CS 106A May 11, 2022

CS 106A Graphics/Image Contest

Submission deadline: 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Friday, May 27th

^{Based on a handout by Eric Roberts}

The programs you've written in this class have helped you build a foundation of computing skills. Still, those assignments have mostly asked you to implement programs that someone else defined. We want to give you a chance to use your programming abilities to develop something that you think is interesting. So, we are pleased to announce the CS 106A Graphics/Image Contest. Note that this is a purely optional contest, so you should not feel obligated to enter if you don't have the time. It's really a chance to let you show some more creativity in working with Python and showcase some of your programming skills if you so choose.

Each of you is eligible to submit one entry for the contest, where an entry consists of an original program written in Python using the facilities you've learned about in CS106A. The output of the program should showcase graphics and/or images. If you like, your program can produce an animation or be interactive – it doesn't have to just produce a static image/graphic, though that's certainly fine too. You are free to use any of the capabilities you've learned about in this class and are free to lookup additional features of Python if you think they might be useful in helping you develop your program. Of course, your contest entry must be entirely your own work.

Selection criteria

The entries will be judged by the CS 106A staff (see official rules below), and a prize will be awarded in each of two categories:

• Aesthetic merit. This prize is awarded based on the aesthetic value of the graphics/images produced (including animations, if you have them).

• Algorithmic sophistication. This prize is based on the difficulty of the underlying programming task and the sophistication of what the program does.

In both categories, programming style will be part of the evaluation (so don't submit horrendous code), but the functionality (and output) of your program will be the most important aspect for judging. Please note that you don't have to specify a category; all entries will be eligible for either prize.

Prizes

The grand prize in each of the categories will be a $25 Jamba Juice gift card. We reserve the right to give additional prizes if there is deemed to be multiple winners in a category.

Official rules

1. Only students registered in CS 106A are eligible to submit entries in the contest.

2. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

3. All entries must be submitted electronically using the Paperless submission system by the submission deadline. Late entries will not be accepted, and you cannot use late days for the contest. In addition to submitting your code electronically, please also send an email to both Mehran (sahami@cs.stanford.edu) and Juliette (jwoodrow@stanford.edu) informing them of your contest submission so we can make sure to keep an eye out for it.

4. Contest entries should be sensitive to Stanford's individual and cultural diversity. Programs or narratives that have the effect of perpetuating negative stereotypes will not be considered for prizes.

5. Contest entries will be evaluated initially by Mehran and Juliette. The best entries will then be judged collectively by the section leaders, who will choose the ultimate winners in each category. Winners will be annouced in the last class on Wednesday, June 1st.

Starter Project

To get started with your contest entry, you should download the Contest Project available from the Assignments page of the CS106A website. You are free to modify this starter project however you wish, as long as you remain within the rules of the contest.