Party information

Welcome to Alternative Party, a digital culture festival and demoparty with alternative ideas and full programme with demo compos, music, special guests and exhibitions.

Participate now: Join us at #altparty @ IRCnet or follow us on Twitter and send tweets with #altparty hastag.

Location:

Tallberginkatu 1 C 15, 00180 Helsinki


(Click on map for more information)

Time and services:

Tickets:

 
 

General rules

  • All entries must be submitted via our intranet - where applicable.
  • Only the holders of a weekend ticket have access to the intranet - where voting and submitting are done.
  • Use descriptive filenames.
  • At least one of the authors of the entry must be present at the party.
  • There may be pre-screenings during the party. Entries can be disqualified because of their content or, for example, because there is no machine the entry can run on. The organisers have real ultimate right to decide.
  • Any machine running a competition entry in the competition may not be connected to the Internet. The entries may contain net-using features but they must work without the net, too.
  • Please note that all competing entries may (and will) be distributed right after they have been presented. By submitting a contribution you give us and others permission to spread your entry in the best demoscene manner.
  • Alternative Party has the right to use the contributions in its future marketing, events and media productions whether commercial or non-commercial. Alternative Party has the right to use the entries or parts thereof modified or unmodified and to sublicense other entities to produce any such productions. The contributor waives the right to have any compensation from any such use.
  • As a general rule, the entry should be completely your own creation. If you use someone else's work as part of e.g. a demo, it must be either public domain or you should have a written permission packaged with the entry.
  • All entries must adhere to the Finnish law.
  • The resolution of the video projector is to be announced.

Alternative Demo Competition

You know what a demo is, right? If not, see Wikipedia's description. A demo must be an executable computer program showing visuals of some sort.

  • Demos and intros of all sizes, whatever the platform, compete in the same competition.
  • We will publish the platform your demo runs on the big screen, also the size of the demo will be shown.
  • The purpose of this competition is to bring out new ideas in demos, whatever the platform and method. A field for creativity.
  • Maximum length is 8 minutes, or until we get bored.

Dynamic demos

As a special challenge, there is a separate series for dynamic demos, e.g. demos that are different every time they are run. The demos in this category also compete in the main demo competition!

  • These rules complement the rules in the Alternative Demo Competition.
  • The demo must be noticeably different every time it is run. It can use randomization or evolution or any other technique to accomplish this. Your mind is the limit.
  • Untraditionally for demos, dynamic demos may write to the disk for the purpose of evolution and they may use the network if it is available (in the competition machine there will probably be a network connection). The demo must still run without the network, too.

Beginner Demo Competition

You know what a demo is, right? If not, see Wikipedia's description. A demo must be an executable computer program showing visuals of some sort. Music is also usually nice.

  • Demos and intros of all sizes.
  • At least 50 % of the makers of the demo must be absolute first timers. (no previous published entries in any demo competition)
  • It's ok if you have published graphics or music for other than demo and of course if you have only unpublished demos made already you can entry them.
  • Coding is one of the keys so you can't entry to this demo if code is mainly / only made by someone who have done that to demos before.
  • The idea is not to get someone to make this for you but it's ok to ask some occasional help.

The purpose of this competition is to encourage new people to start making demos and show them public. It's quite possible to cheat in this by getting too much help from people who are "pros" with demos. We trust you will not do that - it's also very easy to get busted for that you know.

Wildest Wild Competition

You can entry with (almost) anything your heart desires - presentation time ~10min, presented compo-primetime!

  •   Your entry can be a live performance, some music, visuals, or combination of these.
  • If your entry contains a live performance, you must tell us about it before the party! Contact competitions@altparty.org.

Nokia Qt-competition

  • All Entries must use the Nokia Qt and Qt Mobility! (Up to Qt 4.7 and Qt Mobility 1.1 are allowed)
  • You can only install additional software from the Maemo.org repositories or the Ovi store
  • Platform is the Nokia N900
  • There is a 100mb size limit.

Free Music Competition

High-tech, modern beats and melodies with superb sound quality! Draw immense soundscapes and please the ears of all trendy scene-followers at the party!

  • Maximum length is 5 minutes.
  • Allowed file formats: OGG, MP3, FLAC (WinAmp used for playback)
  • Please, decent quality. Between 192-320 kpbs is good.

Obscure Music Competition

The music competition for true sceners with technical skills to abuse old hardware!

  • Allowed: sound hardware and software
  • No pure sample files
  • Maximum length 5 minutes.
  • If possible, real machine used.
  • Recoding of entry is mandatory. File formats: OGG / MP3 / FLAC (WinAmp used for playback), IT / S3M / XM / MOD (ModPlug Tracker used)
  • Please, decent quality.

Graphics Competition

Compete with a picture which may be drawn by hand, pixelated, rendered or constructed from taken photographs.

  • Allowed: pictures drawn by hand, pixelated, rendered or collages of photographs
  • Submit at least five snapshots of your work in different phases to prove the originality of your work
  • Slight use of royalty free stock images is allowed (eg. textures or background) as long as the main point in the image is your own creativity.
  • Resolution is your choice, but the works will be displayed scaled to the resolution of a video projector.
  • File formats: JPEG / PNG, in case you want to participate with a retro computer or other alternative means, please contact the compo crew beforehand to make sure proper hardware will be available

KIDtro competition

The demos in this category can also compete in other competitions, but they aren't automatically submitted! Demos and videos targeted for younger audience. Material unsuitable for children will be moved to other category or disqualified!

  • No size limit, but be reasonable.
  • Entries running in real time will be prerecorded. Dynamic entries will be recorded twice.
  • Maximum length 4 minutes