Google Code Jam begins May 6thRegistration is now open for Google Code Jam, one of the Google's annual events to challenge programmers to come up with unique and brilliant ways to solve tough programming issues.
Google Code Jam is open to anyone 13 years or older who is determined to solve a series of increasingly difficult algorithmic problems that face developers. Programmers have a limited amount of time to solve these problems (usually between 2 and 4 hours). The good news is you can use whatever language and development environment you desire.
The competition begins on May 6th, with the first of four rounds weeding out the best of the best with a day to strategize over solving the first problems. In successive rounds, the best competitors are selected to solve increasingly difficult challenges. The top 25 finalists will be brought to Google's Tokyo office for the last round, with the winner going home with $10,000 and major nerd cred.
The international competition began in 2003 as a way for Google to find the best programming talent around the world. As of 2008 there were over 11,000 registrants vying for the top prize.