Code Jam is Google's annual coding contest. This year it will have an extra track that as well as challenging algorithmic skills also tests your distributed coding and latency reduction abilities. The competition will have two on-site finals and you can win cash prizes in both!

Google Code Jam began in 2003 and last year attracted over 25K entrants. To further expand the contest Google is now introducing a supplementary track that is open to those who make it through Code Jam's Qualification Round and the first two online rounds. In other words, to have to make it to Code Jam Round 3 to be eligible.

Google points out that

This is the first competition of its kind in the competitive programming world and it's your chance to be named the first ever winner of Distributed Code Jam!

Distributed Code Jam will have only one online round from which 10 finalists will be offered an expenses paid trip to Seattle to take part in the final on Saturday August 15th, the day after the finals of the main Code Jam. Although the prizes for Distributed Code Jam are smaller than for Code Jam it is possible for contestants to win prizes in both.

The top-scoring 1000 contestants from Code Jam Round 2 will be eligible to receive t-shirts,

To get to the finals in Code Jam you have to achieve a minimum number of points in the qualification round and progress through three online knockout rounds which whittle down the numbers to 1000 after Round 1, for which you can have up to three attempts, to 500 after Round 2 and to 25 after Round 3. 

Last year's winner advances automatically to the onsite finals which explains why there are 26 places. 

To prepare for the contest you can find the problems from every stage of previous Code Jams, and for other Google contests, in the Practice and Learn Section of the Code Jam site. There is also an example problem  in the FAQs for Distributed Code Jam competition.

Registration for this year's competition is now open to anyone over the age of 13 - although to be eligible for the onsite finals you must be over 18, otherwise you only win a t-shirt. There are also a few territorial exclusions - Cuba, Quebec, Sudan, Syria, North Korea and Crimea - and a few other restrictions detailed in the terms and conditions. 

To enter you need to register before the end of the Qualification Round which starts at 23:00 UTC on Friday April 10th and lasts 27 hours.

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