From Spectator to Juror

My Tiny Role at the 'Oscars' of the Demoscene

Wanting to contribute to the demoscene in a bigger way, I became a jury member for the midschool category at the Meteoriks 2025 awards, sifting through an overwhelming number of demos, debating their merits, and helping to decide the year's best. It was a wild, but ultimately rewarding experience that deepened my appreciation for the passion and craftsmanship behind the scene. I even held one of the award speeches.

April 2025

The winners of the Meteoriks 2025, the presenters, and the members of the jury. Source: Numtek

For years, I had been a passionate spectator of the demoscene, an underground digital art movement that blends code, music, and graphics into mind-blowing realtime audiovisual demos. I spent hours watching demos on Demozoo, Pouet, and YouTube, admiring the sheer creativity and technical brilliance of the scene. But I was always on the outside looking in.

That changed in 2022, when I attended my first demo party: Evoke in Cologne, Germany. Seeing demos unfold on the big screen, surrounded by the community that creates them, was awe-inspiring. It pulled me in deeper. Since then, I've attended Revision 2023, Evoke 2023 and 2024, and even Graffathon 2024 in Helsinki, Finland. With each experience my affection for the demoscene grew.

At Revision 2023, I also witnessed, for the first time in person, the Meteoriks awards. You could describe them as the 'Oscars' of the demoscene. At the demoparty, the Meteoriks were awarded in an elaborate ceremony celebrating the innovation, artistry, and technical mastery of the demos created in 2022. I was hooked. Little did I know back then, that I'd be comtributing in some small way in the future (find out more about the Meteoriks awards on their website).

Stepping Beyond Spectatorship

Over time, I transitioned from just watching demos to actively participating. I submitted a good half dozen productions to different compos, and in Evoke 2024, I even made it to the finals in the Oldskool Graphics category, landing in the top seven! It was a small achievement, but one that made me feel even more connected to the scene.

Wanting to contribute more, I began considering other ways to get involved. As I planned my demoscene events for 2025, I saw a message on a demoscene Discord server: the Meteoriks organizers were looking for jury members. Even though the pre-selection process had already started, I signed up, eager to play a role in recognizing the best of the scene.

Behind the Scenes: How the Meteoriks Jury Works

Being a jury member meant serious commitment. The Meteoriks team had already sorted all the demos from 2024 into categories, a huge undertaking in itself. I chose to join the jury for Midschool productions, a category covering 16-bit and early 32-bit platforms like the Commodore Amiga, Acorn Archimedes, 486 PCs, and even some unexpected systems like the Nintendo 64 and fantasy consoles like PICO-8 and TIC-80.

Step 1: Pre-selection - The Overwhelming First Hurdle

The first challenge was pre-selection, sorting through hundreds of demos in our category to determine which were eligible and noteworthy. Across all categories, there were more than 2,600 demos^[1], which meant a staggering amount of viewing, note-taking, and discussion. Each demo needed needs attention, making this a massive time commitment. And this was only the pre-selection, not yet the next level of selection, which needed a far greater level of scrutiny.

Getting through this stage was tough. During the pre-selection process, I quickly realized that I had underestimated the sheer scale of the task. With hundreds of demos to go through in my category alone, I felt lost and overwhelmed, struggling to keep up with the pace of the more experienced jury members. I didn't deliver as quickly or as much as I had hoped, which was frustrating. "Help! I signed up for this and now there are hundreds of demos to watch (what else did I expect, though 🤪)".

Instead of letting it discourage me, it gave me the kick in the derriere I needed. I adapted, found a better workflow, and approached the next steps with more efficiency and dedication. It was a tough start, but it made me more determined to contribute properly in the later phases. This was a baptism by fire, but it motivated me to improve.

Step 2: Selection - The Funnest Part^[2]

Once pre-selection was done, we moved to the selection phase, where we evaluated the demos based on:

• Graphics and sound quality
• Innovation and technical excellence
• Creativity and general awesomeness

This was the most enjoyable part for me. I got to debate, analyze, and appreciate some of the best productions of the year with the other jury members. The lead Jury member for this category played a crucial role in guiding us through the process. We never spoke directly, but his empathy, knowledge, and leadership made an impression on me. I felt a connection and admiration for his approach.

Finally, we narrowed down the list to the top five nominees, a difficult but rewarding decision.

Step 3: The Grand Announcement and The Final Vote

Our nominee list was submitted to the jury leadership.

Later in February at the MountainBytes demoparty in Cham, Switzerland, Shana and Dojoe announced the nominees. The event was a wonderful spectacle! Held on a wide and beautiful stage. The hosts were elegantly dressed hosts. Classy and computer-generated animations spiced played between categories., The level of polish was so high that it wouldn't be out of place at the Academy Awards. (I couldn't attend myself because I was too tied up at my day job, but I watched the stream and it was fantastic!)

You can find the list of all the category nominees on the Meteorik website or at the end of this article in the second appendix.

The final step was choosing the ultimate winner of our category. Like the other category juries, we discussed the merits and voted for the best demo. We then provided our thoughts for the speech about the winning demo for the prize-giving ceremony.

The results would only be revealed at Revision 2025.

The Revision 2025 demoparty in the E-Werk. Source: Marin Balabanov

The Meteoriks Awards Ceremony at Revision 2025

The awards ceremony took place on the opening night of Revision 2025, held in the iconic E-Werk venue in Saarbrücken, Germany. Hosted with flair by the ever-charismatic Dojoe and Subi, the Meteoriks segment was both a heartfelt celebration of the best productions of 2024 and a showcase of its most creative minds. Here's the video recording of the whole event.

Watch on Youtube

Let me get into some of the background and what led up to the ceremony.

Each category was introduced by one of the jury members, who gave a short speech about the winning production (without revealing it too soon, of course). For the Best Midschool Production category, that honor was supposed to go to Kieran of Bitshifters. But during the jury process, he had suggested I might take the stage this time. Naturally, I leapt at the chance and even submitted an audition video to the Meteoriks organizers. They were kind enough to say yes, even though I don't believe that I am worthy to share the stage with absolute legends like Dojoe and Gasman!!!

I am certainly not worthy. Scene from Wayne's World.

I arrived on day one of Revision in the early afternoon. I had dressed semi-formally, sports jacket, shirt, dress trousers, and sensible shoes, feeling somewhere between "presenter" and "tech conference panelist." I finally got to meet Kieran in person, who was every bit as warm and gracious as I'd hoped. Soon after, I was brought to the organizers' lounge, where I met Dojoe face to face. He welcomed me but had his hands full with the management of Revision and perhaps the Meteoriks awards.

At 5 PM, all presenters gathered backstage for the dress rehearsal. We got a general rundown of the event structure. Then we read through our speeches to make sure they clocked in at around 90 to 100 seconds. That was when the weight of it really started to sink in. Thankfully, I wasn't the only first-timer. There were at least two other "rookies" in the mix.

Dojoe takes to the stage to present the Meteoriks Awards. Source: Numtek

We agreed to regroup around 8 PM, just before showtime. Although we were told the ceremony might run fashionably late (as demo parties often do), all presenters huddled at the side of the stage right on schedule and full of anticipation. The E-Werk hall was dramatically darkened, with spotlights sweeping across the stage. Behind us, a massive screen cycled through visuals, videos, and demos.

Dojoe and Subi opened the ceremony with a thoughtful welcome and a moment of remembrance for the sceners we lost in 2024. In a symbolic gesture, the Best Newcomer award was the first to be presented.

Several categories later, it was my moment. Subi introduced the Best Midschool Production category and presented clips of the five nominees. Each nominee had also sent in a video message. Every one of them incredibly talented, and genuinely kind.

Then came my cue. Subi called me to the stage. I retrieved the trophy from the awards table and walked to the podium, where my speech printout lay waiting. The lights were blinding; beyond the first few rows, the audience disappeared into darkness. I remembered the advice from the sound engineer about mic distance, but I was still convinced I was causing feedback somehow.

Subi, the second presenter, on stage during the Meteoriks Awards. Source: Numtek

Despite the nerves, I managed to get through the speech and then it was time to announce the winner: "The Mind" by Haujobb and SWEET16, built on the delightful constraints of the PICO-8 fantasy console.

What followed was… energetic. In a burst of excitement one of the laureates, XXX of Haujobb, leapt onto the stage from an unconventional angle, snatched a mic, and nearly launched into a speech before I had even handed over the trophy. The other two team members took a more traditional route, entering from stage left and graciously accepting the award (and my slightly delayed congratulations).

The presenters of the Midschool category and XXX of Haujobb and SWEET16, one of the winners of this category. Source: viscid/neoplasia

The impromptu speech that followed was all about pushing PICO-8's limits and the creative use of trackers in the soundtrack. It was a charming glimpse behind the curtain.

As we wrapped up the segment, I realized I had left the printout of my speech on the podium. A quick dive back revealed the next speaker's notes underneath. One stealthy retrieval later, I made my way offstage.

The ceremony rolled on, category after category, with cheers, applause, and plenty of heartfelt moments. It was, in short, a joy to be part of it all.

Looking back, I'm deeply grateful to the Meteoriks team for the opportunity. Getting a peek behind the curtain gave me even more respect for their hard work and dedication. It was a true pleasure to be involved.

If you're passionate about the demoscene, I highly encourage you to get involved - whether it's through creating, organizing, or even just voting. It's an amazing world to be a part of, and I'm thrilled to continue this journey.

Really special thanks to the Meteoriks organizers for letting me present during this year's ceremony. Source: Meteoriks Video

Footnotes

^[1]  Every year, some smart alec starts claiming that the demoscene is dead or dying. The numbers prove that it is alive and well. You just can't otherwise produce more than 2,600 productions in a single year. (This is not to gloss over the fact that participants at demoparties are on average in their forties. The average is increasing over the decades. This might well be a reflection of European demographics.)
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^[2]  I know that this is grammatically wrong, it should be "the most fun part", but "funnest" just sounds funner!
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Appendix II: The Text of My Speech

Hello Revision! I'm here to present the winner of this year's Best Midschool Production category.

With so many strong entries, we focused on three main things to pick a winner:

1. How good do the demos look and sound?
2. Are they doing things that shouldn't be possible on these platforms?
3. And most importantly, do they absolutely rock?

And one stood above the rest!

This production is a masterclass in technical brilliance and artistic vision. It takes a platform with extreme constraints, one that should never be able to run such a spectacle.

This Midschool demo plunges us into pixel-perfect craftsmanship and glitch aesthetics, blended like fragments of a dream. It shows us tubular zooms and a liquid 3D object that morphs and reflects across space. All to a rising soundtrack that culminates in frenzy.

This is more than just code wizardry. This is demoscene poetry created by demoscene veterans and engineers of the impossible. A production like this should not exist on this machine. And maybe it does because the console only exists in fantasy...

It is my honor to announce the winner of this year's Meteoriks Award for Best Midschool Production...

"The Mind" by Haujobb and SWEET16 on the PICO-8 fantasy console!!!

Congratulations!

Bonus: Commentary On the Jury Selection 2025

The legendary demoscene communicator, PSEnough, was also part of the jury. He recorded a commentary on the jury's selection of nominees. It's definitely worth watching! In his video, PSEnough goes through the nominated demo productions and highlights some of the standout ones that didn't make the final list. Offers valuable insights into the selection process.

Watch on Youtube