Thanks again for the advice - again I don't really have need for a "central server" for anything but parsing the PHP really - I could just deal with using flat files - my idea is NOT a multi-player game, so I think it would probably feasible for me to convert my data. And if I'm making a VM image, then I could just make the browser go to the index.html/php or whatever, right? Would I still really need an installer package in that case?

The intention is to simulate the end user experience as closely as possible, while still ensuring that it can be judged fairly. The server VM that you submit would not be publically distributed, only used for judging... we wouldn't run the web browser inside it.

If your game is web-based, then I guess an installer would be unnecessary - instead of a download link your entry will need a regular web link. I'll try and account for that in the submission form.