Rules

Have Fun

This event was organized with students in mind. Similar events in the past have had very positive feedback from participants. If at any point in the day you're not having fun, take a break, and let the organizers know. Don't let the competition prevent you from enjoying the puzzles.

Eligibility

This contest is open to all:

Undergraduate and graduate Students, at a participating college
Recent Alumni who have graduated from a participating college less than one year before the date of the event

Participants should bring their college–issued student identification as proof of eligibility. Computer science, computer engineering, and mathematics students are especially encouraged to take part in the event, but students from all disciplines may participate.

Participating Schools

This year, eligible candidates from 24 schools are invitied to participate.

School	Location of Event
Boston College	At Microsoft Cambridge Office
Boston University	At Microsoft Cambridge Office
Brown University	At Microsoft Cambridge Office
Carnegie Mellon University	On Campus
Columbia University	On Campus
Cornell University	On Campus
George Mason University	At Microsoft DC Office
George Washington University	At Microsoft DC Office
Georgetown University	At Microsoft DC Office
Georgia Institute of Technology	On Campus
Howard University	At Microsoft DC Office
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	On Campus
Northeastern University	At Microsoft Cambridge Office
Rochester Institute of Technology	On Campus
Stanford University	On Campus
Texas A&M	On Campus
University of Florida	On Campus
University of Illinois (UC)	On Campus
University of Maryland	At Microsoft DC Office
University of Michigan	On Campus
University of Texas	On Campus
University of Toronto	On Campus
University of Washington	On Campus
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	At Microsoft Cambridge Office

Teams

Teams must be comprised of four (4) eligible participants. Teams must register on this website once registration is available, confirm their registration via email when asked to do so. On the day of the event, teams must be checked in by College Puzzle Challenge organizers at their school.

Equipment

Teams will need at least one computer with access to the internet and email. Participants may bring their own laptops or use machines available in their work area. Participants are encouraged to bring their own office supplies, including scissors, tape, and transparencies or tracing paper. Participants may also use any resources and references, printed or online. Participants are not allowed to converse with other teams or persons on solving puzzles, nor interfere with the progress of others. Teams found collaborating or being disruptive will be disqualified.

Contest Period

The contest begins on Saturday November 8, 2008 at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) and continues until November 9, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST for a total duration of 12 hours. All participants from each team must be present for check-in at the designated contest location 30 minutes before the start time in order to be eligible to compete. After the event, there will be a wrap up session where College Puzzle Challenge organizers will present puzzle solution and award prizes. Attendance at this portion is optional, though winners must be present to claim their awards. With the exception of the Grand Prize, which will be mailed to the winning team, any prizes not claimed onsite will be forfeited.

Contest Location

Each of the participating universities will have a designated location on campus for contest activities including organization and pre-event briefing. Teams will be provided with a suitable area in which to work on the puzzles, but they are encouraged to work in a private room or other area. Teams working outside of the designated area must remain physically accessible to the on-site College Puzzle Challenge organizers. Details regarding the specific locations at each school will be provided to confirmed teams by email before the event. Participants are generally not limited to staying in one location for the duration of the contest, and may move about or leave to take a break, get food, etc.

Format

Packets of puzzles will be distributed to all teams over the course of the contest as determined by the organizers. Puzzles will be distributed simultaneously across all participating schools. No team will be held up at any time by having completed all of the puzzles provided so far (unless there aren't any more!)

The answer to all puzzles, including the Meta-Puzzle, is a word or short phrase. Teams must submit answers to Puzzle Central, the designated clearinghouse of contest officials, via the "Puzzles" link in the "My Team" section of this website. If an answer is deemed correct by the judges at Puzzle Central, the team is scored as having solved it at the time of submission (Puzzle Completion Time), and a confirmation message is sent back via email. Teams which do not receive an acknowledgement within 30 minutes after submission should follow up as to its status.

Throughout the contest, participants will be able to access a scoreboard via a browser detailing their current rank and progress, and general statistics about the overall positions of all teams. These figures are updated and maintained by Puzzle Central, but may not be precisely up-to-date or accurate.

Teams may not obtain answers to puzzles except by their own collective brainpower. If the legitimacy of any answer is in doubt, Puzzle Central may, at its sole discretion, require full solutions for a puzzle from a team in order for points to be awarded.

None of the puzzles will require participants to do anything illegal, immoral, unsafe, or that would cause campus security to be concerned. If ever in doubt, please ask on-site College Puzzle Challenge organizers.

Scoring

A team's score is determined by the following:

Solving the Meta-Puzzle. The Meta-Puzzle is a puzzle whose solution is dependant on the completion of other puzzles. All teams which which correctly solve the Meta-Puzzle are ranked, in order of Completion Time, above those which have not solved the Meta-Puzzle.
Accumulation of points, for those that have not solved the Meta-Puzzle. 10 points are awarded for every puzzle solved. Teams who have not solved the Meta-Puzzle are ranked according to their point total.

Determination of Winners

There will be one Grand Prize Winner, awarded to the highest ranked team according to the above scoring rules. In addition, First, Second, and Third Prizes will be awarded at each of the participating universities to the next three highest ranked teams (not including the Grand Prize Winners).

Prizes

Each of the four members of the Grand Prize winning teams will receive a grand prize, courtesy of Microsoft. Each member of the First, Second, and Third Place team at each location will be awarded a prize.

Prize	Description	USD Market Value
Grand Prize	Xbox 360 and Rock Band 2 Special Edition	$589.98
First Place at each location	$100 Best Buy gift card	$100.00
Second Place at each location	$50 Best Buy gift card	$50.00
Third Place at each location	$25 Best Buy gift card	$25.00
Honorable Mention	One of the following: Windows Vista Ultimate Viva Pinata 2 Halo 3 Mass Effect Office Home and Student 2007 Mac Office 2008 Streets and Trips Hey Genius T-Shirt	$269.65 $30.39 $45.60 $45.60 $118.00 $320.00 $31.58 $10.00

If you are selected as a winner:

You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services;
You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to the next-highest scoring winner;
Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner.

Sponsor

The Sponsor of this contest is Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052

Additional Terms & Conditions

Entrants agree to abide by these rules and the decisions of organizers and judges, which are final and binding. College Puzzle Challenge organizers reserve the right to amend the rules at any time.

By participating, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Microsoft, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, representatives, successors, assigns and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this contest or any prize won.

If cheating, a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Prize Draw. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest. If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Contests, so please play fairly.

College Puzzle Challenge Rules