How many rounds are there?
Qualification RoundThe competition commences with a 72-hour Qualification Round on January 8, 2011 at 0:00 UTC (January 7, 2011 at 4:00 PM PST) and ends on January 11, 2011 at 0:00 UTC (January 10, 2011 at 4:00 PM PST). All registered competitors will be presented with three problems. Only competitors who correctly solve at least 1 problem will advance to Online Round 1.
Online Round 1
Online Round 1 consists of 3 sub-rounds, each lasting 3 hours. Competitors who advance to Online Round 1 can participate in any of the 3 sub-rounds, until they qualify to Online Round 2.
The first sub-round will start January 15, 2011 at 15:00 UTC (7:00 AM PST) and end January 15, 2011 at 18:00 UTC (10:00 AM PST) .
The second sub-round will start January 15, 2011 at 21:00 UTC (1:00 PM PST) and end January 16, 2011 at 0:00 UTC (January 15, 2011 - 4:00 PM PST).
The third sub-round will start January 16, 2011 at 21:00 UTC (1:00 PM PST) and end January 17, 2011 at 0:00 UTC (January 16, 2011 - 4:00 PM PST).
Of those participating in Online Round 1, the top-scoring 1000 competitors from each of the 3 sub-rounds will advance to Online Round 2. Competitors who advance to Online Round 2 from a sub-round may not participate in later sub-rounds. Competitors who fail to advance from a sub-round may attempt to advance to Online Round 2 in later sub-rounds.
Online Round 2
Online Round 2 begins January 22, 2011 at 15:00 UTC (7:00 AM PST) and will end on January 22, 2011 at 18:00 UTC (10:00 AM PST). The 3,000 competitors will have three hours to solve the presented problem sets. The top-scoring 300 participants from Online Round 2 will receive an official Hacker Cup t-shirt. The top-scoring 25 competitors from Online Round 2 will be notified via email that they have advanced to the final round at Facebook.
Onsite Final Round
Facebook will fly the top-scoring 25 competitors to Palo Alto, California, for the final round of competition on March 11, 2011, where they'll receive some great cash prizes and other awesome goodies. Out of these 25 finalists, one champion will emerge and be immortalized on the Hacker Cup trophy. Finalists will be responsible for obtaining their own entry visa before arrival in the USA; however, Facebook will reimburse the finalist for any visa application fee and up to $100 USD in travel expenses incurred in obtaining the visa. Save your receipts! Facebook will not reimburse any fees or expenses related to obtaining a passport.