Studio Design Official Rules and Regulations

Eligibility  |   Registration  |   Placement Scoring  |   Schedule  |   Scoring and Advancing  |   Prizes  |   Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited.

Overview of the Tournament

The 2008 TopCoder Open Studio Design Competition ("SDC") will take place between January 14 and May 15, 2008, and is part of the 2008 TopCoder Open ("Tournament"). It will consist of eight (8) weeks of online competition and three (3) onsite final rounds, being the Championship Rounds. The prize purse for the SDC is $45,000 in cash. The twelve (12) competitors with the highest cumulative placement scores at the conclusion of the online rounds of competition will advance to the onsite Championship Rounds, to be held at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on May 12 - 15, 2008.

Eligibility

TopCoder Studio members meeting the following criteria are eligible to compete in the SDC:

  • Must be at least 18 years of age as of January 14, 2008; AND
  • If not a US resident, must be living in, and participating from, your country of residence; AND
  • Must currently be eligible for participation in TopCoder Studio projects (i.e. not suspended from TopCoder); AND
  • Must not be a resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria.

The SDC is void in the Quebec province of Canada and elsewhere where prohibited by applicable law.

Employees of TopCoder, Inc. and of all Tournament sponsors, regardless of commitment date as sponsor, including any companies involved in the production (including prize suppliers), implementation and distribution of the SDC or the 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 SDC or the Tournament and members of the immediate families and/or persons living in the same household as such persons, are ineligible to participate in the SDC. If a competitor's employer signs up as a sponsor of the Tournament on or after January 14, 2008, then that competitor will be disqualified from participating further in the Tournament. TopCoder Studio members who are performing internships for any Tournament sponsor between January 14 and May 15, 2008 are also ineligible to participate.

Those members who are eligible to compete in any of the four Tournament competitions will be permitted to participate in any/all of them online. However, in the event a competitor becomes a finalist in more than one competition and the onsite competition times overlap, the competitor must choose only one competition in which to participate as a finalist by March 26, 2008.

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 Onsite Competition Round 1.

Registration

Registration for the SDC will open at 9:00 AM EST on Monday, January 14, 2008, and will close at 5:00 PM EST on Monday, March 3, 2008. In order to be eligible to compete in the SDC, competitors must register separately for the SDC. There is no limit to the number of competitors in the SDC; however each competitor may only register once.

Placement Scoring

Studio contests that are eligible for points towards the SDC will be identified on the Studio website starting the week of January 14, 2008. Scoring in the SDC is determined by the placement of the top five (5) submissions in each eligible contest by an SDC competitor.

A competitor's score is determined by the placement of each competitor's submissions. The placement of the competitor's submissions is determined by the ranking of the design.

Competitors must be registered for the SDC to be eligible for SDC placement points. Placement points will be awarded to SDC competitors in Studio contests that are part of the online SDC competition as follows:

  • 1st Place - 17 points
  • 2nd Place - 15 points
  • 3rd Place - 13 points
  • 4th Place - 10 points
  • 5th Place - 7 points
  • 6th Place (and lower) - 0 points

Open Competition Explanation

Both Studio members who have not registered for the SDC and SDC-registered competitors will be allowed to enter any Studio design contest. Only SDC-registered competitors will earn placement points towards their SDC-ranking. Studio members who are not registered for the SDC will still earn traditional placement and prizes. Because of the mixed competitor pool, an example of Tournament placement and points is provided in the following table.

Competitor Status Prize Placement Tournament Placement Tournament Points
Non-SDC competitor 1st Place    
SDC competitor 2nd Place 1st Place 17
SDC competitor 3rd Place 2nd Place 15
Non-SDC competitor 4th Place    
Non-SDC competitor 5th Place    
SDC competitor 6th Place 3rd Place 13
SDC competitor 7th Place 4th Place 10
SDC competitor 8th Place 5th Place 7
Non-SDC competitor 9th Place    
SDC competitor 10th Place 6th Place 0
SDC competitor 11th Place 7th Place 0

Schedule

The SDC will have eight (8) weeks of online competition and three (3) onsite Championship Rounds. Each competitor participating in an online round must submit his/her design submission for any contest by the submission deadline.

Schedule
  Start Date Start Time End Date End Time
SDC Registration January 14, 2008 9:00 AM* March 11, 2008 5:00 PM**
Online Competition January 14, 2008 9:00 AM* March 11, 2008 6:00 PM**
Onsite Competition Round 1 May 12, 2008 8:00 AM*** May 12, 2008 11:00 AM***
Onsite Competition Round 2 May 14, 2008 8:30 AM*** May 14, 2008 10:30 AM***
Onsite Competition Round 3 May 14, 2008 11:30 AM*** May 14, 2008 1:00 PM***
*Times listed in Eastern Standard Time (UTC/GMT -5).
** Times listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC/GMT -4)
*** Times listed in Pacific Daylight Time (UTC/GMT -7)
In the event that a round may not be held at the designated time for any reason, the round will be held the following day at the same time.

Scoring and Advancing

During the eight (8) weeks of online competition, eligible competitors can submit designs for as many contests as they like. After the submission phase for the contest is over, submissions will be screened against the Spec Doc by the Contest Administrator and either passed or failed depending on whether all of the requirements of the Spec Doc are met.

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE TO BE CONSIDERED A VIABLE ENTRY. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. There is no elimination of competitors during the online competition.

After the submission phase for a contest is over, the qualifying submissions will be ranked by TopCoder.

Up to the six (6) highest individual placement scores that each competitor receives for his/her submissions throughout the eight (8) weeks of competition will be added together for a cumulative placement score. A maximum of twelve (12) competitors with the highest cumulative placement scores greater than zero will advance to the onsite Championship Rounds.

Example:
Competitor enters three (3) SDC eligible contests during the online competition, earning the following placement scores:
Contest #1 - placement 2; placement score 15
Contest #2 - placement 3; placement score 13
Contest #3 - placement 3; placement score 13
Cumulative placement score: 15 + 13 + 13 = 41

In the event of a tie of cumulative placement score among the advancers to the Championship Rounds, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

  1. The competitor who has the most higher-placed submissions among those submissions used to develop the cumulative placement score for the tied competitors shall advance.
  2. If a tie still remains, then the tied competitors will enter into a Rapid Design Contest (see below) and the winner shall advance.
  3. If a tie still remains, then all tied competitors will advance to the onsite Championship Rounds.

The Rapid Design Contest will only include the competitors who are tied as stated above. This contest will consist of designing a mock (graphical representation) of a fictitious web site's main page. The tied finalists will only be allowed to submit one design for this contest. The designs must pass the standard Studio screening process to be accepted. Once submissions are received, they will be presented to the TopCoder Studio members for an online vote. The winner of the Rapid Design Contest will be chosen based on who wins the community vote. The winner will advance to the onsite finals. THE RESULTS OF THE VOTE AND CHOICE OF THE WINNER ARE FINAL.

The schedule for the Rapid Design Contest is as follows:

Rapid Design Contest Spec Doc posted and Submission Phase begins: Noon EDT (UTC/GMT -4) March 18, 2007
Submission Phase ends: Noon EDT (UTC/GMT -4), March 19, 2008
Voting Phase: March 19 - March 21, 2007
Winner Announced: March 21, 2007

Championship Rounds

For example:
Competitor #1 submits work in 7 SDC competitions, earning the following placement scores:
Submission #1 - placement 2; placement score 15
Submission #2 - placement 6; placement score 0
Submission #3 - placement 3; placement score 13
Submission #4 - placement 1; placement score 17
Submission #5 - placement 2; placement score 15
Submission #6 - placement 7; placement score 0
Submission #7 - placement 5; placement score 7

Competitor #1's cumulative placement score:
15 + 0 + 13 + 17 + 15 + 0 + 7 = 67

Competitor #2 submits work in 5 SDC competitions, earning the following review and placement scores:
Submission #1 - placement 2; placement score 15
Submission #2 - placement 4; placement score 10
Submission #3 - placement 5; placement score 7
Submission #4 - placement 2; placement score 15
Submission #5 - placement 4; placement score 10
Submission #6 - placement 4; placement score 10

Competitor #2's cumulative placement score:
15 + 10 + 7 + 15 + 10 + 10 = 67

To break the tie and determine who advances to Championship rounds, the Competitors' placements will be compared to determine who has the most higher-placed submissions among those submissions used to develop the cumulative placement score.

Competitor #1: Number of 1st Places = 1
Competitor #2: Number of 1st Places = 0

In this example, Competitor #1 would advance to the Championship Rounds.

Onsite Championship Round

Important Information

Travel Confirmation

A maximum of twelve (12) competitors from the eight (8) weeks of online competition will travel to the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, May 11, 2008 to compete in the finals of the SDC held on May 12 - May 15, 2008. All competitors must arrive at the Mirage no later than 5:00 PM EDT on Sunday, May 11, 2008.

All competitors must confirm their attendance at the onsite Championship no later than 5:00 PM EDT (UTC/GMT -4) on Wednesday, March 26, 2008, and must have acquired any necessary travel visas and know for certain that they can travel to the United States. If a competitor is required to travel from outside the United States, it is necessary for the competitor to show proof of a visa and/or passport by 5:00 PM EDT (UTC/GMT -4) on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. Competitors may email a copy of their documents to Jessie D'Amato Ford. Competitors who fail to meet this requirement will be replaced as an onsite finalist.

Visa Assistance

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 have earned Tournament SDC placement points by February 22, 2008 will receive a request form to fill out if they require a letter. As soon as a competitor fills out the form in its entirety and returns it to TopCoder, the visa letter will be mailed. Competitors have until 5:00 PM EDT (GMT/UTC -4) on Wednesday, March 12, 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. See more information about travel visas.

Travel Details

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 May 11, 2008 and departure on May 15, 16 or 17, 2008, whichever is most cost-effective. At TopCoder's sole discretion, TopCoder will pay for each competitor's airfare up to $1,500, but reserves the right to make exceptions to the maximum amount based on individual circumstances. If a Competitor wishes to take a flight other than the one provided by TopCoder and/or wishes to stay in a hotel other than the Mirage or wishes to stay additional nights at the Mirage or another hotel, the Competitor shall be responsible for the entire cost of such a deviation from the accommodations and travel arrangements provided by TopCoder. In addition, Competitor agrees to reimburse TopCoder for any costs, penalties, fines or fees incurred by TopCoder as a result of such a deviation.

Ground transportation to and from McCarran International Airport will be provided for each competitor by TopCoder, as well as hotel accommodations and certain meals. All other expenses are the responsibility of the competitor. TopCoder will not provide travel or lodging accommodations for any guests of a competitor.

Onsite Championship Rounds

During each Championship Round, each competitor will compete on the same design challenge, which will be announced 15 minutes before the beginning of the round. Competitors will receive competition documentation at this time.

Competitors will have the following timeframes to complete and submit their final designs:
Round 1: Three (3) hours
Round 2: Two and one half (2.5) hours
Round 3: Two (2) hours

Finalists must use the workstation provided by TopCoder during the Championship Rounds. This workstation will contain the following:

  • A PC running Windows XP
  • Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop installed
  • The open-source graphic programs GIMP and InkScape
  • A Zip program
  • A sketchpad, pencils and pencil sharpener
  • Limited Internet access to the following sites only:
    • iStockPhoto.com
    • ColorBlender.com
    • TopCoder Studio

Finalists may bring the following:

  • Their own keyboard
  • Up to two (2) design reference books, such as color guides, typography references, etc. However, template books (or books containing any template ideas) may NOT be used.

Competitors may not bring any other materials (including flash disks, magazines, or sketches). Keyboards and reference materials must be given to the technical team for review and evaluation at least one (1) hour before the first Championship Round of the day begins. TopCoder reserves the right, at any point in the Championship rounds, to confiscate any reference materials it deems inappropriate for any reason whatsoever.

The winner of the SDC will be determined based on the placement scores received for each Championship Round (rounding down to three (3) decimal places). Placement scores will be awarded by TopCoder for each Championship Round. Round weights and placement scores are as follows:

  • Round 1: Weight for Final Score = 50%
  • Round 2: Weight for Final Score = 25%
  • Round 3: Weight for Final Score = 25%

Placement Scoring for All Championship Rounds:

  • 1st Place - 17 points
  • 2nd Place - 15 points
  • 3rd Place - 13 points
  • 4th Place - 11 points
  • 5th Place - 9 points
  • 6th Place - 7 points
  • 7th Place - 5 points
  • 8th Place - 3 points
  • 9th Place - 1 point
  • 10th Place - 0 points
  • 11th Place - 0 points
  • 12th Place - 0 points

In the event of a tie of cumulative placement score among the championship finalists, the competitor who has the highest-placed submission from Round 1 will be declared the winner.

About the Prizes

All competitors who accumulate at least 10 cumulative placement points during the online competition will receive a prize. The SDC will award a maximum of $45,000 in cash prizes. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner.

Prizes
Competitor(s) Design Prize
1st place finisher* in the Championship Round $20,000
2nd place finisher* in the Championship Round $10,000
3rd place finisher* in the Championship Round $5,000
4th place finisher* in the Championship Round $4,000
5th - 12th place finishers* in the Championship Round $750 each
Online participants who accumulate a minimum of 10 cumulative placement points Limited edition 2008 TopCoder Open t-shirt
*Prize will be awarded after the conclusion of the Championship Round. Winner must be present at the onsite Awards presentation to receive prize (not including any prizes awarded to competitors not advancing to the Championship Rounds).

In order for onsite finalists to receive their cash prize, they must first complete all SDC-related work for all online rounds and the Championship Rounds.

Conditions of Participation

By participating in the SDC and 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 the SDC and the Tournament, you consent to provide certain information Tournament sponsors. Such information shall include the information contained in your TopCoder member profile, as well as your competition statistics.

Competitors must not cheat. All ideas for designs and concepts submitted must be the competitor's alone. TopCoder uses the word "cheat" to mean collaboration of any sort - including, but not limited to, working with another competitor, submitting a design that was not fully authored by you, and using resources, software, etc. that are not allowed in TopCoder competitions, the SDC and/or the Tournament. TopCoder reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove any competitor from the SDC and/or the Tournament whom it suspects of cheating.

If a competitor is eliminated for cheating after he/she is confirmed as a finalist and travel accommodations have already been made for the competitor by TopCoder for the Onsite Round, that competitor will be responsible for reimbursing TopCoder for the cost of such accommodations. TopCoder reserves the right to withhold any cash prizes earned or owed until the cost of such accommodations has been fully reimbursed.

All decisions relating to the viability of submissions, the ranking of submissions and all other matters pertaining to the SDC and the Tournament are within the sole discretion of TopCoder or its designee and are final and binding in all respects.

As a condition of participation in the SDC and the Tournament, all information provided by you in your TopCoder member profile must be accurate and up-to-date. TopCoder may require you to complete an additional registration form to register for the SDC and/or the Tournament. In order to be eligible to participate in the SDC, you must have completed any and all registration forms required by TopCoder.

Competitors who advance to the onsite Championship Rounds must complete the following items and submit them to TopCoder by 5:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, March 26, 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.
  • Please submit a photo, if you have not already done so.
  • Please ensure your most up-to-date information is listed in your TopCoder profile in the event we need to mail your plane tickets or contact you via telephone.
  • Competitor Questionnaire - the questions and responses may be published in the 2008 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 March 26, 2008, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than April 26, 2008.
  • TopCoder Competition Assignment Agreement - TopCoder must receive an executed copy of the Agreement unless an executed Agreement is already on file with TopCoder. The Agreement must be postmarked by March 26, 2008, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than April 26, 2008.
  • Applicable tax form (unless one is already on file with TopCoder).
  • If TopCoder already has a notarized affidavit, tax form, or Assignment Agreement on file for a Competitor, that Competitor may affirm such document online.

A competitor who fails to submit the above items on time will not advance to the Onsite Round and will be replaced by the competitor with the next highest cumulative placement points.

Except as otherwise provided in these rules, all prizes (cash prizes and participatory prizes) will be sent within 60 days of the completion of the Championship Round. Prizes which remain unclaimed or undeliverable for a period of six (6) months will be forfeited. Competitors who do not submit the required information by the applicable deadlines forfeit their prizes.

As a condition of winning and redeeming a cash prize, competitors will be required to submit a completed (i) Competitor Questionnaire, (ii) Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, if one is not already on file with TopCoder, (iii) IRS Form W-9 or W-8BEN, if one is not already on file with TopCoder, (iv) TopCoder Competition Assignment Agreement, if one is not already on file with TopCoder, and (v) Travel Form. In completing the Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, a competitor who wins a cash prize (a) confirms his/her eligibility, (b) represents and warrants that he/she has not cheated, (c) verifies the accuracy of the demographic information submitted to, and contained in, the TopCoder member database, (d) authorizes TopCoder to publicize the SDC's results, (e) agrees to sign any applicable forms required by tax authorities, and (f) releases TopCoder from liability arising out of any prize won. TopCoder requires competitors to complete the Form W-9 or W-8BEN for tax reporting purposes. Providing false information in the registration process or in any required forms will result in a forfeiture of a cash prize. TopCoder requires the Competition Assignment Agreement to assign all rights to all information submitted during the SDC and the Tournament to TopCoder for which the competitor is compensated.

By participating in the SDC and the Tournament and redeeming a prize, a competitor 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 the SDC and the Tournament, or participation in any SDC or 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 competitors winning a prize 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 events in the future, 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 competitors winning a prize agree to promptly notify TopCoder if a third-party, including any SDC or Tournament sponsors, contacts such competitor regarding employment opportunities and/or media interest as a result of the competitor's participation in the SDC or the Tournament.

TopCoder reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to revoke any and all privileges associated with competing in the SDC and the 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 competition process, or otherwise being in violation of the rules. TopCoder reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the SDC and/or 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, or for any other reason.

Other

The SDC and the Tournament are void in whole or in part where prohibited by law. A list of SDC and Tournament winners by 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 completion of the SDC and the Tournament.

A list of winners in the Competition by handle will be available on the web site at http://www.topcoder.com/tc, and will be displayed for at least 3 months after the completion of the Competition.

The SDC and the Tournament are brought to you by TopCoder, Inc. (http://www.topcoder.com/) 95 Glastonbury Boulevard, Glastonbury, CT 06033.