All you need to know about... How to enter Judging criteria Who can enter Prizes Who Won? Contest Co-Sponsors Judging Panel

Please note: To qualify for student membership in ACM, you must be matriculated at an accredited educational institution and be carrying at least 9 semester credits at the time of joining.

1. How to Enter: Students can enter the ACM/IBM "Quest for Java 99" Contest by visiting the ACM web site (http://www.acm.org/jquest/) between 12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET) September 14, 1998 and 11:59 PM ET February 20, 1999 (the "registration period").

   You may register for the contest either as an individual player or as a team of up to three (3) members, but you may not register for both categories. All individual players and/or team members must be ACM Student Member(s) to be eligible to enter (please read eligibility requirements).

   If you are not already an an ACM Student member, you must first join ACM and register for the contest using the online Student Membership Application at http://www.acm.org/jquest/qjoin.html. Students who register for the contest will be emailed the email address where thay can submit the URL where their Java applet resides. Applications will be accepted from 12:01 AM (ET) March 1, 1999 through 11:59 PM ET March 31, 1999 (the "submission" period).

   The web page where your applet resides must contain your full name(s), your ACM student member number(s) (please read eligibility requirements), your email address(es), a brief description of your applet, a link to the page that contains your applet, a link to your documentation (documentation should explain both the user-level operation of the applet, how to use it and what it does) in plain text or html format, and a link to a directory or zip/tar file that contains your applet's source code. Limit one (1) entry per individual or team.

   Contestants may register and enter the Quest for Java '99 Contest only at the Quest for Java '99 web site on the ACM web site (http://www.acm.org/jquest/). No other method of registration and entry will be accepted. Entries not compying with these and other requirements contained in these rules will be subject to diqualification

   | Top of page |

2. Judging:Individual Entry and Team Entry Judging - Entries will be judged according to the following criteria:
   • Creativity, i.e the novel use of Java for solving a problem (0-20 points);
   • Ease of Use, i.e. the "user friendliness" of the applet (0-20 points);
   • Correctness, i.e. the applet should run as intended and documented (0-20 points);
   • Technical Merit, i.e. the amount of effort and use of advanced Java features in writing the applet (0-20 points); and
   • Quality of Documentation, i.e. documentation should explain both the user-level operation of the applet (how to use it and what it does) as well as design-level information (0-20 points).

   Game applets will not be accepted, and will be disqualified.

   Prizes will be awarded to the Individual and Team Entrants who achieve the highest judging scores in their judging category. In the event of a tie score, the lead judge will award the prize to the entry that demonstrates the most creativity.

   Judging will be conducted from April 1, 1999 through April 30, 1999 by a panel of judges designated by ACM and will be overseen by ACM. The decisions of the judging panel are final on matters relating to this contest. Prizes will be awarded and winners will be notified by mail and/or e-mail beginning on or about May 1, 1999. Each individual and team winner will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and publicity release. If the completed affidavit(s) and release(s) are not returned within 14 days by an individual and any team member, prize will be awarded to the next runner-up individual or team.

   | Top of page |

3. Who Can Enter: This contest is open to ACM Student Members (please read eligibility requirements), 18 years of age and older, and who are legal residents of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan (R.O.C.), the United Kingdom, and the U.S. This contest is void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law.

   Not eligible to enter are employees and their immediate families of IBM Corporation, ACM, their divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies and Marden-Kane, Inc.

   This contest is subject to all U.S. federal and state laws. Entrants agree that the sponsor, promoter, and each of their respective divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, parent companies, retailers and their agencies and employees shall not be liable for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from participating in this promotion or from the acceptance or use of any prize awarded. By entering this contest, entrants consent to the use of their names, and/or photographs for promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

   Entrant warrants that the entry is original and that no other person owns or has any rights to any element of the entry including any copyrights in the entry or its Java applet. Entrant agrees to hold harmless IBM Corporation, ACM, their respective divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies and Marden-Kane, Inc., from any claim by any third party relative to the rights to the entry.

   All code must be original. Java applet and entry must be in keeping with IBM Corporation's and ACM's images and may not be offensive, as determined by the judging panel in its sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade the publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person's personal or proprietary rights. Applet you submit is not confidential. Contest judges and sponsors have a license to download, view, use and reproduce all applets in any manner.

   Entrant acknowledges and agrees that in the event any future program either created and/or endorsed by IBM, ACM, and any of their respective divisions, affiliates or subsidiaries bears any resemblance in idea, type, format, style, and/or other aspects to their entry, they shall have no rights against (and they covenant not to bring or assert any claim, action or proceeding in connection therewith) any of the Sponsors, or affiliated companies, or any such companies' agents, employees, officers, directors, employers or shareholders and they agree to indemnify them from and against any claim, action or proceeding which they or their successors may bring or assert in connectiontherewith.

   Entrant further understands that their Entry may be destroyed by the official judging organization after the judging process has been completed and that their Entry will not be returned.

   Sponsors reserve the right to correspond with any entrant, via mail or email, but is not required to do so in any instance.

   By entering, entrants acknowledge compliance with these official rules including all eligibility requirements. Neither IBM Corporation, ACM, Marden-Kane, or any Internet or on-line access providers are responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of registration or entry information, human error, technical malfunctions, lost/delayed data transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failures of any telephone network, computer equipment, software or any combination thereof, inability to access the Quest for Java or ACM web pages, late, lost or misdirected entries, or any other error or malfunction which may occur.

   If, in the judges opinion, the integrity of the contest has been compromised, the judges reserve the right to terminate the contest and determine the winners based on judging the entries that are received up until the point of on-line contest termination. Entry materials that have been tampered with or altered are void. Incomplete entries or registrations are void. Any attempt to deliberately damage the content or operation of this contest is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsors or their agents.

   Quebec Residents: Any litigation respecting the conduct and awarding of a prize in this publicity contest may be submitted to La Regie des Alcools, des Courses et des Jeux.

   | Top of page |

4. Prizes:

   Individual Entrant Prizes:

   (1) Grand Prize: U.S. $3,000 cash.
   (1) First Prize: U.S. $2,000 cash.
   (1) Second Prize: U.S. $1,500 cash.
   (1) Third Prize: U.S. $1,000 cash.
   (1) Fourth Prize: U.S. $ 750 cash.
   (10) Fifth Prize: U.S. $250 cash.

   Team Entrant Prizes (one per team):

   (1) Grand Prize: U.S. $3,000 cash per team.
   (1) First Prize: U.S. $2,250 cash per team.
   (1) Second Prize: U.S. $1,500 cash per team.
   (1) Third Prize: U.S. $750 cash per team.

   Total value of all prizes = US $18,250.

   Prize fulfillment will be supervised by Marden-Kane, Inc., an independent contest administration and fulfillment organization. Any tax or duty on a prize is the sole responsibility of the winner. No substitution or transfer of prizes permitted, except by under the sole discretion of Sponsors. All prizes will be awarded. If any prize winner cannot accept the prize, then the prize will be awarded to an alternate, runner-up winner. Winners agree to hold IBM Corporation, ACM, their respective divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies and Marden-Kane, Inc. harmless against all claims or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from prize winning.

   | Top of page |

5. Who Won? For the names of the winners available after June 1, 1999, go to the Quest for Java '99 web site at http://www.acm.org/jquest/.

   | Top of page |

6. Contest Co-Sponsors: IBM Corporation, New Orchard Road, Armonk, NY 10504, and Association for Computing Machinery, 1515 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10036.