The NZIMA programme in Algorithmics is sponsoring a competition to produce a song on the topic of algorithms. There is a well-known parody of Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time”, but this is 20 years old, and we are sure that New Zealand can produce something of comparable, if not higher, standard.

Rules: entry is open to anyone resident in New Zealand. The song must be to the tune of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. It may be submitted either as lyrics or audio file (or both). The best entry by a secondary or tertiary student will receive $200 of textbooks of the winner’s choice. Desirable features of an entry include correct scansion and real content about the subject of algorithms. The deadline for entries is 28 February 2009.

UPDATE: deadline extended to 31 May 2009.