ACM Programming Contest
News
About the ACM Programming Contest
- The "Association for Computing Machinery" (ACM) is the oldest and largest association for computer scientists in the world.
Founded in 1947, it has some 80,000 members now.
Headquartered in New York, the organization advances the skills of information technology students and professionals.
That's why they have created the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, some also call it the World Championships of Programming.
A large part of the contestants are students who have their background in computer science and mathematics.
- Starting in 1970 as an internal contest of the University of Texas, the ACM contest has evolved into a world-wide event, carried out in three stages:
- The competition takes off with local contests held at universities around the world and multi-university preliminary contests.
- The best teams represent their universities in one of 35 regional contests.
- The 100 best teams of all regional contests are finally invited to the world finals, typically held somewhere in the USA. They compete for $31,000 and the bowl.
- Ulm University has performed quite well over the last few years:
- At the european regional contests of the years 1995-2004 teams from Ulm University finished five times 1st, seven times 2nd and twice 3rd.
- Thereby, in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Ulm University always participated in the world finals.
- The best result so far has been achieved with a 3rd place in Orlando in 2000.
Further good results have been achieved with a 5th place in Vancouver in 2001 and a 10th place in Beverly Hills in 2003.
Ulm University Local Contest
- 1996 - Winner: Gerhard Lutz (computer science, 8th semester)
- 1997 - Winner: Ralf Gandy (economathematics, 3rd semester)
- 1998 - Winner: Ralf Gandy (economathematics, 5th semester)
- 1999 - Winner: Walter Guttmann (computer science, 4th semester)
- 2000 - Winner: Alexander Neubeck (computer science, 6th semester)
- 2001 - Winner: Axel Gandy (economathematics, 7th semester)
- 2002 - Winner: Jürgen Werner (computer science, 6th semester)
- 2003 - Winner: Jürgen Werner (computer science, 8th semester)
- 2004 - Winner: Adrian Kügel (computer science, 7th semester)
- 2005 - Winner: Robin Nittka (mathematics, 8th semester)
- 2006 - Winner: Christoph Schwirzer (economathematics, 8th semester)
- 2007 - Winner: Julian Rüth (computer science and mathematics, 8th semester)
- 2008 - Winner: Mathias Wasserthal (computer science, 8th semester)
- 2009 - Winner: ?
European Regional Contests
- Zürich 1995 (Southwestern Europe)
Team "Ulm 1" ranks 2nd and thus qualifies for the world finals.
- Zürich 1996 (Southwestern Europe)
Wow! The two teams from Ulm place 1st and 2nd.
Since only one team from each university is allowed to advance to the world championships, "Ulm 1" and the 3rd-ranking team from CTU Prague qualify.
"Ulm 2" is invited to San Jose to watch the event.
(Final Standings)
- Ulm 1997 (Southwestern Europe)
"Ulm 1" (Ralf Gandy, Thorsten Quell, Christian Ehrhardt and Ralf Engels) places 2nd after Charles University Prague.
(Final Standings)
- Ulm 1998 (Southwestern Europe)
"Ulm 1" again ranks 2nd, this time after Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg.
The teams "Ulm 2" and "Ulm 3" place 4th and 8th, respectively.
(Final Standings)
- Freiburg 1999 (Mid-Central Europe)
Gold, silver, and bronze: The team "Ulm 1" (Walter Guttmann, Peter Schaeffer and Marc Meister) solves 8 problems, leaving all others behind.
"Ulm 3" (Axel Gandy, Christian Ehrhardt and Bertram Wirth) and "Ulm 2" (Alexander Neubeck, Pierre Bayerl and Johannes Mayer) place 2nd and 3rd, both solving 6 problems.
(Final Standings)
- Freiburg 2000 (Mid-Central Europe)
Gold and silver medals for Ulm: Team 1 (Alexander Neubeck, Christian Ehrhardt and Walter Guttmann) wins, having solved 6 problems with least penalty.
The same number of problems for Team 2 (Axel Gandy, Bertram Wirth and Axel Blumenstock), leading to a 2nd place. Right behind is the team from the University of Poznan with 5 correct problems.
Team 3 (Stefan Geschwentner, Christopher Wolf and Andreas Herzig) ranks 7th.
Team coach: Marc Meister.
(Final Standings)
- Darmstadt 2001 (Northwestern Europe)
Ulm's Team 1 ranks 2nd after Oldenburg, both teams solving 6 problems.
Three teams represented Ulm University at the regional contest:
Team 1 (Axel Gandy, Alexander Neubeck and Axel Blumenstock),
Team 2 (Jürgen Werner, Dennis Waldherr and Steffen Hein) and
Team 3 (Andreas Herzig, Alexander Grünhage and Simon Natterer).
Team coaches: Walter Guttmann and Marc Meister.
(Final Standings)
- Porto 2002 (Southwestern Europe)
Gold and bronze medals for Ulm: Team 1 (Jürgen Werner, Adrian Kügel and Manfred Sauter) wins, having solved 4 problems.
Three solved problems for Team 3 (Holger Dammertz, Martin Bader and Robin Nittka) lead to a 3rd place just behind the team from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Team 2 (Frank Raiser, Markus Woerle and Johannes Stickel) ranks 7th.
Team coach: Walter Guttmann.
(Final Standings)
- Paris 2003 (Southwestern Europe)
Gold medal for Ulm's Team 1 (Jürgen Werner, Adrian Kügel and Robin Nittka) solving 7 problems.
Team 2 (Manfred Sauter, Frank Raiser and Simon Gog) rank fifth having solved three problems.
Team coach: Walter Guttmann.
(Final Standings)
- Paris 2004 (Southwestern Europe)
Ulm's Team 1 (Manfred Sauter, Robin Nittka and Frank Raiser) ranks 10th solving 4 problems; the ENS Lyon wins the competition having solved 5 problems.
Team 2 (Daniel Sewtz, Julian Rüth and Simon Gog) ranks 12th solving 3 problems.
Team 3 (Benedikt Schäfer, Christoph Schwirzer and Gernot Goetz) ranks 41st.
Team coach: Walter Guttmann.
(Final Standings)
- Paris 2005 (Southwestern Europe)
Ulm's Team 1 (Robin Nittka, Manfred Sauter and Julian Rüth) ranks 5th solving 6 problems; the TU Munich wins the competition having solved 9 problems.
Team 2 (Simon Gog, Christoph Schwirzer and Holger Brandsmeier) ranks 26th solving 3 problems.
Team 3 (Stefan Langenmaier, Christian Staudenmayer and Bastian Glöckle) ranks 50th.
Team coaches: Walter Guttmann and Adrian Kügel.
(Final Standings)
- Lissabon 2006 (Southwestern Europe)
Ulm's Team 1 (Christoph Schwirzer, Holger Brandsmeier and Florian Nöding) ranks 5th solving 5 problems; the UP Catalunya wins the competition having solved 7 problems.
Team 3 (Micha Mutschler, Enrico Pilz and Helmut Sedding) ranks 20th solving 3 problems.
Team 2 (Marco Baur, Benjamin Weggenmann and Bastian Glöckle) ranks 31st.
Team coaches: Walter Guttmann, Simon Gog and Adrian Kügel.
(Final Standings)
- Lissabon 2007 (Southwestern Europe)
Ulm's Team 1 (Julian Rüth, Michael Mattes and Moritz Gerlach) ranks 15th solving 4 problems; the UC Madrid wins the competition having solved 7 problems.
Team 2 (Mathias Wasserthal, Micha Mutschler and Thomas Schnattinger) ranks 26th solving 3 problems.
Team 3 (Mario Volke, Bastian Glöckle and Christoph Schied) ranks 38th.
Team 4 (Christian Bailer, Stefan Schlichthärle and Timo Beller) ranks 57th.
Team coaches: Adrian Kügel, Walter Guttmann, Christoph Schwirzer and Simon Gog.
A team of three coaches (Adrian Kügel, Christoph Schwirzer and Walter Guttmann) wins the public contest held simultaneously solving 9 problems.
(Final Standings)
- Nürnberg 2008 (Southwestern Europe)
Ulm's Team 1 (Mathias Wasserthal, Mario Volke and Sophie Schmieg) ranks 25th solving 2 problems; the ENS Lyon wins the competition having solved 7 problems.
Team 2 (Finn Steglich, Thomas Schnattinger and Micha Mutschler) ranks 37th solving 1 problem.
Team 3 (Christian Bailer, Jan Paul and Pascal Heiter) ranks 38th solving 1 problem.
Team 4 (Bastian Glöckle, Timo Beller and Stefan Schlichthärle) ranks 41st.
Team coaches: Adrian Kügel and Christoph Schwirzer.
The coaches' team wins the public contest held simultaneously solving 7 problems.
(Final Standings)
- Nürnberg 2009 (Northwestern Europe)
The contest will be held November 6-8, 2009.
Ulm's teams will be determined at the local contest.
World Finals
- Philadelphia 1996
Team Uni Ulm: Mark Dettinger, Bernd Frey, Martin Gumhold and Stefan Sarstedt
Result: 39th in the world, 9th in europe, 3rd in the EU
- San José 1997
Team Uni Ulm: Mark Dettinger, Gerhard Lutz, Falk Bartels, Thorsten Quell and Joachim Schmid
Result: 11th in the world, 4th in europe, 2nd in the EU
You may read our report from the finals '97 (german language only).
- Atlanta 1998
Team Uni Ulm: Ralf Gandy, Thorsten Quell, Christian Ehrhardt et al.
Result: 29th in the world, 10th in europe, 2nd in the EU
Again our report from the finals '98 (german language only).
- Eindhoven 1999
Team Uni Ulm: Ralf Gandy, Falk Bartels, Ralf Engels and Walter Guttmann
Result: 18th in the world, 8th in europe, 2nd in the EU
- Orlando 2000
Team Uni Ulm: Walter Guttmann, Peter Schaeffer, Marc Meister
Result: 3rd in the world, 2nd in europe, 1st in the EU
Read our report from the finals 2000 (german language only).
- Vancouver 2001
Team Uni Ulm: Walter Guttmann, Alexander Neubeck, Christian Ehrhardt
Result: 5th in the world, 3rd in europe, 1st in the EU
Detailled standings at the time 1 hour before the end of the contest
Read our report from the finals 2001 (german lannguage only).
- Honolulu 2002
Team Uni Ulm: Axel Gandy, Alexander Neubeck, Axel Blumenstock
Result: 18th in the world, 7th in europe, 2nd in the EU
Read our report from the finals 2002 (german lannguage only).
- Beverly Hills 2003
Team Uni Ulm: Jürgen Werner, Adrian Kügel, Manfred Sauter
Result: 10th in the world, 7th in europe, 1st in the EU
Read our report from the finals 2003 (german lannguage only).
- Prague 2004
Team Uni Ulm: Jürgen Werner, Adrian Kügel, Robin Nittka
Result: 27th in the world, 10th in europe, 3th in the EU
Detailled standings at the time 1 hour before the end of the contest
Read our report from the finals 2004 (german lannguage only).
More Programming Competitions
- Internet Problem Solving Contest
The annual IPSC is a 5 hour programming contest resembling the ACM contest, but with free choice of programming language.
- 2009.05.30: teams from Ulm rank 26th, and 68th in a field of 488 participating teams
- 2008.05.24: teams from Ulm rank 17th, 30th, 173rd, and 300th in a field of 401 participating teams
- 2007.05.11: teams from Ulm rank 14th, 56th, 90th, and 312th in a field of 441 participating teams
- 2006.05.18: 7th place in a field of 511 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Adrian Kügel, Robin Nittka and Christoph Schwirzer; further teams from Ulm rank 56th, 59th, 87th, and 396th
- 2005.05.13: 9th place in a field of 399 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Christian Ehrhardt, Axel Gandy and Walter Guttmann; further teams from Ulm rank 26th, 34th, 55th, and 251st
- 2004.05.21: 4th place in a field of 509 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Jürgen Werner, Adrian Kügel, Robin Nittka; further teams from Ulm rank 17th, 138th, 142nd, and 206th
- 2003.05.16: teams from Ulm rank 20th, 23rd, 37th, 61st, and 152nd in a field of 383 participating teams
- 2002.05.10: teams from Ulm rank 31st, 38th, and 49th in a field of 343 participating teams
- 2001.05.18: 2nd place in a field of 368 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Marc Meister, Axel Gandy, Ralf Gandy; 6th place for the team from Ulm composed of Walter Guttmann, Alexander Neubeck, Christian Ehrhardt; 144th place for another team from Ulm
- 2000.05.19: 5th place in a field of 295 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Walter Guttmann, Peter Schaeffer, Marc Meister
- 1999.05.14: 1st place for the team from Ulm composed of Walter Guttmann, Ralf Gandy, Ralf Engels
- BiTWiSE
Bitwise is an annual 12 hour programming contest with teams composed from two persons.
- 2006.02.12: 10th place in a field of 603 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Adrian Kügel, Robin Nittka; 15th, 21st, 29th places for further teams from Ulm
- 2005.02.13: 1st place in a field of 507 teams for the team from Ulm composed of Robin Nittka, Adrian Kügel; 5th, 6th, 15th places for further teams from Ulm
- 2004: 4th place for the team from Ulm composed of Adrian Kügel, Robin Nittka; 6th place for the team from Ulm composed of Jürgen Werner, Alexander Neubeck; 9th place for the team from Ulm composed of Frank Raiser, Simon Gog; 16th place for another team from Ulm
- 2003: 6th place for the team from Ulm composed of Alexander Neubeck, Jürgen Werner
- International Online Programming Contest
The IOPC is a 24 hour programming contest.
- 2005.02.20: 1st place for the team from Ulm composed of Adrian Kügel, Robin Nittka, Christoph Schwirzer; 34th place for another team from Ulm
- ICFP Programming Contest
The annual ICFP Programming Contest is a 72 hour programming contest with arbitrary programming language (we used Haskell)
- 1999.09.02-05: 16th place for the team from Ulm composed of Mark Dettinger, Walter Guttmann, Marc Meister, Peter Schaeffer.
Unfortunately our last submission contained an error.
The sources for the program we submitted (you will need lex, gcc, happy, and ghc to compile).
The files matching *.new.* contain the corrected versions.
- Online programming contests and archives of ACM style problems
- Local preliminaries
Last changes Tue Jun 02 14:45:49 CEST 2009, ACM Student Chapter, Ulm University
The same page in german language. 
