I gave it some thought and I eventually wrote this up for the logistics.
Contest Guidelines/Rules
Contest Question
The question would be posted as a normal question on the site by either the question-writer or a moderator. The question would have a special tag contest (This will be a moderator only tag to prevent any accidental usage).
The comments will serve only for clarifications regarding the questions and will be regulated to ensure only relevant content stays as well as no part of the solution is disclosed.
Contest Submissions
Each submission/solution will be posted as an answer to the question. Submissions will have to submit the deciphered code (in which case the result cannot directly be a prize) and/or summary of steps followed to reach the answer (depending on type of challenge and difficulty).
Duration
The contest will stay live for a minimum period of one week and a maximum of one month. Answers can be submitted at any time during the duration of the contest. Only one submission is allowed per contestant and it will be eligible for the prize subject to owning the answer*. The contest will close once a winner** is found and at least one week has been covered since time of posting the question. Contest will be closed once the winner's answer is marked as the correct answer.
*Posts become CW after 10 edits by the original author. Therefore, a contestant will have a maximum of 10 attempts at the contest question. At whichever point the answer becomes CW, the contestant will no longer be a part of the contest. The CW answer will be deleted for the duration of the contest.
**Being the winner is contingent to submission of correct code/answer and verification of the process, if required
Prizes
These will vary from contest to contest and will be declared on the corresponding meta post of the contest. The prize will be given to the winner (described in the section above). There may be multiple winners depending on circumstances and at the organizing team's discretion.
Eligibility
The minimum criteria to be a contestant will be :
- User must have at least one post with a positive score on RE.SE
- User should be registered
- First criteria will be waived, if user has a minimum 10 rep on RE.SE (through suggested edits for questions, answers or wikis)
These criteria must be satisfied before posting a submission for the contest. They may be achieved during the contest period itself.
Step-Ups
A part of the solution or a hint will be provided every 4 days, after the completion of the first week. These will be added to the question in the form of clear demarcated edits.
Usage of Chat
The chatroom may be used for discussing the contest question. No clarifications about the question will be entertained in the chatroom. Any clarifications regarding rules can be made through the corresponding meta post for the contest or in the chatroom.
Organization
The organizing team will be a group of 2 or 3 active RE.SE users consisting of:
- Question writer
- Moderator
- Active User or Moderator, if required
The organizers will not be eligible for the prize however, they may participate.
The writer will be responsible for giving clarifications about the contest question.
The moderator will be responsible for monitoring comments, chat, and answers. Community members are requested to also help in monitoring these areas keeping in mind the spirit of the contest and RE.SE.
Lastly, remember to :
- Be Nice
- Be Courteous
- Be Tolerant
All rules are subject to change without notice.
In case of any disputes, the organizers' decision will be final and binding.
In case of any inappropriate actions on the part of a contestant, moderators will have the final say in the matter.
This is a rough sketch of the contest concept. All suggestions, corrections, improvements welcome.