All teams competing in regional contests must be fully registered at least 7 days in advance and no later than November 10, 2002. Most regionals offer discounts for early registration. Last year, 2,362 teams from 67 countries competed with another 720 teams competing in regional qualifiers. Over 300 teams were turned away, so don't delay!

Sixty-four teams will be selected to advance to the World Finals Merv's Beverly Hilton, March 22-26, 2003, in Beverly Hills, California, during Academy Awards week, with hotel accommodations provided from a grant by IBM. Prizes, scholarships, and bragging rights are at stake for some of the world's finest students of computing with Hollywood as the backdrop!

Regional contests are open to all institutions of higher learning. Teams of three are given five hours to solve a series of problems that test their teamwork skills, problem-solving acumen, and programming skills in a number of different areas of computer science. Rules, past problems, and regional contest-specific information are waiting for you at the ICPC Web Site, http://icpc.baylor.edu .

Representatives from IBM attend most ICPC regionals and welcome the opportunity to meet the teams. Participants interested in learning more about IBM should bring resumes to their regional contests or submit them to the IBM Employment Web Site, http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/links/IBMEmploy.htm.

Join the ACM, IBM, and the world's colleges and universities in making this year's competition the greatest contest ever! Don't forget to take a look at the special opportunities for students from ACM!

Best Wishes, William B. Poucher, Ph.D., Executive Director The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest