Helpful Hints

Prize Objective

This section is for your to explain in plain English the purpose of your prize. Use this space to describe the need for this prize and how the winning solution will resolve it.

Prize Requirements

While the objective of your prize might be considered the spirit of the rules, the requirements are the letter of the rules. Use this section to describe in detail what the winning solution accomplish in order to meet the objective. For example, while the objective may describe a "better widget", the requirements will define exactly what constitutes a better widget.

Prize Category

Please choose the category that best describes the area your prize falls into.

Prize Funding Options

Select whether your prize will be available for contributions by the general public or if you will be the sole source of funding.

Prize Intellectual Property Rights

Select who will own the rights to the winning solution.

Choosing "Retained by Claimant" means that the submitter of the winning solution preserves ownership and all rights to it. The benefit of choosing this is that the claimant has the additional incentive of solving the challenge because in addition to winning the prize money, there’s the opportunity to make money in the future by selling the solution to further recoup the costs associated with providing the submission.

Selecting "Public Domain" means that no one will own the solution—everyone and anyone will be able to use it absolutely free of charge. However, in some cases it is advisable to specify a specific, free-distribution license in the rules, commonly referred to as "copyleft."

If you choose "Assign to a Third Party," the third party should be specified in the requirements. In this case, the third party will become the owner of the solution and retain any income earned from the implementation or sale of the submission. Deciding to assign the intellectual property rights to either the public domain or a third party, means that the claimant's reward for providing a solution will be limited to the amount of the prize, so it's important to ensure that its value will be enough to compensate for the effort required to produce a submission.

Duration of Review Period

Select the length of time that the rules will be available for editing by the public. During the review period, any registered user will have the ability to revise and improve the rules you've drafted. Once the duration of the review period has elapsed, you'll have the ability to extend them further, make your own final edits or choose to terminate the prize.

Security Images

Please enter the letters displayed in the orange box below. This feature helps ensure that the information provided above was generated by an actual person and not a computer.

Credit Card Security Code

The security code for Visa and MasterCard is the three-digit number printed on the signature strip on the back after the last four digits of the credit card number. For American Express card holders, the security code is a four-digit code printed below the last four digits of the credit card number.

Proof of Claim

Please provide a detailed description of exactly what you have done to meet the rules of this prize. Include any links to relevant websites, references to relevant publications or any other proof as may be required by the requirements of the prize for the contributors to determine whether or not you have fulfilled the terms of the challenge. You may also attach any necessary files for contributors to examine.