Theme: A Self-Making Design

Rules

1. The Core Principle: Autogenesis

The core challenge of this jam is to create a system, process, or piece of code that generates a complete design without any human interaction after initiation.

Your submission is not the final rendered image, video, or object. Your submission is the autonomous system that creates itself. The final design must be the product of the system's own, unaided execution.

2. The Golden Rule: No Human Interaction

This is the most important rule. Once the process is started, there must be zero human input, guidance, or curation.

*   Forbidden: Manually selecting from multiple outputs, pressing a key to advance a state, moving a slider, editing code during generation, or providing any form of live input.

*   Allowed:

    *   Clicking "Run" or a single "Start" command.

    *   Setting a fixed random seed before execution for reproducibility.

    *   Providing a static, pre-written data file (e.g., a text file, a JSON config) that the system reads from at the start.

    *   The system can have an internal clock or timer to guide its evolution.

3. What Constitutes a "Design"?

A "design" is any coherent visual, auditory, or structural output. It can be, but is not limited to:

*   A 2D or 3D image (PNG, JPG, SVG, etc.)

*   An animation or video (MP4, GIF, etc.)

*   A 3D model file (OBJ, STL, etc.)

*   A musical composition or soundscape (MP3, WAV, etc.)

*   A text-based pattern or concrete poem (TXT)

*   A generated physical structure (if using a plotter, 3D printer, etc.)

*   A piece of code (.py,  .HTML, .css, .r, etc.) (.py and .HTML preferred) (No extra file (eg Ursina, Pygame, etc) download)

The design should have evidence of intentional structure, pattern, or composition, even if that intention is emergent from simple rules.

4. Submission Requirements

Your entry must include:

1.  The Final Output: The image, video, audio file, or model that your system created, and any additions to submissions, will be locked from being changed in the rating period. New submissions will also not be able to be added within the rating period.

2.  The Source Code / Instructions: The complete code (e.g., .py,  .HTML, .css) or detailed instructions for running the system (e.g., for a NodeBox, TouchDesigner, or Blender setup).

3.  A "Making-of" Video (Crucial but Optional): A screen recording/screenshot that clearly shows the entire process from start to finish. The video must begin with you launching the program and must show the design generating itself to completion without any user input. This is the primary proof that you have adhered to the "No Human Interaction" rule.

4.  A Brief README: Explain the core concept of your self-making system in a few sentences. How does the process unfold? What was your inspiration?

5. Technical Scope & Tools

*   Allowed Tools: Any programming language (Processing, p5.js, Python, etc.), creative coding framework, simulation software, or even hardware systems (e.g., a custom circuit, a 3D printer with a self-contained G-code generator).

*   Libraries & Assets: You may use external libraries. You may not use pre-trained models that are designed for direct image generation (e.g., Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, DALL-E), as this outsources the core "design" act. However, using simpler ML libraries (e.g., for neural style transfer between two internally generated images) may be acceptable if the entire pipeline is autonomous—clarify with the judges.

*   Time Limit: The system must complete its design within a reasonable time for judging (e.g., 10 minutes). Please state the expected generation time in your README.

*   Free Purchase: The submission can be priced; however, it then must be a part of a sale where it is 100% off.

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Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

1.  Adherence to Theme (The "Self-Making" Factor): How well does the system embody the principle of autogenesis? Is the process truly autonomous and compelling?  (This is the most important criterion)

2.  Aesthetic & Creativity of Output: The beauty, intrigue, and originality of the final generated design.

3.  Complexity from Simplicity: The elegance of the system. Does a simple set of rules or code produce a surprisingly complex and interesting result?

4.  Technical Execution: How well is the code/system built? Is it efficient and reproducible?

Examples & Inspiration (What is and isn't allowed)

*   ✅ ALLOWED: A cellular automaton that grows into a complex, symmetrical pattern.

*   ✅ ALLOWED: A particle system with emergent behaviour that draws a coherent shape over time.

*   ✅ ALLOWED: A program that writes a poem by randomly selecting words from a predefined, self-written list based on grammatical rules.

*   ✅ ALLOWED: A L-system that generates a fractal tree and exports it as an SVG.

*   ✅ ALLOWED: A submission that has lots of files. These files must be different designs.

*   ✅ ALLOWED: A game that has been made before this jam.

*   ❌ NOT ALLOWED: A script that prompts a user to "Enter a colour" or "Click to continue."

*   ❌ NOT ALLOWED: A script that is fully made by AI. The submission MUST BE at least 75% done by a human.

*   ❌ NOT ALLOWED: Using a GAN or Diffusion model where the primary creative weight is on the pre-trained model.

*   ❌ NOT ALLOWED: Allowing human interaction more than once.

*   ❌ NOT ALLOWED: Downloading of extra files (eg, Ursina and Pygame) for the submission to run.

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By entering this jam, you agree that you have created a system that makes itself, and you are submitting the maker, not just the made. 

Good luck, and have fun building your creative automata.