Computer programmers from around the world will soon flock to Mountain View, California, to participate in Code Jam, a competition run by search giant Google Inc.

Registration for Code Jam 2005 officially opened today. No limits on registration have been set, but only 500 contestants will move past the qualification round to be held on August 22.

The stakes are high for participants this year, with the top 100 performers competing for $155,000 in cash prizes.

“The Google Code Jam celebrates some of the best work in problem solving from the fastest and most talented computer scientists in the world,�? said engineering vice president Alan Eustace in a press release.

Code Jam is run by TopCoder, a Connecticut based company specializing in programming competitions. The company also runs the TopCoder Open, which has attracted corporate sponsors that include Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, and VeriSign.

Last year, Code Jam had over 7,500 participants from over 100 countries. Sergio Sancho of Buenos Aires, Argentina won the grand prize of $10,000.

To register for the tournament this year, competitors must be at least 18 years of age or older, and must be available for all scheduled rounds.

Google will award the top 100 scorers an all-expenses paid trip to the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California to compete for the grand prize.

Registration remains open until Friday, August 19 5:00PM eastern time, and is available at http://www.google.com/codejam05.