Mac Demos HQ is pleased to announce the launch of iQuest 2000.

iQuest 2000 is an internet contest which should interest all Mac users,
especially programmers, artists and musicians.

The purpose of iQuest 2000 is to channel competitive energies into creating
the best Mac Demos, art & music ever!

***** The Contest *****
Following the traditions of major Demo events iQuest 2000 has three
categories - Demos, art and music. For the specific rules of each category
please see the appropriate pages on our web site where you can also
register to take part in the contest. As contestants register their names
will be added to the contestants lists where they may also provide
information about their entries to whet our appetites or scare their
competitors! The deadline for the submission of all entries is May 31st at
23:59:59 GMT. (Entries must be submitted by email.) After this time the
Demos, art and music will be made available for download from the contest
website so that they may be judged by a public vote.
Voters will then be able to submit their scores for each entry via a form
on the contest website. The voting will be open for 7 days, after which the
votes will be tallied and the winners announced.

***** What is a "Demo"? *****
The "Demoscene" is a strange subculture, driven by computer enthusiasts who
like to show off their programming, graphical & musical abilities in small
non-interactive computer programs called "Demos". With origins in the 1980s
on a variety of personal computer platforms, Demos and the Demoscene have
been growing in popularity to the point now where annual Demo competitions
with thousands of attendants (e.g. Assembly) are held in many countries in
Europe and the rest of the world. The Mac is the latest platform to join
this global Demoscene. The Mac Demoscene's geographically diverse
population makes everyone meeting in one place impractical, so iQuest 2000
is continuing the Demoscene culture on the Internet while the Mac scene
grows to its full potential. By adopting variations of the rules and
categories of major demo events, we hope to capture the energy and spirit
of these more traditional competitions.

Let us attempt to define more precisely what is meant by a "Demo": it is
not a video taped demo reel one might receive from an artist applying for a
job. Nor is it simply a prerendered animation player. A Demo's animation
and sound are produced in real time the way a video game would typically
produce its animation and sound, but without the gameplay element. Demos
are pure audio visual stimulation. Demos are sometimes completely
procedural works, but often also manipulate human-created and/or digitized
graphics and sounds on the fly. From separated beginnings of programmers,
musicians and graphic artists all working to surpass the perceived
limitations of early personal computers, Demos have evolved into a
collective art form. The Demoscene in turn is the culture that has arisen
around this art form.

With their combined talents, Demo-makers usually seek to achieve one or
more of the following:
- Unusual or seemingly impossible programming feats such as real-time
ray-tracing, fractal zooms, volumetric lighting, turbulent flow (often
involving a lot of faking!) and other real-time visual effects typically
not practical in computer games.
- A powerful composition, typically drawing from many influences including
pop culture film and music, or even subverting advertising.
- Pushing technical limitations of size, speed and exploring new
opportunities of new hardware developments.
- To create something new, different and original.
- To better their own work and that of their predecessors in any of the
above aspects.

***** Mac Demos HQ *****
The host site of iQuest 2000 is the authority on Mac Demos. Whether you are
a Mac coder, artist or musician there is something for you:
* All the latest news from the Mac Demos community.
* The most complete archive of downloadable Mac Demos, effects and source
code on the web.
* A rotating gallery showcasing pictures from Mac Demo artists.
* A jukebox of songs from Mac Demo musicians.
* Invaluable tutorials and source code for Mac Demo coders in PPC/DC.

Please visit us at
http://www.sfu.ca/~akirczen/iQuest/ (Canadian mirror)
http://www.multimania.com/blopblop/iQuest/ (French mirror)

Thank you,

Anton & Lana Kirczenow