After launching the High Performance Fast Computing Challenge, it came to our attention that the mere mention of the Fortran programming language really resonated with the challenge community! A lot of you started out with Fortran, back when it was still one of the go-to programming languages for calculation-intensive applications like weather prediction, fluid dynamics, and even computational chemistry.



Even though NASA had to reconsider their approach for improving the access-restricted software in the High Performance Fast Computing Challenge, we thought we could still have some fun with this and crowdsource the best stories about our innovators and Fortran. For the sake of history, appreciating our community’s expertise, and just hearing a good story, this challenge will offer a total of up to $1750 split amongst the top three “Fortran” reminiscers!



How to Get Involved

What we’re asking is simple: just turn on your phone camera and start talking!

We’d suggest you structure your 1 to 3 minute video to include:

An introduction to yourself and your participation in the “The HeroX Fortran Storytelling Competition”

Introduce your background with Fortran: When did you first learn it, and what was the application? How are you using it now? (if at all) How is it a different experience than it was in the beginning?

Encourage voters to vote for your video

Prize

The HeroX Fortran Storytelling Competition offers a total prize pool of up to $1,750. The prizes will be awarded as follows:

First Place - $1,000

Second Place - $500

Third Place - $250

Additionally, winners will be featured in a HeroX blog post and across our social media channels.

How do I win?

To be eligible for an award, your entry must:

Include a link to a YouTube or Vimeo video of yourself that is no longer than 3 minutes long.

Be in the top 3 at the end of crowd voting!

Voting Scorecard

When voting for your favorite video keep the following guidelines in mind:

Section Description Overall Weight Unique Story Lot’s of people learned Fortran in a computer science class in college, how is your story different? 25 Original approach Creativity and your unique perspective/approach. 25 Tone A strong, captivating and/or funny voice with lots of personality will get full points. 25 Effort A commitment to quality on behalf of the competitor, such as high production value. 25

Rules

Participation Eligibility:

The challenge is open to all adults (18 years and older, or age of majority), private teams, public teams, and collegiate teams. Teams may originate from any country. Submissions must be made in English. All challenge-related communication will be in English.

To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement. Submissions that contain inappropriate or offensive material will be disqualified.

Registration and Submissions :

Submissions must be made online (only), via upload to the HeroX.com website, on or before 5:00 pm EDT on June 28, 2017. All submissions will be public on the challenge page once submitted. No late submissions will be accepted.

Intellectual Property Rights:

It is not anticipated that participation in this competition will require the sharing of any intellectual property. As detailed in the Challenge-Specific Agreement – Competitors will retain all intellectual property rights to their technology. HeroX may use submissions in future promotional materials.

Selection of Winners :

Selected submissions will be made publicly visible for the voting stage. Prizes will be awarded to the submitters who have the top 3 vote totals at the close of the voting period. All votes are subject to review. Any competitor using unfair methods to solicit votes will be automatically disqualified from the challenge. In the case of a tie, the winner(s) will be selected based on selection by HeroX Judges.

Additional Information