Here are some explanations about taking part in the contest. Who can participate, what elements are required

Submit a project

To whom is the competition open ?

The competition is open to all software distributed under a free license (as defined by the Free Software Foundation) whose interface, if there is one, is available in English or in French as a minimum.

Ineligible projects

Projects that have already been awarded a prize during one of the previous four Book Trophies are not eligible, unless the software has undergone a major rewrite (whether or not a rewrite is major will be decided by the competition jury). Projects that have already received more than one cash prize in another competition are ineligible.

Who has a chance of winning ?

Projects are assessed according to a wide range of criteria, including their originality but also their fame. A project that is already very well-known will therefore be unlikely to win, because such an award would be of little benefit for it.

Who can represent a project ?

The project must be represented by a person who has an undeniable link with the project or by someone approved by such a person.

This person will be responsible for distributing any awards the project wins.

The proposal of a project for the contest and the identity of its representative will be published both on the competition site and within the project community, so that the organisers can be notified of any objections with regard to the representative’s legitimacy.

Method of application

The candidates must fill in the form available on the contest website. They will receive a confirmation that their application is valid or will be asked to supply any missing elements

Based on the applications submitted and the publicly accessible elements, the jury will select 3 nominees per category. These nominees will be invited to Picardie to present their project in details to the members of the jury.

One important detail: the organizers will be able to cover some or all of the accommodation and travel expenses incurred by finalists. The members of the jury will deliberate on the same day, and the prizewinners will be announced during the award ceremony.