Rules

The 2010 TopCoder Open Development Competition (“Development Competition”) will take place between March 29 and July 30, 2010. The Development Competition will include the following tracks of competition: Assembly, Component Development, Prototypes and Testing Suites. The Development Competition will consist of online qualifying competitions, with up to fifteen (15) of the highest scoring Competitors from the Development Competition winning a trip to the Tournament. The Development 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 Development Competition between 9:00 UTC -4 on March 29, 2010 and 9:00 UTC -4 on July 30, 2010. The Development Competition will take place between March 29, 2010 and July 30, 2010 (“Development Competition Period”).

During the Development Competition Period, Competitors who have registered for the Development Competition and who participate in Tournament-eligible Development competitions (as applicable) on the TopCoder website, will receive points as outlined in these Rules. A Competitor’s submission will not be scored separately for the Development Competition. Only Tournament-eligible Development competitions in which registration has closed during the Development Competition Period shall be included in determining points for the Development Competition.

Competition Scoring

Scoring in the Development Competition is determined based on the final placement for a Competitor’s submission in a Tournament-eligible Development competition (as applicable) in accordance with the rules of such competition. A Development 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 considered in determining place and placement points. Placement scoring mirrors the Digital Run placement scoring, and is as follows (where Placement Points for a contest equal the number of DR points that contest offers). (Scores will be rounded to two decimal places.)

Percentage of Placement Points

# of Submissions that Pass Review:

If more than five (5) submissions pass review, the competitors who place in 6th position or below will not receive any placement points.

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

Up to fifteen (15) Competitors with the highest cumulative placement score in the Development Competition in Tournament-eligible competitions will be invited to attend the onsite awards ceremony at the Tournament.

In the event of a tie, 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 Development Competition.
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 Development Competition.
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 Development Competition.
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 Development Competition.
5. If a tie still remains, then all remaining tied competitors will receive the same placement.

About the Prizes

The Development Competition will award up to $30,250. 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 Development competitions and Tournament and Development Competition-related work, such as final fixes.