Participation
The 2009 contest series will be implemented in two phases. Phase 1 begins on April 6, 2009 and ends July 3 2009. Phase 2 begins on August 24, 2009 and ends November 20, 2009. Each phase consists of 6 separate problems. Contestants may choose to participate in one or more problem sets. Each problem will be announced every 2nd Monday after the first problem is posted within the phase. Each problem will be open for participation for 19 days. Entries must be received by Midnight on Friday of the 3rd consecutive week after the problem is revealed. Prizes for individual problems will be given for points scored on both a solution code and solution write-up. The grand prize winner for each phase will be awarded to the participant with the highest cumulative point total of 3 or fewer problems and write-ups within that phase.
To Enter
The contest requires participants to solve a programming problem, submit their code for judging (your "Solution") and complete a write-up on their work (collectively "contribution"). To enter you must register for the contest here. You will be asked to enter contact information so that Intel can contact you for contest announcements and prize distribution. Your contact information will be treated in accordance with Intel's privacy policy which you can review here. For some of the problems you may need to download initial code / files to help you solve the programming problem. When you are ready to submit your Solution, go here, and upload your contest entry in electronic format.
By uploading your Solution, you agree to be bound by the contest rules.
If you do not agree to the above terms, do not submit your contest entry.
Solutions must be received by 12 midnight (U.S. Pacific Time) of the Friday of the 3rd week after the problem is announced to be eligible for judging for that specific problem. New problems will be announced every 2nd Monday (starting on August 24, 2009 for Phase 2). Go here to see Phase 2 calender deadlines.
All contributions must be the participant's original creation. The content of the contributions must not be subject to the rights of any third parties, other than Intel. The contributions may not be offensive or otherwise unsuitable for use, as determined in Intel's sole discretion. Participants must comply with Intel® Threading Challenge 2009 Official Rules, the Intel Terms of Use and the Intel Privacy Policy.
Any submission of robotic, automatic, or programmed entries, or any entries submitted through other unapproved methods are void.
Prizes, Criteria, and Odds
Participants can submit Solutions to one or more problems during each phase. There will be points awarded for each Solution to a problem and the solution write-up, according to the following criteria:
0 - 100 points for solving a problem
- Efficiency/Speed - See Test System Configuration Here
**NOTE: Code submitted must be source code and build environment (VS solution and project files, makefiles, other instructions). If "non-standard" environment or external libraries are needed, entrant must provide these with entry or link for download by judges.
0 - 50 points for solution write-up which includes (must be submitted in English);
- description of the problem to be solved, which may include description of the serial algorithm, and input/output format - 10 point maximum
- parallel algorithm description , which may include the method used for threading and why it was chosen, any changes to the serial algorithm necessary, special languages/threading used, insights (some "Aha" moment) that led to the solution going from serial to parallel, problems encountered and how they were solved, etc. - 30 point maximum
- performance achieved/expected - 10 point maximum
**Example write-up here
5 bonus points for each valid post / reply in the problem set discussion forum will be awarded during each problem set time period (19 days). A maximum of 25 bonus points will be awarded for this criterion in an individual problem.
Only one (1) Solution and write-up per problem is allowed for each individual. Editing and refining a Solution until the problem is declared closed is allowed. The individual with the highest number of points at the end of the problem judging period will receive one (1) $100 (one hundred US dollars) Visa gift card.
A grand prize will be awarded at the end of each phase to the individual with the highest number of cumulative points from 3 of 6 problems within that phase. No points will be carried over from Phase 1 to Phase 2. The grand prize, a Netbook (valued at approximately $350.00 US dollars), will be awarded to the individual with the highest number of cumulative points from the 3 highest scored problems within the current contest phase.
Except to the extent any of these prizes are prohibited by local law substitute prize of equal or greater value will be awarded.
All winners may get their work profiled on the Intel® Software Network site. Odds of winning the series will be determined by both the number of problems solved and the quality of each solution. If a participant submits multiple Solutions for a single problem set under different user names, the Solution with the latest date and time stamp will be considered his / her official entry.
Selection of Winner
Approximately 1 - 2 weeks following the submission deadline for a problem, the winner for each problem set will be announced. The winner will be the individual with the highest point total for the problem, based on the above stated criteria. All decisions by the judges will be final. The winner will be notified by phone, e-mail or post within seven days of the selection. All prizes will be awarded within six weeks of the date the competition closes. Submission of the Solution constitutes permission to use the winner's name and/or likeness on the Web site for advertising/trade purposes without further compensation. Entrants may be required to sign an affidavit of compliance with these rules, a prize release, and a release for the use of his/her name, likeness or voice for publicity purposes by Intel. If prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if potential winner fails to claim or accept prize within five calendar days of notification, disqualification may result and an alternate winner may be selected. A list of winners will be posted on the contest page and will be available no later than 2 weeks after winner selection.
Within 30 days of the closing of the final problem winner for each phase, the grand prize winner for phase 1 and for phase 2 will be announced. The winner will be the individual with the highest cumulative point totals of the three highest scoring entries within each phase (1&2), based on the above stated criteria. Points from Phase 1 will not be carried over to Phase 2 of the challenge. All the winning solutions and write-ups will be posted on the above-mentioned website and will be available approximately two weeks after each winner has been selected.
Legal Documents
Intel® Threading Challenge 2009
Intel® Threading Challenge 2009 Contest Rules
1. These rules (including the Intel Privacy Policy and the www.intel.com Terms of Use) govern the Intel® Threading Challenge 2009 contest (the "contest") and set out the terms and conditions between Intel Corporation and its affiliates ("Intel" or "us/we") and each participant ("participant" or "you").
2. You are eligible to participate in the contest if you have registered for the contest.
3. You must speak, read and understand English and you must be aged 18 years or over or you must obtain the consent of your parents or legal guardian before you participate in the contest. If you apply to register for the contest, if you contribute to the contest or the Intel® SN community once you are registered or if you accept any contest prizes, you accept these rules. Employees of Intel Corporation, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and the immediate families of each may not enter. This limitation is void where prohibited.
4. The contest is open to participants worldwide. All national and local laws and regulations of the resident's country of residence apply. Residents of countries under U.S. embargo are not eligible to enter. The contest is void wherever else it is restricted or prohibited by law.
5. We may refuse your contribution for any good reason.
6. Intel provides you with access to a variety of resources on Intel® SN, including communication forums, documentation, download areas, code samples, videos, blogs, articles and contests (the "resources").
7. You agree to submit contributions to the contest on www.intel.com/software under the following conditions:
a. Intel does not claim ownership of your contributions to the contest in form of sample code, content, videos, articles or any other contributions you submit to Intel® SN. By submitting your contributions, you are granting Intel and its affiliated companies the following worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, unconditional, fully paid-up rights: (1) to make, have made, use, copy, reproduce, modify, and create derivative works of the contributions, (2) to publicly perform or display, import, broadcast, transmit, distribute (directly and indirectly through multiple tiers), license, offer to sell and sell, rent, lease, or lend copies of the contributions (and derivative works thereof), (3) to sublicense to third parties the foregoing rights, including the right to sublicense to further third parties, and (4) to publish your name or alias in connection with this contest and your contributions.
b. Your contributions to the contest will be available to other participants and to ensure they are safe and freely usable by other participants, you warrant that:
**you own or otherwise have all rights necessary for you to provide the contributions and grant the rights described above and you do not disclose any information which would constitute a violation of a confidentiality obligation;
**your contributions do not contain any viruses, worms, spy ware, or other components or instructions that are malicious, deceptive, or designed to limit or harm the functionality of a computer; and
**your contributions are not subject to license terms that require any software or documentation incorporating or being derived from your contributions to be licensed to others.
c. Apart from prizes offered as part of the contest, no monetary compensation will be paid for any of your contest contributions.
8. Intel is not responsible for contest entries not received due to lost, failed, delayed or interrupted connections or miscommunications, or other electronic malfunctions. Intel is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information, whether caused by you or any other persons or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the contest.
9. You must provide Intel a Taxpayer Identification Number ("TIN") prior to the awarding of any prize. You may be required to sign and return releases of liability, declarations of eligibility, and where lawful, publicity consent agreements, within five (5) days of acknowledged notification. If a selected potential winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible (under these rules or due to a failure to comply with any of the other applicable policies, licenses, rules, and terms of service, fails to claim a prize, or fails to timely return the completed and executed releases/agreements as required), prize may be forfeited and an alternate potential winner may, at Intel's discretion, be selected. Physical prizes awarded for the winning contributions will be sent to participants within six (6) weeks from the date of the notification email or confirmation of the winning participant's physical address, whichever is later.
10. Prizes are personal to the participant submitting the winning contribution and cannot normally be transferred. All prizes are subject to availability and they may change at any time and Intel may award substitute prizes of equal or greater value. A cash alternative is not available. The winner accepts responsibility for all federal, state and local taxes and fees in connection with the prizes. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winning participant, and participants may be issued an IRS Form 1099 for the ARV of any awarded prize. This contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law, and subject to applicable federal, state provincial and local laws.
11. Intel does not provide any warranty on the prizes. To the fullest extent allowable by law, Intel specifically disclaims any representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the prizes, including any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose and implied warranties arising from course of dealing or course of performance.
12. We may, on notifying you, immediately suspend or terminate your rights, if you breach these rules or if we reasonably believe that you have submitted a contribution in violation of these rules.
13. You can withdraw your contribution at any time by notifying us. If a contribution is withdrawn your rights to win a prize in this contest are lost.
14. These rules apply to your contribution and the resources, unless we provide any items to you under more specific terms, in which case those more specific terms will apply to the relevant items. We may make changes to these rules at any time without notice to you. The most current version of the rules can be reviewed on the Intel® SN website. Contributing to the contest or accepting prizes will constitute acceptance of the revised rules.
15. Our only responsibilities with respect to the contest are set out in these rules. These rules prevail in the event of any conflict or inconsistency with any other communications, including advertising or promotional materials.
16. For any feedback or questions regarding the contest or the prizes you can contact Intel by participating in the Contest Forum or sending an email to isn.support@intel.com.
17. If Intel improperly denies you any prizes, Intel's entire liability and your sole and exclusive remedy will be limited to a distribution of the equivalent amount of prizes as set forth above. By participating in the contest, you waive any and all rights to bring any claim or action related to such matters in any forum beyond one (1) year after the first occurrence of the kind of act, event, condition or omission upon which the claim or action is based.
18. If for any reason this contest is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Intel which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, Intel reserves the right at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry or voting process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest.
19. Intel assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries. Intel is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or telephone lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by Intel on account of technical problems, human error or traffic congestion on the internet or at any web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer relating to or resulting from participation in this contest or downloading any materials in this contest.
20. The promoter of this contest is Intel. The contest is administered by:
Intel Corporation
2200 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95052
USA