Wikimedia Foundation October 2011 Coding Challenge

The Wikimedia Foundation (“WMF”) is committed to creating “a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.” To do that, we need to cultivate and foster a dedicated community of software developers for WMF websites, most notably the Wikipedia website. We’d like your help in figuring out how we encourage people to become – and remain – contributors of software to WMF websites. That is why we are sponsoring this competition (the “Contest”).

The Contest invites participants who write code for predefined coding challenges designed to resolve a particular issue or problem (each, a “Challenge”). Challenges are listed and described at:

http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:ContestWelcome/October_2011_Coding_Challenge

Highlights of the Contest

The Contest begins on October 21, 2011, 02:00 UTC and ends on November 7, 2011, 23:59 UTC.
Contest is open to anyone over the age of majority anywhere in the world where permitted by applicable law (except for certain countries listed below).
To enter, you must register for the contest at http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:ContestWelcome/October_2011_Coding_Challenge and sign up for one of the three code challenges.
The source code you submit must be redistributable by WMF under the GPLv.2.0 license or another open source license compatible with that license.
Awards will be decided by a team of panelists appointed by WMF and using criteria determined by WMF, each in its sole discretion.

If you are still interested in participating, you must first read on and agree to the Rules of the Contest. Please make sure you understand and agree to them before you proceed!

Official Rules

PLEASE READ THESE OFFICIAL RULES (“RULES”) CAREFULLY. BY REGISTERING FOR AND/OR SUBMITTING AN ENTRY TO THE CONTEST, YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES. YOU ALSO AGREE THAT THIS IS A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND WMF. THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Who can participate?

Individual participants (“Entrants”) are welcome from anywhere in the world, as long as you are a legal resident of, and physically located in, a country or territory that allows online participation in contests of skill and/or where your participation and receipt of a Prize would not violate any applicable law. Residents of Cuba, Sudan, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and any other countries and Specially Designated Nationals listed by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control are not permitted to participate (see http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/SDN-List/ for additional information).

Current and former employees, officers, contractors and agents of WMF, and members of their immediate families and those living in their same households, are not eligible to enter or participate in the Contest or to receive any Prize.

If you are an employee of a company or an academic institution, enrolled as a student or representing your employer or academic institution in this Contest, it is your sole responsibility to review, understand and abide by your employer’s or academic institution's policies regarding your eligibility to participate in the Contest and to license your Entry to WMF as described in these Rules. If an Entrant is found to have violated school or employer policies by entering into the Contest, they will be disqualified from the Contest and from receiving any Prize.

Entrants must be over 18 or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, whichever is higher.

There is no cost to enter and no purchase is required. However, all costs associated with entering, submitting your Entry, and receiving any Prize are your responsibility, not WMF’s.

How do I enter?

Prize(s) shall consist of:

One Prize will be awarded to the winner of each Challenge.
Each Prize winner will receive a paid trip to an eligible Wikimedia event in calendar year 2012 of their choice. Eligible events are listed at http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/October_2011_Coding_Challenge/Eligible_events. The list of events may change from time-to-time in WMF’s sole discretion.
At the judges' discretion, any number of other entrants may be granted "Certificates of Excellence" for their contributions.

Each Prize will consist of a round trip coach class ticket from the winner’s country of origin and an airport reasonably accessible to the winner’s domicile to the location of the event chosen by the winner, which airfare must be booked and paid for directly by WMF in accordance with its Travel Policy referenced below. Each Prize winner also shall be entitled to stay up to five (5) nights at a hotel in the city of the Wikimedia event location at WMF’s expense, provided that the hotel reservation is booked and paid for by WMF. In addition, each Prize winner shall be eligible for reimbursement of reasonable and documented travel expenses, not to exceed the per diem rates established (for non-US travel) by the United States Department of State at http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp and (for US travel) at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287. All travel and accommodation shall be in accordance with WMFs travel policy, available at http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Travel_Policy.

Prize(s) are non-transferable and non-exchangeable. Entrants should note that there may be tax and other liabilities and expenses associated with winning a Prize, depending upon the jurisdiction of the Prize winner(s). Prize winner(s) are solely responsible for all taxes and other fees or liabilities that may be incurred as a result of winning the Prize, including, without limitation, any and all local, provincial, state, and federal income taxes. Prize winner(s) are also solely responsible for any and all Prize-related expenses not specified above, including any travel and other expenses incurred by Prize winners in claiming a Prize or attending Prize announcements. If a Prize winner does not claim their Prize within ten (10) business days of the WMF notifying a Prize winner that he or she has won a Prize, an alternative winner will be selected as set forth below. There will be no substitution of Prizes, except at the sole discretion of WMF. Prize winners should allow approximately thirty (30) days for booking reservations for the Prize after claiming their Prize.

When is the contest period?

You may register and enter at any time prior to 23:59 p.m. Monday, November 7th, 2011 UTC. To be eligible your Entries must be received by WMF during the ”Contest Period”; which begins Wednesday, October 20th, 2011 at 12:01 a.m. UTC and ends Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 23:59 p.m. UTC. To be eligible, Entries must be received by Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 23:59 p.m. UTC.

Winners normally should be announced on or around December 6th, 2011.

Entries delayed past the submission deadline of the Contest, for any reason whatsoever, will not be accepted for review. If an Entrant submits multiple Entries, the last one submitted will be the one evaluated.

What do I need to submit to enter?

Your Entry must be written in English, originally developed or implemented, and must not violate or infringe on any applicable law or regulation or third party rights. All source code you submit must be redistributable by WMF as Compatible OSS Software. “Compatible OSS Software” includes only software that is made publicly available under a software license that is certified as an “Open Source Initiative Approved License” and listed at http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.html and that also is compatible with the GNU General Public License v. 2.0 as generally described at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses. In the event of any question about whether any software is Compatible OSS Software, the determination of the Judges will be final and binding for purposes of this Contest.

By submitting your Entry, you warrant that you are the sole author of the source code, the source code is fully developed, and that the source code functions as represented by the description and is or may be distributed as Compatible OSS Software. Failure to provide all elements of an Entry listed above will disqualify that Entry.

Your Entry and all related communications and materials must be written in English.

By entering, you represent and warrant that you have reached at least the legal age of majority in the jurisdiction where you reside and that you are free to enter into this agreement.

WMF reserves the right to disqualify any Entry that it believes has been submitted in violation of these Rules or of any applicable law.

What am I committing to by entering?

By submitting your Entry you hereby warrant and represent that all information provided by you as part of the Entry is true, accurate and complete, and that you are the sole owner of the Entry and that the Entry is entirely your original work of authorship; provided that, your Entry may include Compatible OSS Software and/or Compatible Materials. You further warrant and represent that the Entry was not created at your job or affiliated institution, using your employer's or institution’s equipment or time, or in any other manner that would result in your employer or institution claiming intellectual property rights in the Entry; or else that your employer or institution has authorized your participation in the Contest and grant of all license rights hereunder and that you can and will provide WMF with verification of that fact. In addition, you represent and warrant that your Entry (i) does not infringe, misappropriate or violate any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, literary, trade secret, privacy, proprietary, publicity, contractual or other right, (iii) was not previously published or has not won any other prize or award, (iv) is not unlawful or plagiarized, as determined by WMF in its sole discretion, (iv) does not violate or encourage others to violate any applicable law, statute, ordinance or regulation; and (vi) does not include any virus, worm, Trojan horse, corrupt file or other forms of corruptive code or content that may harm or compromise the Website, WMF, and/or the proper conduct of the Contest.

By submitting your Entry, you further acknowledge and agree that your participation as an Entrant and/or receipt of any Prize does not create or imply any offer of, or existence of, an employment, contracting or other relationship with WMF.

Each Entrant irrevocably agrees that WMF (and its affiliates and subsidiaries, employees, agents and contractors) may license and redistribute any or all components of their Entry under the GNU General Public License Version 2 (available at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html or another license compatible with that license.

Entrants shall be responsible for ensuring and certifying that any third-party code or materials submitted with their Entry(ies) are Compatible OSS Software.

How do I win?

Prize winner(s) will be selected by a panel of judges, selected by members of WMF, prior to December 6th, 2011. Prize winners will be selected as determined in the sole discretion of the Judges.

WMF has the right to disqualify any entrant that WMF, in its sole discretion, believes to have cheated or have submitted any entry or contact information in violation of these rules. WMF has the sole discretion to make a final determination regarding the winners in the event of any dispute.

How will I find out if I have won? How do I claim my prize?

Once the Prize winner(s) have been selected, WMF will contact the Prize winner(s) via electronic mail to the Contact email registered by the Entrant. WMF has no duty to confirm the accuracy of such information before sending its notification to the Prize winner(s). The Prize winner(s) must contact WMF and accept the Prize and designate the event they wish to attend within ten (10) business days from the day WMF sends the notification. If a selected Prize winner fails to contact WMF and accept the Prize within the required period, WMF shall, in the same manner set forth above, notify the Entrant that received the next highest score from WMF, and so on. WMF is not responsible for any late, lost, delayed, incomplete or misdirected notifications.

As a condition of winning the Contest or receiving a Prize, each individual Entrant may be required to complete, sign and return a non-exclusive grant of license to WMF, an Affidavit of Eligibility stating that the winner has complied with the Rules, a Liability Release and where lawful, a Publicity and Submission Release and License (“Publicity Release”), within ten (10) business days of winning status notification.

A Liability Release will include a full waiver of all claims or potential claims against WMF for any death, bodily injury or harm to or loss of personal property incurred in connection with claiming a Prize or attending a Wikimedia event. A Publicity Release will include consent by a winner and/or their employer/ affiliated organization providing that WMF and WMF’s designees may use the Prize Winner’s name, likeness, voice, company name or affiliation, and any statements, quotes or testimonials, photographs, software, audio-files or other such materials provided by the Prize Winner or requested of the Prize Winner, for promotional and publicity purposes without further compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law.

In addition, winning Entrants will be required to complete applicable U.S. tax-withholding related documentation and, if necessary, provide proof of foreign or tax exempt status, as beneficiaries of U.S.-sourced promotional consideration.

What else do I need to know? Rights and disclaimers of WMF

Entrants are responsible for the equipment and Internet access required to connect to the Website and/or participate in the Contest. WMF does not assume responsibility for (i) any late, misdirected, delayed, lost, incomplete, stolen, scrambled or otherwise damaged Entries or communications relating to the Contest; (ii) any hardware, software, browser, computer, online, network, electronic, human, telephone or technical malfunctions, difficulties, or errors that may occur; (iii) damage to any computer system or electronic device resulting from participation in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with, the Contest (including any viruses, worms, hacking or other contaminants or interference that may affect or damage the computer system, device or data while participating in the Contest); (iv) any obscene, unlawful, threatening or otherwise inappropriate comments or content contained in the Dataset or on the Website; or (v) electronic communications or emails which are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in any email account to receive email messages. WMF reserves the right to disqualify any Entries it deems, in its sole discretion, to be obscene, unlawful, threatening or otherwise inappropriate. WMF may modify these Rules at any time, by providing notice of such modification on the Website. Entrants may withdraw from the Contest at any time by deleting Entrant’s account on the Website.

Privacy; Cancellation of Contest; Feedback

(a) In order to participate in the Contest, you must provide accurate and complete contact information and other information that personally identifies each contestant (“Contact Information”) If you opt not to provide WMF with the requested Contact Information, your Entry will not be eligible for the Contest. WMF collects and uses your Contact Information (in the United States and elsewhere) for the following reasons: (i) to judge Entries; (ii) to manage and monitor the Contest; (iii) to enforce the Rules; and (iv) to support any other operation or initiative related to the Contest. WMF may disclose Contact Information to third parties without your express consent. Among other things, WMF may disclose, and will disclose Contact Information about an Entrant, if we believe it is necessary to do so (i) to protect the rights, safety or property of WMF or any person, including any Entrant; (ii) to comply with applicable law or court order; (iii) to enforce these Rules; (iv) to investigate abuse or other inappropriate or wrongful acts; and (v) to support any of the above purposes for collecting and using your Contact Information.

WMF reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or cancel the Contest should any virus, bug and/or other cause corrupt the administration, security or proper operation of the Contest, if it determines in its sole discretion that the quality or number of Entries is so low as to render the Contest meaningless, or for any other reason that WMF believes the Contest cannot or should not continue. In the event the Contest is cancelled, WMF may, in its sole discretion, elect not to award any Prize or to determine the winners from all eligible and non-suspect validated Entries received up to the time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above.

If you provide input, suggestions, or other feedback (”Feedback” to WMF relating to WMF’s products or websites in the process of participating in the Contest, you warrant that you have rights to provide the Feedback. You grant WMF any and all intellectual property rights owned or controlled by you relating to the Feedback. WMF may use, disclose, copy, publish, license, modify, sublicense or otherwise distribute and exploit the Feedback, though WMF is not required to incorporate the Feedback into any products or services.

Release of contest entities

YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, RELEASE, DEFEND, AND HOLD HARMLESS WMF AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, PARTNERS, AGENCIES, AGENTS AND REPRESENTATIVES AND THE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND EMPLOYEES OF EACH FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIMS, CHARGES, INJURIES, LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND CAUSED BY, RESULTING FROM OR ARISING OUT OF (A) YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, (B) WMF’S USE OF THE ENTRY, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, (C) YOUR ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE, (D) ANY BREACH BY YOU OR ANY OF THE WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS SET FORTH IN THESE RULES, (E) ANY VIOLATION OR CLAIMED VIOLATION OF A THIRD PARTY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR OTHER RIGHTS RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM THE USE OF YOUR ENTRY, AND/OR (F) A DETERMINATION BY A COURT OR AGENCY THAT YOU ARE AN AGENT OF WMF.

Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT SHALL WMF BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WMF WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY. IN NO EVENT SHALL WMF'S LIABILITY UNDER THESE RULES EXCEED ONE-HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00) IN AGGREGATE.

General conditions

The Contest is subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations. The Contest will be governed by the internal laws of the State of California (without reference to conflicts of laws principles) and, to the extent applicable, the United States of America. Any and all legal actions or proceedings arising in connection with the Contest must be instituted in a state or federal court in San Francisco County, California. You agree to submit to the jurisdiction of, and agree that venue is proper in, such courts in any legal action or proceeding relating to the Contest. The official language for the Contest is English. All communications with WMF and the Judges must be in the English language. These Official Rules and all other documents produced by or on behalf of the WMF in connection with the Contest are available only in English. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal, unenforceable, or in conflict with the law of any jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. Nothing herein shall constitute an employment, joint venture, or partnership relationship between a contestant and WMF. In no way is a contestant an agent or to be acting as the agent of WMF in any respect. Failure to enforce a remedy shall not constitute a waiver of the future right to enforce the remedy. To receive additional copies of these Rules, or a Prize Winner list, ~~send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Wikimedia Foundation [..]~~

Specify “Prize Winner List” and/or “Rules” on your request. Replies relating to Prize winner list will be sent after the completion of the Contest. Prize Winner list requests must be received within six (6) months of the end of the Contest Period.