Optional Contest: Scheme Art

The output is art,
But what about its source code?
It's just as abstract.

Instructions

This contest is completely optional!

Entries are due at 11:59pm on Wednesday, April 24th.

Here are the steps to enter the contest:

  1. Download scheme_contest.zip.
  2. Download the file abstract_turtle.zip from this link. Then, unzip the file into your scheme_contest directory. The unzipped folder should contain files including canvas.py and color_names.py. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to install using the pip command, you can run pip3 install abstract-turtle instead of downloading this zip file.

  3. Complete the contest.scm file (you can render your drawing with python3 scheme contest.scm --pillow-turtle --turtle-save-path output). See the Scheme Built-in Reference on graphics for a description of drawing procedures.

    • If this command doesn't work, try running python3 scheme contest.scm --turtle-save-path output instead. The main difference is that this command uses the tkinter library, while the former command uses the pillow library. Both should generate the same output.
  4. Upload output.png which was created by the previous command.

In contest.scm, the draw procedure should draw your entry and then exit on click.

All entries, including their source code, will be distributed to your fellow students for voting. Please do not include personal info in your submission.

Important: when you are ready to submit, follow both these steps:

  • Submit your contest.scm file to the Scheme Contest assignment on Gradescope.
  • Fill out the contest form. Make sure the information here is correct, since we'll be using it to generate your entry in the Scheme art gallery.

Troubleshooting: Are you experiencing the error name 'builtins' is not defined when trying to render your artwork? If so, add the following line to the top of scheme_builtins.py: import builtins. You might also be asked to install some dependencies when you try to render your image, and if you do so, it should properly create your visualization. If you don't see this error (it has usually been popping up for select Windows users), you do not need to add the additional import.

Contest Description

Create a visualization of an iterative or recursive process of your choosing, using turtle graphics. Your implementation must be written entirely in Scheme using the interpreter you have built. All computation must be done in Scheme.

We will have two categories of submissions:

  • Featherweight: Fewer than 512 Scheme tokens (including parentheses)
  • Heavyweight: Fewer than 4096 Scheme tokens (including parentheses)

No single token may contain more than 50 characters. If your entry requires more tokens than are allowed in the heavyweight category, please contact the course staff for special permission to submit an even longer entry.

You can check the number of tokens in a Scheme file called contest.scm by running the following command:

python3 scheme_tokens.py contest.scm

Entries (code and images) will be posted online, and winners will be selected by popular vote. The top three entries in each category will be announced on Ed after voting is closed.

To improve your chance of success, you are welcome to include a title and descriptive haiku in the comments of your entry, which will be included in the voting.

Contest Rules

Before submission, please ensure that your entry abides by these guidelines:

  • Entries must not contain tokens that contain more than 50 characters and must be submitted under the correct category (featherweight/heavyweight).
  • Entries must not contain any political content.
  • Entries must not contain any offensive, sexually explicit, or ethically objectionable content.
  • Entries must not contain any personal information.
  • Entries must match your code. That is, the Scheme code you submit must be able to exactly generate the output graphic file you submit.
  • Entries must be static images (no animations). We encourage you to experiment with animations on your own, but you may not submit animated artwork for this contest.

We reserve the right to disqualify any entries that do not follow these guidelines.

Past Entries

For inspiration, you can peruse these galleries of past entries. Please note that certain submissions may not follow the current guidelines.