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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 2006 TopCoder Open ("TCO") Component Design and Development Competition ("CDDC") will take place between January 2 and May 5, 2006. 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 $46,000 being awarded for the design competition and $29,000 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 Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on May 3-5, 2006. 
Eligibility
TopCoder members meeting the following eligibility criteria are eligible to compete in the CDDC:
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:
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:
The placement points outlined are for both Level One and Level Two components. Penalty points All final fixes will be completed according to the component schedule. If a competitor misses final fixes for a component, they will be docked one (1) placement point per day they are late with final fixes. The component manager will have final say on all penalties and deadlines.
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 Standard Time, so contestants in different time zones must adjust accordingly.
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 January 18, 2006. 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. Up to 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:
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 Up to eight (8) advancers in each competition from the five (5) weeks of online competition will travel to the Aladdin Casino on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 to compete in the final competitive stage of the tournament being held on Wednesday, May 3 - Friday, May 5, 2006. All contestants must arrive at the Aladdin Casino no later than 4:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006. All contestants must confirm their attendance at the onsite Championship Round no later than 5:00 PM EST on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 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 $1,500 per person. (That is, if a contestant's airfare is greater than $1,500, the difference between the cost of the airfare and $1,500 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.) The flight reserved by and paid for by TopCoder is for arrival on May 2, 2006 and departure on May 6, 2006. Extended flights and/or hotel room nights requested by a competitor that result in additional costs will be the responsibility of the competitor and will be deducted from the competitor's total TCO prize money won.. 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 2006 TCO. Online portion of Championship Round: Each finalist will compete on the same set of components online. Three (3) component competitions will be open to only the finalists. Each finalist MUST submit these components by the deadline or they will be disqualified. The component competition will be run according to the standard TopCoder component competition rules. However the appeals phase for each component will be done onsite, so none of the competitors will know the score of any component prior to the onsite round. Component winners will be required to complete their final fixes after the conclusion of the TCO. Onsite portion of Championship Round: Each competitor will be given one hundred (100) points to spread across all three finals component. The competition for each round will begin with each competitor choosing the points to allocate to their component. Each competitor may risk a maximum of sixty (60) points and minimum of ten (10) points on an individual component. The number of points awarded is the floor of the points wagered divided by the placement standing. For instance see the table below:
The order of components used in the competition will be determined by TopCoder and each component to be reviewed will be revealed to the competitor at the start of the round. All final round components will have been pre-reviewed prior to coming on site. The competitor will have two (2) hours to appeal their scorecard. After 2 hours all appeals must be completed. As the appeals are occurring, the review board will be actively answering the filed appeals. The scores will be adjusted real time to the audience and competitors. After the appeals phase has ended, the review board will respond to the unanswered appeals by the start of the next round when the round winners are announced. The winners are determined by who has the highest score for their component for that round. The points assigned to each component will not be revealed until the winners presentation at the end of the competition. Each competitor will not know how many points were wagered by the other competitors. The winner of the entire competition will be determined by who has the most points from 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):
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 $46,000 being awarded for the design competition and $29,000 for the development competition. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner. Additionally each component winner will be paid the normal component prize money.
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.
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 the title sponsor. 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. 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 EST on Friday, March 24, 2006:
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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