain contestants will be required to submit a completed (i) Competitor Questionnaire, (ii) Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, and (iii) IRS Form W-9, W-8BEN or W-8ECI, as appropriate, if one is not already on file with TopCoder; and (iv) travel form. In completing the Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, a cash prize winner (a) confirms his/her eligibility, (b) represents and warrants that he/she has not cheated; that the idea for the design and/or code submitted is his/hers alone, (c) verifies the accuracy of the demographic information submitted to, and contained in, the TopCoder member database, (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 designs, 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, W-8BEN or W-8ECI for tax reporting purposes. If prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if the cash prize winner fails to return the Questionnaire, Affidavit, W-9 or W-8BEN, or travel form, as specified, the cash prize winner will be disqualified and the prize money won by the disqualified cash prize winner will be forfeited. Providing false information in the registration process or in the required forms described in this paragraph will disqualify a cash 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 any tournament sponsor, contacts the prizewinner regarding employment opportunities and/or media interest 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.

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