CONTEST RULES:

RESTRICTIONS

Internet access and the use of cell phones and calculators are prohibited. The use of AI tools, including offline AI models and AI coding assistants, is also prohibited. Any violation of these rules will result in immediate disqualification of that person's entire team.

MATERIALS

Contestants are allowed to bring any printed materials to the contest, including information packets, sample programs and textbooks. No electronic media are allowed. Participants may bring pencils, pens, and blank scratch paper.

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Each team will use a programming language to solve the problems. Each team is free to choose a programming language. However, each team must inform the judges what programming language to use, before the contest. Available programming languages are C, C++, Java, and Python. To use other programming language a contestant must tell the judges at least one week before the contest. Please contact Prof. Fischbach at jafischbach@widener.edu

COMPUTERS

Each team may use one computer during the contest. If your team is using a laptop, you may only have one laptop in use. You may switch out the laptop during the contest if necessary, but you may not be using multiple laptops at once. If you do not bring a laptop, your team will be assigned one PC to use during the contest. Instructions on computer usage, if needed, will be given during the contestants meeting preceding the contest.

No computer storage media or devices will be allowed in the computer lab (please communicate with the judges before the contest if you need to bring a storage device because of certain circumstances). All code must be entered using the keyboard. (e.g. You may not use code found on a webpage, even if you wrote the code).

MONITORS

Faculty and/or student monitors will be available to assist team members. The monitors will answer questions concerning computer usage and contest procedures but will not answer any questions regarding logic, language syntax, or problem interpretation.

PROBLEMS

When the contest begins, each team will be given a set of programming problems to solve. Team members may work on these problems in any order and in any manner they choose. There will be exactly two hours to work on the solutions.

TESTING

Each team may RUN their programs using their own test data files (if needed) as many times as they wish. We urge you to use the sample data provided with each problem statement, but do not assume that because your program works with the sample data that it will work with the actual contest test data. Test your programs very carefully before submitting them for judging.  

RESUBMISSION

If you submit a program that fails, you are allowed ONE resubmission for each problem. You may not submit a solution to any problem more than twice.

PROGRAMS

The following conventions must be observed when creating programs:

• All data input will be entered via standard input. Submitted programs will be checked with specific evaluation data entered by a judge.

JUDGING OF PROGRAMS

Judging of submitted programs will be done on the spot (i.e. as the team finishes a program the team should tell the judge. The judge will test the program to determine whether the program works correctly/incorrectly)

QUESTIONS

Teams may ask questions only about possible errors or ambiguities in problem statements. Judges will not provide hints, help with solutions, or answer questions that could reveal how to solve a problem. Judges may decline to answer any question. Any necessary clarifications will be shared with all teams

TIME OF EXECUTION

When the contest judges are executing a program using the official contest data, a solution will be judged to be incorrect if it does not execute in less than 1 minute.

TIMING (THIS PART WILL BE MODIFIED, IF NECESSARY)

Time is essential. If you have finished a problem, please submit it as soon as possible, since the submission time will be recorded. Say, there are seven problems that you could finish in 2.5 hours. You waited for two hours to submit them simultaneousy. The total time that will be recorded will be equal to 7 X 2.5 hours = 17.5 hours.

STANDINGS

Teams will be ranked according to the number of problems they complete correctly. For example, a team that completes 7 problems correctly will finish ahead of a team that completes 6 problems correctly.

In the event of a tie, the teams that tied will be ranked according to the total accumulated time taken by each team. Accumulated time is measured as follows: For each problem submitted correctly, the time from the start of the contest to the submition of the problem is calculated and added to the team's total accumulated time. For example, if two teams complete the same number of problems, the team that has an accumulated time of 100 minutes would be ranked ahead of the team that has an accumulated time of 120 minutes.

PRIZES

Winners will be awarded after the lunch.