Do you have exceptional programming skills? Can you make computers perform like silicon puppets with just a few well-expressed commands? Are you at ease when faced with a hard stop and a group of peers evaluating every line of your code? Here�s your opportunity to display the grace of the true professional in a reward-rich environment.

Google is looking for engineers with the programming skill to rewrite the world's information infrastructure. The Google Code Jam 2003 is one way we hope to find them. While we don't impose arbitrary deadlines on our engineers, we do put a premium on well-implemented code. And we appreciate the thought process required to create it. In fact, we appreciate clear thinking in all its forms, from puzzle solving to chess mastery (one of our interns was an International Grand Master).

Say it your way

Use Java, C++, C# or VB.NET. Pick any of these programming languages to code your solutions. All are acceptable and none is given an advantage.

How it works

Download the Google Code Jam 2003 Online Round Competition Manual here.

The tournament is a timed contest where all participants compete online to solve the same problems under the same time constraints. Here�s the line-by-line documentation:

Download the Arena
The TopCoder® Competition Arena (a Java Applet) is where you begin. Download the app, read the problem statements, then code solutions, compile and test those solutions and submit the code for points. You can download the arena ahead of time to work on sample problems prior to the competition.

Coding Phase
At the designated date and time, competitors enter the Arena and are placed in groups of ten into virtual rooms. All participants are presented with the same set of three problems of escalating difficulty. In a race to see who can create an accurate solution in the shortest amount of time, competitors try to out-think and out-code their opponents. The Leader Board tallies the points during each step of the competition.

Challenge Phase
During the Challenge Phase, competitors view each other's code and try to "break'" that code by passing test cases through the submitted code, with the hope that the results are not satisfied by the software written. Breaking another developer's code is the most direct form of competition for a programmer. In this phase, points are awarded for successful challenges and deducted for unsuccessful challenges.

System Tests
Within minutes of the end of the Challenge Phase, the automated, objective system tests determine the accuracy of all submissions and award final points to all competitors. The assessment of your performance and presentation of stats is nearly instantaneous, as is the gratification of knowing how you did against a competitive field.

Registration for the Google Code Jam 2003 opens on October 1st and ends on October 15th, 2003. Registration is unlimited, but only the top 500 scorers from the Qualification Round will advance to Round 1 of the Code Jam 2003 on October 24th.

The competitors with the top 250 scores from Round 1 will advance to Round 2 on October 27th. The top 25 performers in Round 2 will be invited to compete for cash prizes in the Championship Round onsite at the Googleplex (Mountain View, CA) on November 14th.

Date	Time*	Status
Wednesday, October 1	8:00 AM	Registration Opens
Wednesday, October 15	5:00 PM	Registration Closes
Friday, October 17	8:00 AM	Qualification Round begins
Monday, October 20	8:00 AM	Qualification Round ends
Friday, October 24	9:00 PM	Round 1 - 500 participants
Monday, October 27	9:00 PM	Round 2 - 250 participants
Friday, November 14	4:00 PM	Championship Round - 25 participants
*All times are Eastern Time

The 500 participants in Round 1 will receive a "Google Code Jam 2003" t-shirt. The top four scorers in the Championship Round will receive the following cash prizes:

1st Place - $10,000
2nd Place - $5,000
3rd Place - $3,500
4th Place - $1,250

To find out more detailed information about the Google Code Jam 2003, including a list of the prizes, please read the Terms and Conditions.