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Competitions

General Rules

  • Don't be an idiot.
  • Don't break any UK laws, respect copyright law and don't cheat.
  • Remote entries are allowed in any compo. You can submit your entry through our online party system and there is no ticket charge for submitting remote entries. You are welcome to support the party by ordering a visitor ticket, but there is no obligation to do so.
  • Technical details, formats and platforms for entries will be made visible on the beamer before they are shown. Please share this in your submission!
  • You must provide High Quality Video Captures for all non-PC entries. If this is not possible, please contact the compo team as early as possible.
  • If you feel that your entry for any unlisted platform shouldn't be run in the Wild competition, please get in touch with the compo team as soon as possible.
  • The compo team has the final word on things. We are reasonable people though, so we will do our best to be of help!
  • Competitions can be consolidated or cancelled at the compo team's discretion.
  • The Compo team aims to have all releases uploaded (except Remix Competition) to the Scene.org archives soon after the event is over. Here's how you can help:
    • Submit your entry with its related files and information in a single archive.
    • Use a descriptive naming scheme! author - release name.zip is easy to identify, Copy of Archive (29).zip is not.

AI Policy

  • For all productions utilising AI or Machine Learning, please explicitly state this and how it was used.
  • Use of AI will be shown on the beamslide before your productions.
  • We remain open-minded with the use of AI, be mindful that the audience has mixed opinions regarding this.

Competition machine

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
  • RAM: 64 GB DDR5
  • Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3080 10 GB
  • OS: Windows 11 Pro 25H2
  • Linux available on request

Hardware and software configuration are subject to change by the compo team at their discretion. If you feel your production needs a higher end system, please let us know well in advance - we can discuss options.

PC Competitions

  • We officially support entries for Windows and Linux. We also accept Mac entries, but please bring your own hardware.
  • We also welcome realtime web browser entries. We'll have the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox installed. Please specify the preferred browser to run your entry with.

New School Demo

  • For PC based productions that are larger than 64k.
  • If there are less than 3 entries in the competition, it will be merged with New School Intro.

New School Intro

  • For PC based productions that are 64k (65536 bytes) or smaller.
  • Please ensure your beam slide states the size limitation.
  • If there are less than 3 entries in the competition, it will be merged with New School Demo.

Old School Demo

  • Productions for any old school platforms, C64, Amiga, BBC, ZX Spectrum, consoles etc.
  • Intros and demos will be mixed, please ensure your beam slide states it if is a demo or size restricted production.
  • Maximum playtime for all entries is 10 minutes.

Tiny Intro

  • For productions that take up to 256 bytes on oldschool, newschool and fantasy platforms.
  • We will split the Tiny Intro competition into separate 128 and 256 byte competitions if we we receive enough entries for both size discplines.
  • Please supply us with specific hardware and instructions on how to run your entry. Quality video captures and "compatible" binaries are highly appreciated.
  • Maximum running time for entries shown on screen is 5 minutes -including loading times.

Music Competitions

  • Original works only; remixes, covers, and previously released songs are not allowed.
  • The Remix Competition allows remixes and covers, but not previously released tracks (specifically, if your exact submitted remix exists or is released elsewhere, it is not valid for the competition).
  • Songs will be played for four minutes and faded out after this point.

Streaming Music

  • The entry has to be delivered as a single MP3, Vorbis, Opus or FLAC file.
  • Please remember to use ID3 tags or equivalent information tagging to describe your entry.

Remix Competition

  • Remixes of existing works, commercial or otherwise are welcome as is the accepted practice in music remix culture.
  • Remixes should be sufficiently distinct from the original track and we reserve the right to disqualify at our own discretion.
  • Songs will not be released or uploaded to scene.org - it is your responsibility to distribute your remix if you wish to.
  • The entry has to be delivered as a single MP3, Vorbis, Opus or FLAC file.
  • Please remember to use ID3 tags or equivalent information tagging to describe your entry.

Old School Music

  • Music made for obsolete machines, this includes computers and consoles from 8 and 16 bit era as well as tracked music formats MOD, IT and XM.
  • The platform will be displayed on the big screen so our party goes know the difference.
  • Maximum file size: 2MB (2097152 bytes).
  • Entries will be video pre-recorded where possible. Please state the tracker / player you want your capture to be taken from and any audio settings required for playback. Ensure your entry is not late to avoid disappointment.

Executable Music

  • Executable file size must be 32kb (32768 bytes) or smaller and runnable from Windows.
  • The executable must have a WAV Writer option or be accompanied with a second executable which produces a WAV file.

Graphics Competitions

  • Original works only, use of AI is prohibited.
  • The maximum image resolution is 1920×1080 pixels.
  • All entries will be shown using the original aspect ratio (i.e. 4:3 or 16:10 images will be letterboxed, not stretched). The stream will be 16:9 aspect ratio.

4K Executable Graphics

  • Maximum size is 4096 bytes.
  • Entries will be run on the competition PC, any files in the archive other than the compo executable will be deleted before showing the entry in the competition.
  • Maximum rendering time: 30 seconds (from starting the executable to the final image being displayed).
  • Animation and sound are not allowed. Entries must start with a blank screen (solid colour, typically black) and switch to the final image as soon as it is ready. Fade-in effects or incremental rendering count as animation!
  • Please include a full-res screenshot in PNG format

ASCII / ANSI

  • Animation is not allowed.
  • PLEASE include a copy of your work in PNG format - presentation is very much subjective so provide us with a render that we can use onscreen.
  • Entries without renders will be open to interpretation, assume the worst!

Photography

  • You have to be the creator of the photo entered.
  • Retouching and collages are allowed but you must state this with your entry.
  • If submitting a collage, please provide a PNG or JPG images of the original unmodified photo(s).
  • Please deliver your image in PNG or JPG format

Old School Graphics

  • Graphics created on any old school platform (C64, Atari, Amiga, Spectrum etc.).
  • Please include at least 4 work stage images.
  • Please include the tool used on your submission so we can check the working stages. If that is not possible for some reason, contact us on the party.
  • All formats/modes are allowed. Please specify which mode you use, it will be displayed on the beam slide before the entry.

New School Graphics

  • Anything goes, rendering, pixelling etc.
  • Please include at least 4 work stage images.
  • You may include a hi res version of your final picture.
  • Please deliver your image in PNG or JPG format.

Teletext

  • Entries can be made using the fantastic edit.tf site or your editor of choice.
  • Submit the saved link of your Teletext image.
  • Please include a bitmapped copy in PNG format.

Wild

  • For productions on strange new platforms, videos, animations, poetry, interpretive dance, etc.
  • A video for the production should be provided where possible, obviously poetry is exempt from this.
  • Maximum running time for entries shown on screen / stage is 5 minutes.