Rules

The 2012 TopCoder Open Design Competition (“Design Competition”) will take place between October 24, 2011 and June 30, 2012. The Design Competition will take place in three (3) online periods. The Design Competition will include the following tracks of competition: Architecture, Component Design, Conceptualization, Specification, and Testing Scenarios. The Design Competition will consist of online qualifying competitions, with up to four (4) of the highest scoring Competitors from each of the online periods winning a trip to the Tournament 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 Design Competition of the 2012 TCO and if the Competitor has already won a trip the Design Competition, the next highest scoring competitor will win the trip.

The Design Competition is part of the Tournament, and by participating in the competition, you agree to these rules.

Schedule

Competitors can register for the Tournament and be eligible for the Design Competition between 9:00 UTC -4 on October 24, 2011 and 9:00 UTC -4 on June 30, 2012. The Design Competition will take place in three periods (each a “Period”) between October 24, 2011 and June 30, 2012 (“Design Competition Period”).

During each Period, Competitors who have registered for the Tournament and who participate in Tournament-eligible design competitions (as applicable) on the TopCoder website, will receive points for that Period as outlined in these Rules. Competitors must be registered for the Tournament prior to registering for the Tournament-eligible design competitions in order to receive points. A Competitor’s submission will not be scored separately for the Design Competition. Only Tournament-eligible design competitions in which registration has opened during the three (3) Periods shall be included in determining points for the Design Competition for that Period.

Competition Scoring

Scoring in the Design Competition is determined based on the final placement for a Competitor’s submission in a Tournament-eligible design competition (as applicable) in accordance with the rules of such competition. A design 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 be eligible for the placement points.

Placement scoring mirrors the Digital Run placement scoring, and is as follows (where Placement Points for a contest equal the first place prize that contest offers).

(Scores will be rounded to two decimal places.)

Upon the completion of all Tournament-eligible Design Competitions, the individual scores that a Competitor receives during all Periods will be added for a cumulative score.

Percentage of Placement Points

# of Submissions that Pass Review:

Penalties

All final fixes will be completed according to the applicable schedule. On a case-by-case basis, as determined by TopCoder staff, placement points may be deducted for failing to complete final fixes on time.

Placement/Advancement

Each Period, up to four (4) Competitors with the highest cumulative placement score in the Design Competition in Tournament-eligible competitions for that Period will be invited to attend the onsite awards ceremony at the Tournament.

In the event of a tie for a Period, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

1. The tied competitor with the highest number of first place submissions will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition for that Period.
2. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied competitor with the highest number of second place submissions will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition for that Period.
3. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied competitor with the highest number of third place submissions will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition for that Period.
4. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied competitor with the highest number of fourth place submissions will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition for that Period.
5. If a tie still remains, then all remaining tied competitors will receive the same placement.

In the event of a tie for prize money, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

1. The tied competitor with the highest number of first place submissions across the Design Competition Period will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition.
2. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied competitor with the highest number of second place submissions across the Design Competition Period will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition.
3. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied competitor with the highest number of third place submissions across the Design Competition Period will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition.
4. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied competitor with the highest number of fourth place submissions across the Design Competition Period will receive a higher placement in the Design Competition.
5. If a tie still remains, then all remaining tied competitors will receive the same placement.

About the Prizes

The cash prizes will be awarded to the top 12 Competitors based on their cumulative placement score for all three Periods of the Design Competition. If a Competitor wins a cash prize for the Design Competition but has not won a trip in a Period, then TopCoder will award a trip to such Competitor. The Design Competition will award up to $23,600. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner.

* Prize will be awarded during the onsite Awards Presentation at the Tournament. The winner must be present at the onsite Awards Presentation to receive prize

Prior to Competitors receiving their cash prize, they must complete all work for all underlying design competitions and Tournament and Design Competition-related work, such as final fixes.