Content Contests Overview

Overview

Content contests are used to produce virtually any type of content. Unlike software contests such as Architecture, Component Development, etc., these contests are often non-technical in nature. The output varies depending on the requirements. For example, a contest may ask competitors to produce help documentation for a web site, write tutorials, write articles, create videos, improve merchandise descriptions in a product catalog, etc. The format of the content is really unlimited.

To start competing on Content Contests, click here!.

Contest Timeline

Contest Posting

Contests will be posted to the Active Contest List. Each will have a contest specification page associated with it to describe the contest requirements. Review the details, and if you'd like to compete, click the "Register" button.

Competition and Submission Phase

After you have registered, you will be able to view the full set of requirements for the contest. You will also gain forum access where you can communicate with the contest managers. Review the instructions in the requirements, including any attachments. Review the forums too, for any additional instructions or changes.

Forum Participation
Because the input material will likely not address all complications, corner cases and input details, forum participation is absolutely crucial.

Review Phase

At the end of the submission phase, a review board will begin screening and reviewing submissions. The screening phase verifies that required materials are present and non-trivial. Following Screening, a Review Board will begin reviewing passing submissions.

The Review Board for Content Contests will vary depending on the nature of the contest. Some contests will be reviewed solely by customer and/or TC resources. Others will be reviewed by the TopCoder member review board. Be sure to ask in the forum if it is not clear how the review will be conducted.

Be sure to check the scorecard that will be used to review the contest. It is likely that scorecards for this contest type will vary often between contests. Some contests will be scored very subjectively (i.e. the customer will pick the submission they like best, similar to a Studio contest), while others will have specific "technical" requirements that will be scored.

Support Phase

The winner is required to provide support for their submission for 30 days following the end of the competition. Support includes providing fixes for issues that are discovered that should have been delivered as part of the winning submission based on the contest requirements.