Component Design and Development Competition
Official Rules and Regulations

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

Overview of the Tournament

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

The 2004 TopCoder Open ("TCO") Component Design and Development Competition ("CDDC") will take place between August 10th and November 12th, 2004. It will consist of two competitions - the design competition and the development competition. Each competition will consist of three (3) online rounds taking place over the course of six (6) weeks and one (1) final online round, being the Championship Round. The prize purse for this tournament is $100,000 in cash, with $64,200 being awarded in the design competition and $35,800 in the development competition. The four (4) competitors in each competition with the highest cumulative placement scores after the three (3) online rounds will advance to the online Championship Round, the results of which will be announced at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara, California, USA on November 12th, 2004.

Eligibility

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

• Must be at least 18 years of age (as of August 10, 2004).
• Must not have been permanently suspended from participating in TopCoder Component Development projects.
• Must be either (i) a U.S. citizen, (ii) a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., (iii) a temporary resident, asylee, refugee of the U.S., or have a lawfully issued work authorization card permitting unrestricted employment in the U.S., or (iv) a non-U.S. resident authorized to perform services as an independent contractor.

The Contest 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. In addition, members will be allowed to compete in both the design and development competitions of the CDDC. 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 which competition the member will advance to:

1. The member will advance to the competition in which he/she achieved a higher cumulative placement score. (Details of how the placement scoring is calculated are provided below.)
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 Microsoft, Inc. and those involved in the production (including prize suppliers), implementation and distribution of this contest 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 contest and members of the immediate families and/or persons living in the same household as such persons, are ineligible to enter the tournament.

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 one Level 1 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. In order to receive placement points the submission must pass the minimum component score of 70. Placement scoring is as follows:

Level 1 Components	Level 2 Components
1st Place - 10 Points 2nd Place - 7 Points 3rd Place - 5 points 4th Place - 4 Points 5th Place - 0 Points	1st Place - 12 Points 2nd Place - 9 Points 3rd Place - 7 points 4th Place - 6 Points 5th Place - 0 Points

Registration

Registration for the 2004 TopCoder Open Component Competition will open at 9:00AM ET on Monday, August 9, 2004, and will close at 9:00AM ET on Tuesday, September 7, 2004. In order to be eligible to compete in the Component Competition, competitors must be a registered TopCoder member and have registered separately for the Component Competition. Registration for the competition is unlimited, however each individual may only register once.

Schedule

Both the design and development competitions will have three (3) online rounds and one (1) online Championship Round. Each contestant participating in an online round must submit his/her design and/or development submissions for components as scheduled. TopCoder members from around the world may be participating in the online rounds, but all start times will be communicated as Eastern Time, so contestants in different time zones must adjust accordingly.

Design Contest	Start Date/ Projects Posted	Registration Deadline	End Date/ Submission Deadline
Round #1
Week 1	08.12.2004 9:00AM	08.14.2004 9:00AM	08.19.2004 9:00AM
Week 2	08.19.2004 9:00AM	08.21.2004 9:00AM	08.26.2004 9:00AM
Round #2
Week 3	08.26.2004 9:00AM	08.28.2004 9:00AM	09.02.2004 9:00AM
Week 4	09.02.2004 9:00AM	09.04.2004 9:00AM	09.09.2004 9:00AM
Round #3
Week 5	09.09.2004 9:00AM	09.11.2004 9:00AM	09.16.2004 9:00AM
Week 6	09.16.2004 9:00AM	09.18.2004 9:00AM	09.23.2004 9:00AM
Championship Round	10.21.2004 9:00AM	10.23.2004 9:00AM	10.28.2004 9:00AM

Development Contest	Start Date/ Projects Posted	Registration Deadline	End Date/ Submission Deadline
Round #1
Week 1	08.10.2004 9:00AM	08.12.2004 9:00AM	08.17.2004 9:00AM
Week 2	08.17.2004 9:00AM	08.19.2004 9:00AM	08.24.2004 9:00AM
Round #2
Week 3	08.24.2004 9:00AM	08.26.2004 9:00AM	08.31.2004 9:00AM
Week 4	08.31.2004 9:00AM	09.02.2004 9:00AM	09.07.2004 9:00AM
Round #3
Week 5	09.07.2004 9:00AM	09.09.2004 9:00AM	09.14.2004 9:00AM
Week 6	09.14.2004 9:00AM	09.16.2004 9:00AM	09.21.2004 9:00AM
Championship Round	10.19.2004 9:00AM	10.21.2004 9:00AM	10.26.2004 9:00AM

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 due date. 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. SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED DURING EACH ROUND'S SUBMISSION TIMELINE TO BE CONSIDERED A VIABLE ENTRY. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS.

There will be no elimination of contestants during the three (3) online rounds. Round winners will be those participants with the highest cumulative placement score for each round. Prizes will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd place finishers in each round. In the case of a tie for any prize-winning position in any online round other than the Championship Round, the prize money will be distributed equally among the tied participants.

Up to the three (3) highest individual placement scores that each contestant receives for his/her submissions throughout the six (6) weeks of competition will be added together for a cumulative placement score. The four (4) competitors in each competition with the highest cumulative placement score will advance to the online Championship Round. There will be no onsite portion of the Championship Round. A review of the CDDC by TopCoder Review Board members and the announcement of the winners in each competition will be made onsite on November 12th.

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.

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.

The Championship Round will be a single online round of four (4) competitors in each competition. Two winners will be crowned onsite, one Design Champion and one Development Champion. Each champion will be the member who receives the highest score on his/her final component submission in each competition.

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 three (3) online rounds (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.

Onsite Participation
The four (4) participants in the Championship Round in each competition will travel to the Santa Clara Marriott on Wednesday, November 10th. Announcement of the CDDC winners will be made on November 12th. All contestants must arrive at the Santa Clara Marriott no later than 4:00 PM PT on Wednesday, November 10th. If a contestant is unable to attend the onsite event, he/she will forfeit his/her eligibility to receive a prize.

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 contestant will be responsible for the difference between the cost of the airfare and $1,000.) TopCoder will provide ground transportation to and from the airport, as well as 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 2004 TopCoder Open.

Prizes

All contestants who submit components that pass screening during at least one online round will receive a prize. The tournament will award $100,000 in cash prizes, with $64,200 being awarded in the design competition and $35,800 in the development competition. If the minimum criteria for 1st or 2nd place are not met during any weekly competition, then the associated prizes will be forfeited. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner. Prizes will be distributed as follows:

Design Competition	Prize	Development Competition	Prize
1st place finisher* in the Championship Round	$20,000	1st place finisher* in the Championship Round	$10,000
2nd place finisher* in the Championship Round	$10,000	2nd place finisher* in the Championship Round	$4,000
3rd place finisher* in the Championship Round	$5,000	3rd place finisher* in the Championship Round	$2,500
4th place finisher* in the Championship Round	$2,500	4th place finisher* in the Championship Round	$1,000
1st place finisher in each online round	$1,000	1st place finisher in each online round	$800
2nd place finisher in each online round	$700	2nd place finisher in each online round	$500
Weekly 1st place component designer	$600	Weekly 1st place component developer	$400
Weekly 2nd place component designer	$300	Weekly 2nd place component developer	$200
Online round participants who pass screening for at least one component	Limited edition 2004 TopCoder Open t-shirt	Online round participants who pass screening for at least one component	Limited edition 2004 TopCoder Open t-shirt
* Prize will be awarded onsite on November 12th. Winner must be present onsite to receive prize.

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 Microsoft for recruiting 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 solution submitted, including but not limited to design ideas and source code, must be the contestant's alone.

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.

As a condition of winning and redeeming a cash prize, finalists will be required to return by Monday, October 18, 2004 a completed (i) notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, (ii) competitor questionnaire (the questions and responses will be published in the 2004 TopCoder Open Program), (iii) travel form, and (iv) IRS Form W-9, W-8BEN or W-8ECI, as appropriate, if one is not already on file with TopCoder. In completing the Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, a winner (a) confirms his/her eligibility, (b) represents and warrants that he/she has not cheated; that the idea for the 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) assigns to TopCoder all 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, W-8BEN or W-8ECI for tax reporting purposes. If prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if the winner fails to return the Affidavit, or the appropriate tax form, the winner will be disqualified and the prize money won by the disqualified winner will be forfeited. Providing false information in the registration process or in the required forms described in this paragraph will disqualify a 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 non-sponsor third-party 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/, 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.