Submitting Designs

Which versions of the West Point Bridge Designer software can I use to enter the contest?

The only version of the software you can use to enter the 2014 national contest is the West Point Bridge Designer 2014.

How do I submit a design?

Before you can submit a design, you must register for the contest. Once you are registered, hit the Enter the Contest tab above and log in using your Team Name and password. On your Team Home Page, you will find a file browser, which you can use to locate the bridge design file you want to submit for judging. Once you have selected the file, click the Submit button. You will receive immediate confirmation of your submission and, if the bridge deisng is valid, you will receive feedback about your current contest standing.

How many designs may I submit?

You may submit as many designs as you like until the end of the Qualifying Round.

Why does the website reject duplicate bridge designs?

The website automatically rejects any design that is structurally identically to any previously submitted design. We use this system to ensure that there will not be several teams tied for first place. This feature also ensures that a contestant cannot obtain a design from someone else and re-submit it without modification.

When I submit a design, the message on my Team Home Page gives me my “unoffical standing.” What is an unofficial standing? When does it become official?

The contest rules strictly prohibit the use of inappropriate Team Names. The rules also allow only two teams per school to be included on the contest Scoreboard. In order to enforce these rules, our Contest Coordinator reviews each registration before it is posted to the Scoreboard. This review only occurs for the top design submissions that are posted to the Scoreboard. Before your team has been reviewed, your standing is considered to be “unofficial.” After it has been reviewed and posted to the Scoreboard, it becomes “official.” When there are more than two teams from the same school on the Scoreboard, all except the top two teams (and any exceptions, as specified in Rule 5.7) are kept in an “unofficial” status. Because designs and standings often change over the course of the contest, it is possible for a team that has attained “offical” status to be subsequently changed to “unofficial” status and removed from the Scoreboard.

I showed my design to a friend, and then he copied it and submitted it for his team. Now he’s ahead of me in the standings–with the design he took from me! Can you disqualify him for cheating?

No, sorry. What your (former) friend did was not nice, but it was not cheating. There are no restrictions on collaboration during the Qualifying Round. And the rules state, each team is responsible for safeguarding its own designs. When you shared your design with your friend, you gave up any right to claim it as your own.

The contest site requires that Javascript (though not Java) be enabled for your browser. Some extremely security-minded people and schools may disable Javascript as a precaution. It will have to be turned on again before you can submit your design. If you are using your own computer, please consult your browser documentation for the correct procedure. At school, please consult with the person who takes care of the school computers before making any changes.