It's funny, on TopCoder, prizes count for close to nothing to most of the top competitors. More than anything, respect is what people strive for -- from others

It's funny, on TopCoder, prizes count for close to nothing to most of the top competitors. More than anything, respect is what people strive for -- from others and from themselves. People are extraordinarily excited about the prospect of being 'red' or getting a rating above 2200, and seems to motivate people far more than prizes.