RULES

1. Rules

1.1. General

Topcoder has the right to decide outside or even against these rules in special cases to guarantee fairness.

1.2. Code of Conduct

Every Competitor has to behave with respect towards the representatives of Topcoder, press, viewers, partners and other competitors. The Competitors are requested to represent Topcoder and their sponsors honorably. This applies to behavior online and also in chats, comments and other media. We expect Competitors to conduct themselves according to the following values:

• Compassion: treat others as you would be treated.

• Integrity: be honest, follow rules, and encourage others

• Respect: show respect to all other humans, including competitors, Topcoder team members, sponsors, and event staff.

Competitors must not engage in harassment or hate speech in any form. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Hate speech, offensive behavior, or verbal abuse related to sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, or religion.

• Stalking or intimidation (physically or online).

• Spamming, raiding, hijacking, or inciting disruption of streams or social media.

• Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).

• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, unwelcome sexualized comments, jokes, and sexual advances.

• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Please see the Topcoder terms and conditions for more information.

1.3. Online Competitions, In-Person Competitions, and Events

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN, A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Your participation in TCO23 constitutes agreement with the terms and conditions on this webpage and the webpages with rules regarding each of the specific types of Competitions (collectively, the “TCO Rules”) between you and Topcoder, Inc. (“Topcoder”).

1.4. Tournament Coverage

Topcoder reserves exclusive right to the coverage of the Topcoder Open. This includes all forms of transmission, including live broadcasts, social media, video, photography, press, etc.

2. Terms

All details of terms are set forth in the official Topcoder Terms of Use which must be agreed upon.

The Tournament and each Competition is void in whole or in part where prohibited by law. A list of winners by handles for the Tournament, each Period and each Competition will be available on the website at http://www.topcoder.com/ displayed for at least 3 months after the end of the Tournament, each Period and each Competition.

3. Entering the Tournament

The Tournament is brought to you by Topcoder, Inc. and is designed to showcase the most prestigious members in the Topcoder community. The Tournament consists of several competition tracks: Algorithm, Data Science (DS), Development, Marathon, Quality Assurance (QA), Design (each a “Competition”) and TCO23 [  ] Games. The Tournament is open to all Topcoder members who meet the criteria outlined herein. Registration for a TCO23-eligible challenge automatically registers you for the TCO23.

3.1. General Submission Requirements

All Competitors participating in a Competition will see a Submit option. Clicking the Submit link will take the Competitor to a page that will allow the Competitor to upload information about their submission in the Competition (“Submission”).

The requirements for a Submission will vary depending on the Competition, so please refer to the specific area of these Rules for each Competition before submitting.

Topcoder reserves the right at any time to disqualify a Submission from a Competition where, acting in good faith, it believes there are reasonable grounds to warrant disqualification; for example, if Topcoder determines that the Submission does not provide the functionality described or required, or the Submission appears to be purposely designed to circumvent these Rules or the spirit of the Tournament and/or Competition.

3.2. How to Participate

In order to determine how to participate in a Competition, please refer to the general and specific areas of these Rules for such Competition.

3.3. Conditions of Participation

By participating in the Tournament and/or a Competition, you agree to be bound by these TCO Rules, the Terms of Use and to all decisions of Topcoder, which are final, binding and conclusive in all matters. As a condition of participating in this Tournament and/or a Competition and by submitting a Submission, each Competitor agrees to permit Topcoder to describe, publicize, and link to your entry as described further below.

Competitors must not cheat; all ideas for Submissions must be solely the Competitor’s. Unless otherwise set forth in these Rules, Contestants may not collaborate on a Submission.

IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE, YOU WARRANT THAT YOUR SUBMISSION FOR EACH COMPETITION:

• Does not include or anticipate the inclusion of any unsuitable or offensive content, including nudity, sexually explicit, disparaging, libelous or other inappropriate content.

• Does not include or anticipate the inclusion of any content that is in violation of or infringes third party intellectual property rights including, but not limited to copyrights, including music copyrights, trademarks, and rights of publicity.

• Has not been entered in previous contests, or won previous awards.

• Has not been published or distributed previously in any media.

• Is suitable for a general audience;

• Does not contain any claims that are not and cannot be substantiated or that would be false and/or misleading to a reasonable consumer.

All decisions relating to the viability of Submissions, the ranking of Submissions and all other matters pertaining to the Tournament, each Period and each Competition are within the sole discretion of Topcoder or its designee and shall be final and binding in all respects.

By participating in the Tournament and/or a Competition, a Competitor who wins a prize releases and agrees to hold harmless Topcoder, its affiliates, subsidiaries, sponsors, advertising and promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and all of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents, from and against any and all liability for any loss, property damage or damage to person, including without limitation, death and injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from or arising out of participation in the Tournament and/or Competition, or participation in any Tournament and/or Competition-related activity, or the receipt, use or misuse of a prize.

Topcoder reserves the right to limit the participation of any person in the Tournament and/or any Competition, amend or interpret these Rules or official communications governing the Tournament, a Period and each Competition or cancel the Tournament, a Period or any Competition for any reason with prior notice. Notices for any such amendment, interpretation or cancellation will be deemed to have been given by posting on the Topcoder website and by virtue of a Competitor’s continued participation in the Tournament, a Period and/or Competition.

A Competitor may terminate participation in the Tournament, a Period and each Competition upon written notice to Topcoder.

Topcoder may assign, novate or subcontract any or all of its rights and obligations under these Rules at any time. The Tournament and each Competition is brought to you by Topcoder, Inc., 201 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225.

If you have any questions regarding these Rules, contact us at support@topcoder.com.

All trademarks, tradenames, and/or tradestyles used in the Tournament and a Competition are the sole property of the respective owners of such trademarks, tradenames, and/or tradestyles and are used herein solely for identification purposes.

4. How to Qualify

There are three ways to qualify for TCO23 for each track of competition*:

• Overall Qualification

• Three Qualification Stages

• Regional Events

*Does not apply to Algorithm track- Please refer tosee the ‘Algorithm Competition Rules’ in section 6.5 for specific clarifications regarding qualification for that track.

During each Stage, Competitors who participate in Tournament-eligible Competitions on the Topcoder website will receive points for that Stage as outlined in these Rules.

Only Tournament-eligible Competitions in which registration has opened during the three (3) Stages shall be included in determining points for that Stage. Note: that for Stage 3, matches in which submission opens during Stage 3 and ends after Stage 3 won’t be included in determining points for Stage 3.

All Tournament–eligible Competitions will be clearly marked on the active challenge listing page.

4.1. Overall Qualification

The Overall qualification will be held between July 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. The top 6 Competitors from the overall leaderboard will directly qualify for the TCO23 Finals in the USA at a location and date TBD.

4.2. Qualification Stages

There will be three stages for Competitors to qualify into the online qualification round.

Online Competition Stages Dates

Placements 1st through 6th on each stage leaderboard per track* will enter an Online Final Qualification Round competition. The top 4 best members out of 18 will win a trip to TCO Onsite Finals. Placements 5th through 12th will move to the Regional Wildcard Round competition.

*With the exception of the Algorithm Competition.

4.3. Regional Events

The regional event will consist of one competition for all regions. Up to 12 top members will enter the Regional Wildcard Round along with placements 5th through 12th from the Online Final Qualification Round competition. The top 2 winners of the Regional Wildcard Round will qualify for TCO Onsite Finals.

5. Competition Scoring

5.1. Competition Scoring

Scoring in the Competition is determined based on the final ranking for a Competitor’s submission in a Tournament-eligible Competition (as applicable) in accordance with the rules of such competition.
Scores will be rounded to two decimal places.

Upon the completion of all Tournament-eligible Competitions, the individual scores that a Competitor receives during all Stages will be added for a cumulative score.

The total placement points to distribute per challenge is based on the total cash prize purse of that challenge.

5.2. Percentage of Placement Points

Percentage of Placement Points associated with each challenge will be calculated as follows:

TCO Points= Challenge Total Prize Sum * ((All Passing Submissions - Place + 1) / All Passing Submissions) * (Review Score[Place]/Max Review Score)

For Example: Challenge X has 1st Place $600, 2nd Place $400; 4 submissions; 2 winners.

Review scores: 1st - 100; 2nd - 90; 3th - 80; 4th - 60. Minimum passing review score: 80.

• Winner:
  TCO Points = 1000 * ((3-1+1)/3) * (100/100) = 1000 points

• 2nd:
  TCO Points = 1000 * ((3-2+1)/3) * (90/100) = 600 points

• 3th:
  TCO Points = 1000 * ((3-3+1)/3) * (80/100) = 266.67 points

• 4th:
  TCO Points = 0 points as it became review score 60, which is below min passing review score.

Final fixes (if required in a particular challenge) will be completed according to the schedule specified for the applicable competition. On a case-by-case basis, as determined by Topcoder personnel, placement points may be deducted for failing to complete final fixes on time.

5.3. Placement Ties

In the event of a tie for a Stage, the tie will be resolved in the following manner*:

The tied Competitor with the highest number of first place submissions will receive a higher placement in the Competition in that Stage.

• 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 Competition in that Stage.

• 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 Competition in that Stage.

• 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 Competition in that Stage.

• If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied Competitor with the highest number of fifth place submissions will receive a higher placement in the Competition in that Stage.

• If a tie still remains, then the winner will be determined based on who accumulated the points first.

*Placement ties rules are relevant for all competition tracks with the exception of the Algorithm Competition.

6. Competition Track Specific Rules

6.1. Competition Tracks

There are six (6) competition tracks as part of TCO23 as well as two (2) trip winning opportunities.

Software Development & Design Tracks Include:

• Data Science Competition

• Development Competition

• QA Competition

• Design Competition

Competitive Programming Tracks Include:

• Algorithm Competition

• Marathon Competition

Trip Winning Opportunities Include:

• Copilot Trip Winning Opportunity

• Gig Work Trip Winning Opportunity

Read more about Trip Winning Opportunities under Section 8. Topcoder reserves the right to add or remove tracks or trip winning opportunities as needed.

All competition track rules are as follows unless otherwise noted.

6.2. Data Science Competition

The Data Science Competition includes challenges tagged with “Data Science”. Topcoder shall determine at its sole discretion which Data Science Competitions are Tournament-eligible. Challenges will include: Data Science Matches, Data Science Sprints, and Data Science Ideation Challenges.

For Data Science track, the Placement Points associated with each challenge will be calculated as follows:

TCO Points= 2500 * log(1 + (Challenge Total Prize Sum / 2500)) * ((All Passing Submissions - Place + 1) / All Passing Submissions) * (Review Score[Place]/Max Review Score)

6.3. Development Competition

The Development Competition includes challenges tagged with “Development. Topcoder shall determine at its sole discretion which Development Competitions are Tournament-eligible. Challenges will include all challenges under Development, such as: Code Challenges, Development First2Finish Challenges, Rapid Development Matches, etc. Code challenges tagged with “QA” will not be eligible for the Development Track.

6.4. Quality Assurance (QA) Competition

QA Competitions include challenges that are tagged with “QA”. Topcoder shall determine at its sole discretion which Quality Assurance Competitions are Tournament-eligible. Challenges include bug hunts, unstructured testing, structured testing, structured test case writing, and automated testing.

6.5. Design Competition

The Design Competition includes challenges that are tagged with “Design”. Topcoder shall determine at its sole discretion which Design Competitions are Tournament-eligible. Challenges include: Design Concepts, Application Front End Design, Web Design, Widget or Mobile Screen Design, Wireframes, Print/Presentation, and Design First2Finish.

6.6. Algorithm Competition

The Algorithm Competition includes competitive programming competitions labeled Single Round Matches (SRMs). Topcoder shall determine at its sole discretion which Single Round Matches (SRMs) are Tournament-eligible.

6.6.1. Qualification for Algorithm Competition

The Algorithm Competition will consist of:

• Three (3) online stages,

• Three (3) online rounds,

• Up to seven (7) regional rounds followed by one (1) online wild card round.

6.6.2. Structure of Competition Rounds and Matches

Each Round and each Stage of the Algorithm Competition consists of one or more separate Matches. Each Match consists of three phases: Coding Phase, Challenge Phase, and System Testing Phase. The format of these Matches is similar to the format of Topcoder Single Round Matches. The rules in place for Single Round Matches as of July 1, 2022 will also apply to the matches in the online rounds of the Algorithm Competition. The same rules will apply to the matches in the onsite rounds, with the only exceptions being a different length of Coding and Challenge Phases.

The Coding Phase is a timed phase in which all Competitors are presented with the same three questions representing three levels of complexity and three levels of potential points. Points are awarded for each problem upon submission of a solution that successfully compiles. Points are calculated on the total time elapsed from the time the Competitor opened the problem until the time the Competitor’s successfully compiling submission was submitted. During the Online Rounds, the Coding Phase will last 75 minutes. During the Onsite Rounds, the Coding Phase will last 85 minutes.

The Challenge Phase is a timed phase wherein each Competitor has the opportunity to challenge the functionality of any other Competitors’ submission. If successful, the challenge will result in (i) the challenged Competitor losing any points awarded for the challenged submission, and (ii) a 50-point bonus for the challenging Competitor. If unsuccessful, the challenging competitor’s point total in that round of the Competition will be reduced by 25 points. During the Online Rounds, the Challenge Phase will last 15 minutes. During the Onsite Rounds, the Challenge Phase will last 10 minutes.

Before the start of each round, the Competitors will be randomly assigned to competition rooms. A Competitor is only able to challenge the solutions from the same room into which he/she is assigned. Each competition room will have a maximum of 20 Competitors.

The System Testing Phase applies to all submissions that have not already been successfully challenged. If the Topcoder System Test finds a flawed submission, the Competitor who submitted that submission will lose all of the points that were originally awarded for that submission. The System Testing Phase consists of applying a set of inputs to a submission. If the output from a Competitor’s submission is not correct, the submission is considered flawed and loses all points awarded. All successful challenges from the Challenge Phase will be added to the set of inputs for the System Testing Phase.

The Unused Code Rule is in effect for all Online and Onsite TCO rounds. This rule is a policy against including extra content into a submission that is not a part of the solution of the problem. For a detailed description of the rule, please refer to section 8 here.

6.6.3. Competition Scoring for Online Stages

Competitors will receive TCO points for their placement in each Tournament-eligible Match in which they participate:

Division 1:

• 1st Place: 5 points

• 2nd-10th Place: 4 points

• 11th-25th Place: 3 points

• All other positive scores: 2 points

• All others who attempted to solve/opened at least one problem: 1 Point

Division 2:

• 1st Place: 3 points

• 2nd-10th Place: 2 points

• All other positive scores: 1 point

• All others who attempted to solve/opened at least one problem: 0.5 Point

6.6.4. Advancing From The Online Stages

At the end of each online stage, the Competitor with the highest total point accumulation for that stage will win an automatic advancement to the TCO23 Finals.

In the event of a tie for any advancing position during the Online Stage, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

• The highest total SRM scores accumulate including only those rounds in which all tied competitors participated.

• If a tie still remains, all remaining tied Competitors will advance.

In the event that a Competitor who has advanced to the onsite Championship Round is unable to attend, Topcoder may choose to replace this Competitor with another Competitor or to take no action in this regard (thus reducing the total number of onsite Competitors). The choice is made at Topcoder’s sole discretion. In case of replacement choice, the right to attend is passed to the next Competitor who has accumulated the most points during the Online Stage.

6.6.5. Online Rounds

There are 4 online rounds. The top 10 Competitors who advance from Online Round 4 will advance to the Onsite Finals of the Algorithm Competition.

6.6.5.1. Online Round 1

Automatic Berths – The 250 Competitors who have the highest Algorithm competition rating as of April 1, 2023 12:00 UTC -4, and who meet all of the following criteria will receive an automatic berth into Online Round 2:

• Competed in at least one rated Topcoder Algorithm event in the last calendar year.

• Competed in a total of at least three (3) rated Topcoder Algorithm events as a member at any time.

• Meet all other Algorithm Competition and Tournament eligibility criteria.

All Competitors who do not receive an automatic berth and who meet all of the Algorithm Competition and Tournament eligibility criteria can compete for one of the remaining 1,500 spots in Online Round 2. Two (2) Matches (Match 1A and Match 1B) will be held in Online Round 1. The highest scoring 750 Competitors from each of these matches will advance to Online Round 2.

In case of a tie for any automatic berth into Online Round 2, each tied Competitor will receive an automatic berth. Additional automatic berths awarded this way don’t change the maximal number of Advancers from Matches 1A and 1B.

Competitors who have already advanced to Online Round 2 may not compete in future Matches of Online Round 1.

The schedule and details of the Online Round 1 are as follows:

6.6.5.2. Online Rounds 2, 3, 4

Online Round 2 consists of Matches 2A and 2B. All Competitors who advance to Online Round 2 can compete in these Matches for the 400 spots in Online Round 3. All Competitors who advanced to Online Round 3 can compete in these Matches for 80 of the 120 spots in Online Round 4.

Online Round 4 consists of a single match. The top 10 Competitors who advance from Online Round 4 will advance to the Onsite Finals of the Algorithm Competition. Any Competitor may only win a single advancement (and trip) to the Onsite Finals.
The schedule for the Online Rounds of the Algorithm Competition is as follows:

6.6.7 Onsite/Online Regional Rounds

Up to seven (7) Onsite Rounds will be held around the world at TCO23 Regional Events. Competitors wanting to compete in one of the onsite regional rounds must be present in person and/or virtually the event and bring their own laptop to compete. Up to the top 10 scores from each Regional Onsite Round will advance directly to the Online Wild Card Round. Regional event dates and locations will be announced at a later date.
The number of onsite regional rounds is subject to change.

6.6.8. Online Wild Card Round

Once all the Onsite Regional Rounds are complete, there will be one Online Wild Card Round. The two (2) highest scorers from this round will win a trip to compete in the Onsite Finals.

*Times listed in UTC -4.

6.6.6. Scoring and Advancing During Online Rounds

In each Online Round Match all Competitors are ranked according to their scores after the System Testing Phase. The specified number of Competitors with the highest scores advance to the next Round. To be eligible to advance from an Online Round Match, the Competitor must finish the Match with a point total greater than zero.

In the event of a tie for any advancing position other than a spot in the Onsite Finals, all tied Competitors advance to the next Round and the number of eligible Competitors for that Round will be adjusted accordingly.
In the event of a tie for any spot in the Onsite Finals, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

The Competitors with the highest Algorithm Competition rating immediately after Online Round 4 will advance. If a tie still remains, all remaining tied Competitors will advance.

6.7. Marathon Competition

The Marathon Competition includes competitive programming competitions labeled Marathon Matches (MMs). Topcoder shall determine at its sole discretion which Marathon Matches (MMs) are Tournament-eligible.

6.7.1. Structure of Competition Matches

Each Round of the Marathon Competition consists of two phases: the Provisional Phase and the System/Final Testing Phase. (Note: The format for rounds of the Marathon Competition is similar to the format of Topcoder Marathon Matches. The rules in place for Marathon Matches as of July 1, 2022, as may be amended by these Rules, will apply to the Online and Onsite rounds of the Marathon Competition.)

The Coding Phase is a timed event where all Competitors are presented with the same problem statement. The criteria for scoring a Competitor’s submission will be provided with the problem statement and may change from round to round. During each round of the Marathon Competition, each Competitor may receive two types of scores in their Submission Artifacts: Test Case Scores of example test cases and Full Submission Score. Each Full Submission is run against a more complete set of test cases which are not disclosed to the Competitor and the Competitor only receives a provisional score.

The System/Final Testing Phase is applied to the most recent Full Submission for each Competitor. During system testing, each Full Submission is run against a large number of sample cases which are not disclosed to Competitors and is scored according to the criteria specified in the problem statement. Once the system tests are completed, Competitors are ranked according to their score on the system test cases. The score a Competitor’s Full Submission receives is determined solely by the system testing.

6.7.2. Competition Scoring for Online Stages

After each Marathon Match during the stage, up to 30 of the next-highest scoring competitors [among those eligible, who have not already otherwise advanced] will be awarded points based on the following table. To get points for the round, a Competitor must achieve a score greater than zero. If several Competitors are tied for a place, they share points for the tied places (i.e. if two Competitors are tied for 6th place they’ll each get (40+36)/2 = 38 points).

All other positive scores: 1 Point.

7. Prizes

7.1. Cash & Trip Prizes

Prizes for the TCO23 include cash and trips as follows:

Overall Qualification (Per Competition Track excluding Algorithm Competition)

• 1st Place: $500 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 2nd Place: $300 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 3rd Place: $250 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 4th Place: $200 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 5th Place: $150 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 6th Place: $100 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 7th Place: $50

• 8th Place: $50

• 9th Place: $50

• 10th Place: $50

Online Final Qualification Round (Per Competition Track excluding Algorithm Competition)

• 1st Place: $200 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 2nd Place: $150 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 3rd Place: $100 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 4th Place: $75 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 5th Place: $50

• 6th Place: $50

• 7th Place: $50

• 8th Place: $50

• 9th Place: $50

• 10th Place: $50

• 11th Place $50

• 12th Place: $50

Regional Wildcard Round (Per Competition Track excluding Algorithm Competition)

• 1st Place: $200 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 2nd Place: $150 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 3rd Place: $50

• 4th Place: $50

• 5th Place: $50

• 6th Place: $50

• 7th Place: $50

• 8th Place: $50

• 9th Place: $50

• 10th Place: $50

• 11th Place: $50

• 12th Place: $50

Stage Qualification Winners (Per Stage)*

• 1st Place: $200 & Trip to the TCO23 Finals

• 2nd Place: $50

• 3rd Place: $50

• 4th Place: $50

• 5th Place: $50

*Algorithm Competition only

Onsite Finals Prizes (Per Competition Track)

• 1st Place: $10,000

• 2nd Place: $5,000

• 3rd Place: $2,500

• 4th Place: $100

• 5th Place: $100

• 6th Place: $100

• 7th Place: $100

• 8th Place: $100

• 9th Place: $100

• 10th Place: $100

• 11th Place: $100

• 12th Place: $100

• 13th - 16th Place*: $100

*Algorithm Competition only

*Prize will be awarded at the conclusion of the Onsite Championship Round. Winner must be present at the onsite Championship announcement to receive the prize.

Prior to Contestants receiving their cash prize, they must complete all work for all underlying Competitions and Tournament and Competition-related work, such as final fixes.

7.2. T-Shirts

The Competition will also award prizes in the form of T-shirts (one per Competitor). T-shirts will be awarded to the following Competitors:

• Up to the top 50 places of the overall leaderboard per track (except the Algorithm Competition)

• All participants who submit as part of online round 2 of the Algorithm Competition

• Up to the top 10 places of the overall leaderboard per track per trip winning opportunity

7.3. Ties for Prizes

In the event of a tie, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:

The tied Competitor with the highest number of first place submissions across the Competition Stage will receive a higher placement in the Competition.

• If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied Competitor with the highest number of second place submissions across the Competition Stage will receive a higher placement in the Competition.

• If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied Competitor with the highest number of third place submissions across the Competition Stage will receive a higher placement in the Competition.

• If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied Competitor with the highest number of fourth place submissions across the Competition Stage will receive a higher placement in the Competition.

• If a tie still remains, then the remaining tied Competitor with the highest number of fifth place submissions across the Competition Stage will receive a higher placement in the Competition.

• If a tie still remains, then the winner will be determined based on who accumulated the points first.

Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winner.

8. Trip Winning Tournaments

8.1. Copilot Tournament

During the online qualification rounds of the 2023 Topcoder Open, we will be awarding one trip to the TCO23 Finals to the top design Copilot, top data science Copilot, and top development Copilot per Stage.

8.1.1. Stages Dates

A Copilot may only win once for the TCO23 tournament, so if a Copilot wins first place for more than one Stage, the trip will be given to the next Copilot in line who has not already won a trip.

The best Topcoder Copilot is one that consistently delivers high quality outcomes. They answer forum questions timely, write great specifications, communicate project status often and clearly, and get the job completed on time.

8.1.2. Leaderboards

The leaderboard will be calculated based on fulfillment and earnings within each stage.

Fulfillment: Copilots must maintain a fulfillment of 90% or higher. If you drop below 90% you will not qualify for the Copilot Tournament in that given stage. Maintaining a near perfect fulfillment score will impact your overall score.

Earnings: Copilot payments are included based on the Registration Phase start date of each challenge.

Please Note:

• Code and F2F challenges that are tagged with “Data Science” will count towards points for the Data Science track.

• Tasks are not eligible for copilot TCO points.

• Topcoder reserves the right to add or remove competition tracks as needed.

• Competition stages and prizes may be changed at any time at Topcoder’s sole discretion.

8.2. Gig Work Tournament

During the online qualification rounds of the 2023 Topcoder Open, we will be awarding a trip to the TCO23 Finals to top two Gig Workers per stage.

A Gig Worker can only win once for the TCO23 Tournament. If a Gig Worker wins top place in more than one Stage, the trip will be given to the next Gig Worker in line who has not already won a trip.

8.2.2. Rules

1. Ranking will be based on the points aggregate at the end of every stage.

2. Assigned weightage varies according to the importance of each parameter.

3. The maximum points that a Gig Worker can earn every week are 100 and Skill Builder points and Exceptional Performance Points are added at the end of a quarter.

4. In Case of equal points at the end of the quarter for 2 or more Gig Workers, a tiebreaker will decide the ranking. (Tie Breaker Criteria: No. hours in a Week (Duration) > TC challenge Points)

5. The final score will be the summation of all the weekly scores and the Skill Builder points, TC Challenge Points, and Exceptional Performance Points at the end of the quarter.

6. If a Gig Worker scores less than 50% marks on a review score in two consecutive weeks then , they will be dropped from the TCO Leaderboard.

7. There are cases when a Gig Worker’s good performance brings more work/project for Gig Work from the clients, we will give a score out of 300 in each quarter for such candidates.

8. Reliability - If a Gig Worker leaves a project/organization without prior notice and approval, then their scoreboard is halted and won’t be considered for any placement in the current stage.

8.2.3. Leaderboard

So who is the Top Gig Worker? One who delivers on high-quality work on time, collaborates well with the team, and is aligned with the organization’s goals.
The leaderboard will be calculated based on fulfillment, feedback ratings, Challenge Points, and Skill Builder Points within each stage.

Weekly score = [Referral Points + Points on Number of Weeks completed]

Weekly Score: Gig Worker’s weekly score will be calculated based on the number of hours worked each week, referrals, and retention score with a client.

1. Referral Points [Max Marks: 15]: The Gig Worker will get referral points once the referred candidate gets placed in a gig successfully.

2. Duration [Max Marks: 40]: Each week that the user completes 40 hours working in a Gig, will get 40 marks added to the weekly scorecard.
   • 1 Week(40 hr) in a gig = 40 marks
   • 1 Week(20hr) in a gig = 25 marks
   • 1 Week(15hr) in a gig = 20 marks

Topcoder Challenge Points: Points earned on scoring a placement prize in a challenge. For each passing submission, 10 marks will be added to the Total Score, and if the submission gets a placement prize the marks added to the total score will be doubled and 20 points will be added.

Skill Builder Points: Skill Builder challenges scores will be added to the Gig Worker’s total score of the stage.

8.3. TCO23 [ ] Games

8.3.1. TCO23 [ ] Games

The TCO23 [ ] Games will be mini TCO tournaments during the year where you can qualify on X technology outside of the usual TCO tracks. This tournament will have its own leaderboard and at the end of the qualification stage, the top performers will be able to compete for the TCO23 [ ] Games Championship as well as win a trip to the TCO22 Finals.

8.3.2. TCO23 [ ] Games Details

TCO23 [ ] Games Details and rules will be available on October 1, 2022.