Q. When is the next ACM Programming Contest?
A. The 2007 South Pacific Regional Contest will be
held on Saturday 15th September at 10
sites in Australia and
New Zealand. Teams
compete in the Regional Contest in order to qualify for
the World Finals.
The next World Finals of the ACM Programming Contest
will be held in Canada from April 6-10th, 2008.
Q What happens at a contest?
A. The competition is for teams of 3 tertiary students
who try to solve computer programming problems over 5 hours.
The full rules are shown on the ACM web pages. There are also
local rules for our region.
Each team has one computer and 5 hours to works on the problems,
usually 8 or more in number. Languages available include Pascal,
C++ and Java. The team solving the most problems in the least
time is the winner.
Q. Does my team have to contain three members?
A. Under the current rules each and every team must
have three members, no more, no less.
Q What do I get if I enter?
A. The main aim of the contest is to provide you
with the opportunity of advancing to the
ACM Internationals Finals contest as a
representative of either New Zealand or Australia. This
is a very prestigious
event, normally held in the USA or Europe but went to Asia
for the first time in 2005. You might also qualify to win
regional or site prizes.
We also aim to have fun, so if you enter
expect an enjoyable afternoon pitting your programming skills
against those of other students. You may
also get a t-shirt, an IBM gift, experience and a
chance to meet other students.
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Q. What do I get if I win?
We will have 2 teams qualifying for the next finals,
and prizes from IBM for our top teams. The number of finals
places and the number of prizes depend on how many teams
enter, but with the increased world wide interest in the
competition,
we would probably need over 120 teams to achieve a 3rd finals
place. Why not encourage friends from different institutions
to compete?
Q. Can a South Pacific region team win the World Finals?
A. Teams from the South Pacific Region have twice
won the World Final, having only been competing since 1989.
The competition is very strong with competing teams coming
from all over the world.
Look at our South
Pacific History page.
Q. Must I be a computer science or information science student
to enter the contest?
A. No, students of any discipline are welcome to enter
as long as you meet the other entry requirements.
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Q. What makes a good team?
A. You need to be able to:
- solve problems
- write code
- test programs
- cooperate with other team members
Each person needs to have some of these skills (the more
the better!), but finding a team whose skills blend is very
important.
Q. How do I enter?
A. If you are in the South Pacific Region (Australia
or New Zealand), enter through our registration
page. Teams from other parts of the world should
enter in their own region.
Q. What does it cost me?
A. The cost is $180 per team. Institutions may
pay for their teams. The deadline for entry is 3 days before
the competition. NOTE Autralian teams have to pay
GST on the entry fee.
Q. What should I do if I have a question that isn't answered
on this site?
A. Contact one of these
people or one of the contact people at your local
contest site.
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