Rules

The 2012 TopCoder Open Mod Dash Competition will take place online between October 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 (“Mod Dash Competition”). The Mod Dash Competitions will take place in three (3) online periods leading up to the onsite finals which will be held at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, USA September 30 – October 4, 2012. Up to four (4) of the highest scoring Competitors in an online period will win a trip to the 2012 TCO at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, USA September 30 – October 4, 2012. Competitors are only eligible to win one trip in the Mod Dash Competition of the 2012 TCO and if the Competitor has already won a trip the Mod Dash Competition, the next highest scoring competitor will win the trip.

The Mod Dash Competition is part of the Tournament, and by participating in this Mod Dash Competition, you agree to these rules.

Schedule

Competitors can register for the Tournament and be eligible to participate in the Mod Dash Competition between 9:00 UTC -4 on October 24, 2011 and 9:00 UTC -4 on June 30, 2012. Competitors do not need to register separately for the Mod Dash Competition or for any Mod Dash Competition period. The online portion of the Mod Dash Competition will take place between October 24, 2011 and June 30, 2012, broken into three (3) periods (each a “Period” and collectively, the “Mod Dash Competition Period”). Any submissions to Mod Dash Competitions that are received after 9:00 UTC -4 on June 30, 2012 will not count towards the Mod Dash Competition.

During the Mod Dash Competition Period, Competitors who have registered for the Tournament no later than June 30, 2012 and who participate in Tournament-eligible Mod Dash competitions on the TopCoder website, will receive points as outlined in the rules for each such competition. A Competitor’s submission will not be scored separately for the Mod Dash Competition. Only Tournament-eligible Mod Dash competitions in which registration has closed during the first two (2) Periods shall be included in determining points for the Mod Dash Competition. For the final Period, only Tournament-eligible Mod Dash competitions which have ended during the Period shall be included in determining points for the Mod Dash Competition.

Competition Scoring

Scoring in the Mod Dash Competition and each Period is determined based on the amount of points earned in a Tournament-eligible Mod Dash competition in accordance with the rules of each such competition. A Mod Dash competition is Tournament-eligible if the competition is identified as being included as part of the Tournament. Only Competitors who are registered for the Tournament will earn points towards the Mod Dash Competition.

Upon the completion of all Tournament-eligible Mod Dash competitions in a Period, the individual scores that a Competitor receives during that Period will be added for a cumulative score. Up to four (4) Competitors with the highest cumulative score during that Period greater than zero will advance to the Onsite Championship Round (“Onsite Mod Dash Competitors”).

In the event of a tie to determine which Competitor(s) placement in a Period, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

1. The Competitor who competed in the most Tournament-eligible Mod Dash competitions in the Period will advance.
2. If a tie remains, the Competitor who achieved the tied score first chronologically will advance.

Onsite Championship Rounds

Please note all competition rounds here include 30 minute set up time

During each round of the Onsite Championship, Onsite Mod Dash Competitors will be presented with series of problems and/or tasks for the Onsite Mod Dash Competitor to perform, including bug fixes, enhancements, test case generation, etc. All Onsite Mod Dash Competitors will compete on the same task, and the first Onsite Mod Dash Competitor to successfully complete the task will win the points for that task.

All Onsite Mod Dash Competitors will then move on to compete on the next task. This process will continue until there are no more tasks, or the Round ends. A general description of the technology, complexity and application profile for each Championship Round will be posted on the TopCoder website and/or distributed to the Onsite Mod Dash Competitors prior to the Start of each Championship Round. Placement will be determined by adding the point totals of each Competitor upon conclusion of all of the Championship Rounds together and comparing them.

In the event of a tie to determine which Competitor places higher during the Onsite Championship Rounds, the Onsite Mod Dash Competitor who achieves their score during the Onsite Championship Rounds in the lowest cumulative time will be ranked higher. To determine the cumulative time, only the time elapsed in completing each task during a round in which the Onsite Mod Dash Competitor won points will be considered.

About The Prizes

The Mod Competition will award up to twelve (12) trips to the 2012 TCO and up to $13,100 in cash prizes to the Onsite Mod Dash Competitors in accordance with the following table:

* Prize will be awarded after the conclusion of the Championship Round. The winner must be present at the onsite Awards Presentation to receive prize.

Prior to Onsite Mod Dash Competitors receiving their cash prize, they must complete all work for all underlying Mod Dash competitions and Tournament and Mod Dash Competition-related work.