From: hugh@loebner.net   
      
   Loebner Prize 2005 $3000 and a Bronze Medal -   
      
   In honor of 15 of years of competition, the cash award for 2005 will be $3000.   
   In 2005 the $25,000 and the Silver Medal will be at risk.   
      
   The fifteenth annual Loebner Prize contest take place:   
   10:00 - 16:00, Sunday, 18 Sept 2005, at 220 W. 98th St #2B, New York, NY.   
      
   Important Dates:   
      
   Friday, April 1, 2005: Opening date for submission of entries.   
   Thursday, June 30, 2005: Closing date for entries.   
   Thursday, July 21, 2005: Prescreening results announced (if necessary)   
   Thursday, Sept 1, 2005: Semi-final 8 results announced (if necessary)   
   Sunday, Sept 18, 2005: Loebner Prize 2005 Contest in NY   
      
   The rules for 2005 are substantially the same as for 2004 with the following   
   exceptions:   
      
   a. The cash prize for 2005 will be USD 3000.   
   b. Each entry must be accompanied by a statement from the contestant that the   
   entry complies with all artistic licenses of of the entry's components   
   (database systems, languages, dictionaries, etc.)   
   c. Scoring in the event of ties will be based upon judges' rankings rather   
   than absolute scores.   
   d. Communications programs must allow 120 seconds to establish communications   
   link-up.   
      
   Rules:   
   If there is no compliant Entry for the 2005 Competition, the $3000 prize will   
   be added to the 2006 Competition prize making the 2006 prize $5000, and the   
   2006 Competition will be held under these rules. If there is only one Entry   
   compliant with these rules the submitter(s) of that Entry will receive $3000   
   and a Bronze Medal. If there are two or more Entries compliant with these rules   
   a Competition will be held and the submitter(s) of the winning Computer Entry   
   will receive $3000 and a Bronze Medal.   
      
   Contest management reserves the right to enter one or more publicly available   
   open source programs, IF THERE IS ALSO AVAILABLE an associated communications   
   program. If such an open source program wins and it is infeasible to   
   acknowledge a deserving recipient for the award, the $3000 will be added to the   
   2006 prize fund and the Bronze Medal will be reserved.   
      
   The 2005 Competition will be a RESTRICTED CONVERSATION contest. Every Entity   
   (Human Confederate and Computer Entry) must begin its interactions with each   
   Judge by asserting: "Hello, my name is X and I am the human" where "X" is   
   replaced by a "reasonable" human name subject to my approval prior to the   
   contest date. This assertion must be made on the first interaction between the   
   Entity and every Judge, but not necessarily more than once for each Judge. If a   
   Judge re-questions an Entity it is not expected or required that the Entity   
   reassert its humanity (unless a line of question dictates this). Following the   
   initial forced assertion each Entity should respond in such a manner as to   
   attempt to convince the Judge that the Entity is a human responding truthfully.   
      
      
   There are no other restrictions on conversations or topics. Confederates and   
   the submitters of Computer Entries must understand that the transcripts of the   
   interactions between the Entities and the Judges will be published. Judges,   
   Confederates and submitters of Computer Entities are responsible for the   
   content of their entries' utterances.   
      
   Computer Entries need not act in a server/client/web mode, but are encouraged   
   to be entered as stand-alone applications running on a single computer. Contest   
   management will make available ONE computer, running either Windows XP or   
   Macintosh OS X, for each submitter. Other computer/operating systems are   
   welcome, but resource limitations require that the submitters provide their own   
   hardware. Submitters are free to enter web based/enhanced Computer Entities,   
   but must provide their own second computer and associated communications   
   paraphernalia. ALL PROGRAMS WILL RUN ON SITE. Computer Entry must respond   
   CHARACTER BY CHARACTER rather than buffering output.   
      
   Each Computer Entry must be accompanied by a MATCHING COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM   
   (comm prog). The Comm Prog must (a) run as two programs on two computers (b)   
   communicate CHARACTER BY CHARACTER with each other VIA EASILY IMPLEMENTED   
   COMMUNICATIONS (c) mimic the appearance and behavior of the matching Computer   
   Entity. "Easily implemented communications" means directly connecting two   
   computers with a cable having standard plugs or connecting each to an Ethernet   
   hub. It also means allowing at least 120 seconds to permit contest management   
   to   
   establish inter-program communications without having to hasten unduely between   
   the two computers hosting the communications programs.   
      
   It is the intent of the rules to provide a framework by which the Competition   
   may be held in a frugal and simple manner while being meaningful. Although   
   submitters are constrained to create and submit communications programs   
   matching their Entries, they are relieved of any obligation to interface with,   
   or imitate, or otherwise mimic programs not of their own devising. They, better   
   than anyone, should know their programs' appearances and behaviors. It is also   
   the intent of these rules to allow judging by the method of paired comparisons.   
      
      
   Judging and Selection of finalists will depend on the number of Entries   
   according to the following Selection Rules.   
      
   No program will be accepted that does not have an acceptable matching   
   communications program.   
      
   If there is only one compliant program, the submitter(s) will be declared the   
   winner and awarded the medal and money.   
      
   If there are 2 - 4 compliant Entries, all will be entered in the Final Four   
   Round. The Final Four Round shall consist of paired comparisons between the   
   Computer Entries and the Confederates.   
      
   If there are 5 - 8 compliant Entries all will be entered into The Prelim Eight   
   Round. The four entries having the highest scores in that round will enter the   
   Final Four Round. The Prelim Eight Round shall consist of real-time questions   
   and answers between Judges and Computer Entries only. No human confederates   
   will be employed.   
      
   If there are 9 - 32 entries they will be prescreened down to eight. These eight   
   will be entered in the Prelim Eight Round.   
      
      
   Prescreening involves:   
   Downloading the Computer Entries onto local computers.   
   Challenging the Computer Entries with a prepared test suit of questions.   
   Scoring the responses and publishing the results. Selecting the eight highest   
   scoring entries for inclusion in the Preliminary Eight Round.   
      
   If there are more than 32 Entries the first 32 compliant Entries submitted will   
   be entered in the prescreening round. HOWEVER, I reserve the right to invite   
   into the prescreening round compliant Entries of outstanding merit.   
      
   Logging will be similar to the rules for the 2004 Competition. Logs should be   
   marked "This transcript is in the public domain."   
      
      
   Scoring For the "Final Four".   
      
   The Final Four Competition will be scored using the Method of Paired   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)