Can I enter the competition alone?
Not really. Officially a team must cosist of three people. However, it's allowed to do all the tasks alone, nobody will check the performance of singles. Meanwhile, it is highly recommended to bring two more competitors with you, because of the complexity of the task. The competition is about teamwork besides problemsolving.

What kind of development tools can be used?
Any kind. We accept teams using Windows, Linux or any other operating system. We don't have requirements concerning programming language, so everyone can use whatever they want. There are no restrictions on the development environment either, you can bring your own favourite, as different parts of the problem may require different tools.

Do I have to pay any kind of registration fee?
No! Entering the competition is absolutely free, but you need to hand over your CV! Participating means, that you agree with the fact, that we hand over your CV to our sponsors. However you may have some expenses on the accomodation (on request, we organise it yor for you!) and on the travelling to the finals. We take care of the food and drinks during the competition.

Can we bring more computers?
Of course. The teams consist of three members, so they usually bring at least three computers (also for reserve). You can also build your own LAN, but we give no help or support for that. We'll provide just one power outlet, nothing else. If you want to use something special, you can bring it with you, but don't forget, you'll have to write the program isolated from the world. There will be no connection to the Internet or wireless, and after the task has been announced no additional objects (eg. books, hardware, software) can be brought to the site.

Are there any restrictions regarding the participants?
No, there aren't. The only requirement is that you be a computer enthusiast!

What were the previous year's tasks?
For the first contest a football team simulation had to be developed over UDP/IP network, within the frames of [RoboCup].
In 2002, for the second contest the participants had to program a [LEGO Mindstorm 2] robot to move autonomously, and perform tasks in a labyrinth. You can have a look at the pictures taken at that contest [here]
The next year the teams had to design an integrated circuit chip designer programme. In the second part of the task the programmers had to create software with some artificial intelligence that could play a simple strategic game, called the "War of circuits" against another AI. For the Problem Set of the Electronic Contest click [Here]! You can also see some pictures about it by clicking [here].
In 2004 the main theme was focusing on car racing. The most interesting task was to navigate and drive a VW Touareg SUV across virtual terrain. The teams were able to choose whether to drive on the safe road, or off-road, but they had to make sure they did not hit the obstacles which appeared before them. Other tasks included controlling an oil-company, driving an assembly line robot and programming for secret communication. A complete book have been published on the first five year's Problem Sets. See the History menu for more details!

What will be the nature of this year's task, what should we bring with us?
Please note: we will not disclose anything about the task beforehand as it would destroy the element of surprise. Prepare for all eventualities! Bring every development tool you know on CD, pack all your technical books you have read, pull up your socks! It will be a very serious professional challenge, but the aim is that everyone enjoys this event!

How should we prepare?
Review the following topics:

• algorithm theory (Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest: Introduction to Algorithms)
• information and coding theory
• artifical intelligence
• queueing theory
• databases
• client-server architectures
• computer networks (Andrew S. Tannenbaum: Computer Networks)
• control theory
• 2D graphic systems (Foley, van Dam, Feiner, Hughes: Computer Graphics - Principles and Practice)
• software ergonomy

What the "contest2008@challenge24.org" list is for?
This mailing list is an open forum for the competitors and the organisers. Important news, messages will be also sent here. It is free and recommended to join for everyone!

What to do if I forgot the team-password?
Just write an email from your registered address to [] including your name, the team's name and number, and wait for the reply!

What does 'CV' mean?
CV=Curriculum Vitae=Your professional profile, including your personal details, professional experiences, educational background, languages spoken hobbies etc.

What is the required format?
The CV have to be "american stlye", that means the facts about you should be listed. A simple, blank form can be seen [here]. The desing and the outfit of the CV tell a lot about you, try to create it on a high level! You will have to upload CVs in PDF format. If creating PDF is a problem, please check out [this] site at Adobe.

What have to be included in my CV?
Please make sure your CV contains all the information given below. (Otherwise it will be rejected!)

• personal details: full name, address, nationality, date of birth, email address and telephone
• educational background: schools attended, degrees achieved (with dates)
• professional experiences, references
• programming skills
• languages spoken (please grade your witten/oral skills)
• personal skills, hobbies

Will the result of the first (internet) round be included in the final score?
NO. The final score will only consist of the points collected during the on-site contest since we cannot control the conditions during the electronic qualification.

I'm concerned about the distribution of the task of the electronic contest. Will the server endure the load?
Hopefully yes. In fact we do every effort to decrease the load on our main server. The task will be announced on the main page of the site, but in static HTML (not even PHP). This page will contain a link for every team where they should download the task from. The task will be found on several servers, so getting them should mean no problem. The main server will only be used for uploading your solutions, and of course for distributing mails to the list (the answers to your questions, and occurent updates).

How long does it take to acknowledge the uploaded CVs?
We are working hard to check them in a short while, howerver it can take some weeks to acknowledge all of them.

Will food be provided for us during the competition?
Yes. The competition starts at 9am. We hope you will be busy with reading and beginning with the tasks and your breakfast will hold out till noon. A proper lunch will then be served at 12 pm. At 4 pm we are going to provide cold dishes, to hold out till the evening. At 8 pm you can have supper, which will be a lighter meal. From around midnight we will provide salads, snacks and cookies. At 9am next day, after the finish of the competition, we invite you for a huge breakfast.
Please note, that this means, food will be provided during the contest, but not before or after it. So you have to arrange that for yourselves.

What about our biological needs?
Of course the lavatory can be used at any time.
Catering will be provided at all times and you can eat both in the buffet and in the room where you do your work. Nevertheless if you need something special (home made pepperoni sandwiches, etc) bring that with you beforehand, because leaving the building is forbidden during the contest.
Other Stimulants: You can smoke on the terrace, but excessive drinking and the use of drugs is not recommended.
Sleep: Those who want to lose or think that they will drop off during the 24 (36) hours, can bring camp-beds, mattresses and sleeping bags. You may sleep, but disturbing the other teams by snoring is strictly prohibited.

Is it worth making a reservation for accomodation?
Every team should have accomodation covering the whole 'long weekend'. We do not require you to reserve accomodation, though we can help you to do this by recommending places to stay, and where to make reservations. If you want to organise your own accomodation without our help, just go ahead. But if you want us to reserve accomodation for you, we will have to ask you to transfer the whole reservation fee to us, which is non-refundable (as we don't get it back either if you don't use the reservation). Those teams who are not from Budapest are strongly advised to make a reservation, because on Friday you will need to install your equipment at the contest site, and then you'll need to get as much sleep as you can before the contest (believe me, it's much better sleeping on a bed in a dormitory than on a mattresse under a bridge). The contest will last till Sunday when the results will be announced, which is really worth waiting for. After that you will be required to pack your equipment away, and it's evening again. You will not want to drive home after so much hardship and suffering! So the advice of the organzers is: Everyone should have accomodation for each of the three nights.

You can choose from three type of lodging:
- For 54 EUR / night single room
- For 66 EUR / night a double bedroom
- For 63 EUR / night a double room for one person
- For 15 EUR / night an extra bed
Professor's Guest House: http://www.oszi-sef.hu/hotel/angol/indexed.htm

Because of the accounting problems of the previous years, we ask you to pay the accommodation fee directly to the hotel

What about mobile phones?
Using mobile phones is strictly forbidden! So we'll collect mobile phones from everyone, put a tag on it, and after the competition we'll return them to you. With 120 people this can be a long and difficult process, so we recommend you do not bring your phone with you to the contest (or at least avoid it being discovered as this would mean immediate disqualification).

Can anyone visit the participants during the competition?
No! No people except the participants are allowed to visit the site during the contest. However, the judging and the presenting of the final results is open to the public!