Entering The MicroMouse Contest

APEC 2005 will be hosting its eighteenth annual MicroMouse contest at Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas the evening of Monday, March 6 starting at approximately 8:00 PM. It is not necessary for contestants to register for the conference in order to compete.

The rules for the contest use a scoring system with a penalty for the time taken to map and run the maze, and a bonus for not touching the mouse. They are similar to those used at the IEE World Final held in London in 1987 except that the touch penalty has been reduced from 10 seconds to 3 seconds. The time for each contestant has also been reduced from 15 to 10 minutes. Within this time limit, the MicroMouse may make up to 10 runs.

International participation in the contest is again being actively sought this year. APEC would like to encourage the best MicroMice in the world to demonstrate their ability in Austin.

First prize will be US$150 and an attractive trophy. It will be awarded to the mouse with the best score. The mice with the second and third place scores will also receive trophies. A prize of US$150 and a trophy will be awarded to the student entry with the best score. Recognizing that some mice are designed to run under different rules than those used at APEC, a prize or a trophy will be awarded to the mouse that makes the fastest individual run through the maze. All pre-registered mice that finish will receive a customized certificate.

For a complete copy of the APEC MicroMouse Contest Rules, click here. If you would like to register for the contest at APEC 2005, or have any additional questions, please contact the APEC MicroMouse Chair, Dave Otten. Inquiries can also be directed to the APEC 2005 Offices.