General organizational questions

1. When will the 19^th DCMM take place?
   The DCMM will be taking place from 26^th to the 28^th of August 2021, at the XPERION Saturn E-Arena in Cologne.
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2. What is the exact location of the DCMM?
   XPERION Saturn E-Arena
   Hansaring 97, 50670 Köln
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3. Is there going to be any place for me to sleep?
   For all participants, we will have accomodation for free near to the location.
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4. May I attend one day only?
   You are able to attend only on Friday and Saturday. Please note this during the registration. You will find a special form.
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5. Will the travel expenses be refunded?
   Just like last year, there will be a travel expenses allowance, which will be 1 euro for each full 10km between the venue and your home up to 200 euro in total. The money will be refunded in cash after the winner ceremony on Saturday at the DCMM booth. For participants from outside Germany, please have a look at No. 9.
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6. Is there going to be catering at the venue?
   There are several dining options nearby. You will also be allowed to eat and drink at the DCMM booth.
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7. Do I have to pay an entry fee for the venue, or a participation fee for the DCMM?
   Participation at the DCMM will be free of any charge.
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8. May I bring someone along with me?
   Of course you can bring friends or relatives to help you setting up your exhibit at the DCMM booth. However, only registered participants, or, in terms of the Live-Modding-Challenge, both team-members, will be able to benefit from any kind of refund.
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9. I am not a German citizen, can I still participate?
   Of course participation is possible for contestants from other countries, as we think of the event as the International German Casemod Championship (similar to the DTM motor-series). As long as it is logistically possible to get your exhibit to cologne (they have an airport as well), every case-modder is welcome. The refund for travel expenses will then be based on the distance between the contestants home and the closest German border.
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Questions regarding the schedule

1. What is the DCMM booth going to look like?
   The exhibits are placed on tables. In addition, there is a separate room with storage areas.
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2. What am I required to bring to the venue?
   In addition to your exhibit(s), make sure to bring the following items: Modded accessories of your exhibit, supplies helping you to startup your exhibit (cables, maybe a multi-outlet power strip), and your ID. Peripherals, such as mice, keyboards or monitors are not required for the evaluation process, since the jury will provide their own in case the need to test the functionality. Due to a lack of space, we kindly ask you to pass on bringing along a monitor, as long it is not a part of your mod.
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3. What about the power supply on-site?
   For each contestant of the DCMM, at least one power outlet will be made available. In case your exhibit needs more than a single power outlet, please bring along a multi-outlet power strip. If your exhibit has an above-average power consumption, please let us know, so we can prepare, and eliminate possible disturbances on-site in advance.
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4. In case of any damage during transportation, will I be able to repair an exhibit on-site?
   Of course you will have the chance to fix minor damages which happened during transportation on-site. This can either be done at the exhibition site directly, or you can also use the storage room at the DCMM booth. For this case, please keep in mind that you will have to bring your own tools if necessary. In addition, your exhibit has to be finished for the evaluation of the jury - in case it is still under construction for any reason, the jury will evaluate its current condition.
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5. How exactly is the schedule going to look?
   Further information will follow shortly.
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6. Do I have to be present for the whole duration of the DCMM?
   Compulsory attendance mainly applies to the exhibits only, which have to be on-site for the whole duration of the event. Exceptions can be made if agreed upon before. You have to be present and with your exhibit for the evaluation of the jury and the winner's ceremony.
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7. How exactly does the jury evaluate the entries?
   There will be an individual jury per category. This jury will include four people for the Casemod and Casecon competition, which will then be split into two teams consisting of two members each to evaluate your exhibit separately. This means contestants will have to present their case twice in a row. The CE-mod category, special categories and the Live-Modding-Challenge will be evaluated by a jury consisting of three people who will evaluate all entires as a team.
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8. What is the best way for me to present my case to the jury?
   A good presentation can be crucial for the evaluation, since the jury will not be able to notice every small detail and won't also know anything about the manufacturing process. Therefore, your presentation should mainly focus on things which are invisible to the naked eye at first sight. The jury is mainly going to appreciate the effort you put into your work, so go into detail when describing the production, but also let them know about your idea and the concept. Preparing and practicing a short oral presentation about your case to make an impression is a good way to start. Begin with you concept, go on with the mechanical composition and all the electric circuits, and finish with the smaller details and gimmicks. The hardware will not be taken into account for the evaluation process, so simply leave it out when presenting your case. No worries, there's not a lot of things you can do wrong - the jury is looking back at long years of experience and will question you about all the factors that may help you increase your score.
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Questions regarding the registration

1. When does registration open?

   General registration will open on the 9^th of July 2021.
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3. When does registration close?
   The registration closes on the 31st of July 2021.
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4. How exactly do I register?
   Valid from the 9th of July onwards: Registration is a three-step process. First you will have to create an account at the DCMM website. After having set up your account successfully, you will find a subitem called Manage Cases at your command center. First create an entry for your exhibit, then upload pictures. Step three will then be for you to sign up yourself and your exhibit for the event. As soon as you have completed those three steps, all that's left for you is to wait for the final confirmation of the jury.
   
   Please notice, that for the Live-Modding-Challenge, your partner also has to sign up and create an account. At the registration, you will have to pick him as your partner, which he has to confirm in order complete the sign-up process.

4. Are there any requirements for me to sign up?
   The only requirement for the DCMM is that you have built a Casemod, Casecon, a CE-Mod, or a notebook which you want to enter the DCMM with. In order for contestants to participate in the Live-Modding-Challenge, at least one team-member has to be an experienced modder who can come up with valid references (e.g. former DCMM participations, a website where his or her projects are being presented, etc). In addition, you and your exhibit should be able to come to Leipzig. If you are able to meet all of these requirements, there will be no more obstacles keeping you away from participation.
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5. I would like to wait until my exhibit is finished before signing up - would that be smart?
   Our homepage allows each contestant to upload new pictures of their exhibit, and to change the description at any given time. Therefore we don't see any reason for you to wait after start of the registration. For the pre-selection, we will look at the most recent status of your exhibit automatically.
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6. May I submit several cases?
   You can enter as many cases as you want, however, notice that you can only submit one exhibit for each category to participate in the DCMM. At the registration for the event, you can then pick the exhibits you want to enter the competition with.
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7. Can I upload pictures afterwards?
   Yes, as this is one of the core-features of our new website. At your command center, you will find the subitem Manage Cases, where you can upload as many pictures as you want.
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8. Is it possible, to upload new pictures after the closing date?
   It's generally possible to update the description or pictures of a case, even if registration is closed already. Notice, however, that the jury can not guarantee considering changes made to your exhibit after the deadline, since the pre-evaluation process starts right at the closing date. In any event, registration for the DCMM has to be completed before the registration closes.
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9. How does the pre-selection process work?
   Every registered case will undergo a revision process by the DCMM-jury. Only cases which have been approved by the jury will officially participate in the DCMM. The jury will pre-select exhibits based on the uploaded pictures and descriptions. Since the registration period is consistently monitored by the jury, the pre-selection process will go on for a few days only.
   
   Once the process is completed, registered participants will receive a notification via eMail and at their command center, letting them know if their exhibits have been approved. Those who successfully made it through the pre-selection process will also receive directions and more detailed information about the event within this eMail.
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10. What do I have to bear in mind in terms of the description for my exhibits?
    During the selection process, all of the jury's information about your case is based on what you provide at your command center. To raise your chances of making it through the pre-selection process, make sure your case is presented and described as accurately as possible. Rules for images:
    
    The case has to be displayed entirely and lid properly.

• Your case should be exposed from different angles and perspectives.
• Specail details should be showed seperately.
• Please don't upload collages, upload single pictures.
• The amount of pictures you can upload won't be limited, allowing you to show your case from different angles, using various light setups, etc. - the more pictures, the better.
• Pictures should be presented in an acceptable quality, using a resolution of at least 800x600 pixels. Pictures taken by mobile phones or webcams are usually insufficient.

• A short and precise enumeration of all modifications using bullet points will totally do it.
• A complete enumeration of all tools and techniques used is preferable.
• In the field materials, we expect you to provide a short bullet-point-style list of all the materials you have used (e.g. iron sheets, aluminum, plastics, lumber, etc). This only applies to the raw-material of the case, hardware and electric elements should not be included.
• The hardware setup is not relevant for the DCMM, so you don't have to include it in your description.
• In case you have created a work-log during the construction of your case in an external board or on your own homepage, you may want to also include a link in your description. However, keep in mind that this won't be a substitution for a (brief) description of your modification.
• If you take all of these things into account, your chances of being approved for the DCMM are as good as they get.

Conceptual questions

1. Where do I find the official Terms and Conditions for participating at the DCMM?
   The rule-set for the DCMM can be found under the menu item Rule-set, or simply by clicking [here].
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2. Casemod, Casecon, CE-Mod, Notebook - How exactly are the categories defined?

• Casemods (from case modification) are regular industry manufactured computer cases, modified by the contestants.
• Casecons (from case construction) are self-designed and constructed computer cases. This also applies to alienated cases, which have been converted and turned into computer cases by the participant. (e.g. a crate of beer, suitcases, tires, microwaves, hi-fi cases, etc)
• In the category, CE-mods (from consumer electronics modification) it is not about computers, but about all kinds of all day electronic devices. We allow modifications, as well as an entirely new construction of a case.
• For a remodeled/self-constructed notebook, the following rules apply: 1. Mobility (meaning a regular person is able to move it, the device is not bound to a specific place). 2. Autonomy (the device can run on battery power, input- and output-devices (e.g. keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc) are integrated in the device). In case the distinction between these categories becomes blurry, the jury will classify the entry.

3. Is my Computer/CE-Mod required to actually work?
   Definitely - yes! This is one of the few fundamental rules, which have been out there since the start of the DCMM. If the jury has doubts about the functionality of the exhibit, the contestant has to be able to make his construction work on-site. A monitor will therefore be provided by the jury, meaning you don't necessarily have to bring one along.
   
   In case your exhibit shows major operational malfunctions caused by the modification, you may be disqualified. The exhibit also has to meet fundamental work-protection and security requirements, which means the case must not be a threat to humans or other hardware. Sharp edges, blank cables, open power supply units, leaking water cooling units, etc may lead to a disqualification.
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4. Does the hardware of my PC play any role?
   No. For the evaluation, it doesn't matter if you are using high-end hardware or 10-year-old processors, as long as your exhibit works properly. Also, for the CE-mods it's not relevant what kind of CE-device you are going for, the evaluation will be based on creativity and execution only.
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5. What exactly is the jury going to evaluate?
   The jury is looking out for four main criteria, which will be crucial for the evaluation. Those are: Visual appearance, electronic, technical skill level and creativity. For all these categories each jury member will award points, which will then be weighted discretionary. Generally speaking, the jury will review the idea, as well as the effort, and the execution's level of perfection. The combination of a creative and original concept, as well as clean and demanding manufacturing will guarantee for a good evaluation. Your case should be conclusive and have its own theme. A design that shows a clearly visible and straight concept, will be much more appreciated than some randomly combined modded elements. For the technical skill part, the jury will evaluate the effort. Filigree handicraft ranks higher than CNC-crafted parts, even if they are superior in terms of precision. Only an exceptional performance throughout the entire spectrum of requirements will get you a top evaluation - as to be seen during the competitions of the previous years. The requirements for each case will be defined individually by the each jury member. There are designs which do not allow any room for complex electronics or great effects. This can only be taken into account if the criteria are weighted individually for each case. The evaluation is always based on the possibilities a certain concept offers. There's no universal recipe and no preferred case-type, it's each contestant's task to amaze the jury with creative ideas and concepts.
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6. I have already participated in another DCMM, am I allowed to join again?
   If you have won a trophy at a DCMM with a specific case already (for Casemod, Casecon, CE-mod or at the audience choice), you are not allowed to enter the competition with this very case again. If the case has been remodeled in a major way, however, the jury may grant you permission to again enter the competition. If your case has not made it to the podium yet, you can use it to enter the competition again. However, please note that first-time-cases will receive preferred treatment by jury during the pre-selection process. If you want to join the competition with an entirely new case, you are welcome enter the DCMM without any restrictions.
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7. Since our exhibit is a team-effort - can we participate as a team?
   For reasons of fairness for single-contestants, we don't allow team-efforts. Due to this ruling, we have introduced the 24h Hour Live-Modding-Challenge for teams in 2014. At the DCMM, we consider individual work as the prime incentive for case-modding. It's in our philosophy for each contestant to mod and individualize their own PC (or CE-device), when it comes to team-work, this personal aspect is lost. Of course you may help out others or receive help, however, every registered contestant has to be responsible for most of the work put into his case. He also has to be the owner.
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8. What is the Live-Modding-Challenge?
   The goal of the Live-Modding-Challenge is to create a case-mod live during the first three days of the trade show. From Thursday to Saturday, you have 8 hours a day to work on your case. Teams will consist of two participants each; we expect you to compete against 3 other teams.
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9. How can I register for the Live-Modding-Challenge?
   The registration process is pretty much the same as the one for cases, except for you registering a team-partner instead of a case. Your partner has to be registered with the DCMM also. He or she will then receive an automated eMail including an invitation for the team. As soon as your team-partner has accepted the invitation, your team will be registered for the Live-Modding-Challenge.
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10. What is the schedule of the Live-Modding-Challenge going to look like?
    For more information on the competition and things you have to look out for will be announced shortly.
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