TopCoder Welcomes VeriSign as Return Sponsor

Glastonbury, Conn., December 19, 2005 – TopCoder®, Inc., the leader in online programming competition, skills assessment and competitive software development, today announced that VeriSign, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, has been named a Premier sponsor of the 2006 TopCoder Open (TCO). The preeminent event for competitive coding’s elite, the 2006 TopCoder Open will bring the world's finest professional and collegiate programmers together for international ranking, celebrity and a share of the $150,000 prize purse for Algorithm, Component Design and Development categories. The Onsite Finals will take place at the Aladdin Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV, May 3rd-5th 2006. Full registration details and rules are provided at: http://www.topcoder.com/tco06. Component Design and Development registration begin January 2nd, with online rounds starting January 18th. Five weeks of online competition will run through April 19th with the top 8 competitors from each of these categories advancing to the Onsite Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada,May 3rd-5 th. Online registration for the Algorithm competition will begin February 13 th, with qualification rounds starting February 28th and continuing on a weekly basis through March 22 nd. The top 48 competitors will advance to the Onsite Finals. Contestants can compete in the Algorithm or Component competitions, or both. Cash prizes for the 2006 TCO will comprise $75,000 for the Algorithm contest and $75,000 for the Component tournament ($46,500 Design, $28,500 Development) for an overall prize purse worth $150,000. TopCoder is a registered trademark of TopCoder, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners