Rules

The 2011 TopCoder Open Studio Design Competition will take place between March 21 and September 28, 2011 (“Studio Design Competition”). The Studio Design Competition will consist of online qualifying competitions, with up to ten (10) of the highest scoring Competitors winning a trip to the Tournament to compete in the Onsite Championship.

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

Schedule

Competitors can register for the Tournament and be eligible to participate in the Studio Design Competition between 9:00 UTC -4 on March 21, 2011 and 9:00 UTC -4 on July 15, 2011. Competitors do not need to register separately for the Studio Design Competition. The Competitions will take place between March 21, 2011 and September 28, 2011 (“Studio Design Competition Period”).

During the Studio Design Competition Period, Competitors who have registered for the Tournament no later than July 15, 2011 and who participate in Tournament-eligible Studio competitions on the TopCoder Studio website, will receive points as outlined in these Rules. A Competitor’s submission will not be scored separately for the Studio Design Competition. Only Tournament-eligible Studio contests in which registration has closed during the Studio Design Competition Period shall be included in determining points for the Studio Design Competition.

8:30

12:00

14:30

18:00

14:30

18:00

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

All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT UTC -4).

In the event that an Onsite Round may not be held at the designated time for any reason, the round will be begin the following day at the same time and will continue for the same duration.

Competition Scoring

Scoring in the Studio Design Competition is determined based on the final placement for a Competitor’s submission in a Tournament-eligible Studio competition on the TopCoder Studio website in accordance with the rules of such competition. A Studio competition is Tournament-eligible if the competition is identified as being included as part of the Tournament. All submissions will proceed through Studio screening policies. Submissions that fail screening will not be eligible for placement points in the Studio Design Competition. Only Competitors who are registered for the Tournament will be considered in determining place and placement points. Placement scoring is as follows:

• Highest Scoring Registered Competitor – 11 Points
• Second Highest Scoring Registered Competitor – 9 Points
• Third Highest Scoring Registered Competitor – 7 points
• Fourth Highest Scoring Registered Competitor – 4 Points
• Fifth Highest Scoring Registered Competitor – 1 Point

Advancement

Upon the completion of all Tournament-eligible Studio contests, all of the individual placement scores that a Competitor receives during the Studio Design Competition Period will be added for a cumulative placement score. Up to ten (10) Competitors with the highest cumulative placement score during the Studio Design Competition Period will advance to the Onsite Championship (“Onsite Studio Competitors”).

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

1. The tied Competitor who has the most 1st place submissions in Tournament-eligible Studio contests shall advance.
2. If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied Competitor who has the most 2nd place submissions in Tournament-eligible Studio contests shall advance.
3. If a tie still remains, then all remaining tied Competitors will advance.

Example

In order to break the tie, each of the tied Competitor’s placements will be compared to determine who has more 1st place submissions in Tournament-eligible contests.

Competitor #1: Number of 1st Places = 12
Competitor #2: Number of 1st Places = 10
In this example, Competitor #1 would advance.

If a tie still exists after comparing the number of first place wins for each competitor (if both competitors have the same number of first place wins), the competitor with the highest number of second place wins will advance. For example:

Competitor #1: 1st Place Wins = 12, 2nd Place Wins = 10
Competitor #2: 1st Place Wins = 12, 2nd Place Wins = 7
In this example, Competitor #1 would advance.

Onsite Rounds

The Semifinal and Championship Rounds

There will be two Semifinal Rounds to determine who will advance to the Championship Round.

Each Semifinal Round will be a single round with up to five (5) Onsite Studio Competitors. Up to three (3) of the highest placing Onsite Studio Competitors during each Semifinal Round will advance to the Championship Round.

The Championship Round will be a single round with up to six (6) Onsite Studio Competitors. The Competitors who have advanced to the Championship Round will be announced during lunch on Tuesday, September 26, 2011.

The winner of the Studio Design Competition will be the Onsite Studio Competitor with the highest placement from the Championship Round. Only the placements from the Championship Round will be used for placement.

Each round of the Onsite Championship will be judged by the Studio Design Competition judging team which may consist of a combination of Studio staff members, guest judges from the graphic design/usability industry, and/or employees of sponsors of the Tournament. Judges will score each design on elements such as color, imagery, composition, typography, composition, originality/uniqueness, and practicality/effectiveness.

During each Onsite Round, each Onsite Studio Competitor will be presented with the same design challenge. Onsite Studio Competitors will receive competition documentation (ex: Contest Specification Document) fifteen (15) minutes before each Round begins. Each Onsite Round will last three (3) hours.

Onsite Studio Competitors must use the workstation provided by TopCoder. This workstation will include a PC and the following:

• Windows XP
• Adobe® Creative Suite® 3 Design Premium
• The open-source graphic programs GIMP and InkScape
• 7-Zip
• A sketchpad, pencils and pencil sharpener
• Limited Internet access to TopCoder Studio. TopCoder reserves the right to allow access to a color reference site and/or stock photography site under specific directions found within the Round requirements.

Onsite Studio Competitors 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.
• Electronic translator
• Music player and headphones

Onsite Studio Competitors may access their workstations thirty (30) minutes before the beginning of each Onsite Round, during which time they may configure the workspace and programs.Design work of any kind (including sketching) is prohibited prior to the Start of each Onsite Round.

Onsite Studio Competitors may not bring or use any other materials (including flash disks, magazines, or sketches). Keyboards and reference materials must be given to TopCoder for review and evaluation at least one (1) hour before each Onsite Round begins. The keyboards and books may be disqualified from use for any reason or no reason at TopCoder’s sole discretion.

TopCoder reserves the right, at any point in the Onsite Rounds, to confiscate any materials an Onsite Studio Competitor has at their workstation that TopCoder deems inappropriate for any reason or no reason and/or disqualify the Onsite Studio Competitor. TopCoder reserves the right to allow or refuse an Onsite Studio Competitor a limited extension of time (no more than 10 minutes) to upload their submission due to technical difficulties during an Onsite Round.

About the Prizes

The Studio Competition will award up to $30,000 in cash prizes. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner.

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