TopCoder Coding Contest Crowns ContestantTopCoder Coding Contest Crowns Contestant

Australian Ph.D. student John Dethridge took the $50,000 grand prize last weekend as the winner of the second annual TopCoder programming competition. Dethridge used C++ in the championship round to outcode challengers. Most contestants used Java.

The contest lets TopCoder's 20,000 members challenge each other to determine who is the best and fastest programmer. The contestants are asked to solve a technical problem using Java, C++, or C#.

The code used is up to each contestant's discretion. Dethridge, competing in the final live round held at a Connecticut casino, coded the fastest and the most accurately in solving the problem. Sixteen people competed in the semifinal round and four in the final round. All members first competed on TopCoder's site.