Freshman Earns First Place at Electronic Arts Festival
![Yearbook photo of Shun Watanabe with the Demosplash logo]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1763667039/uscsdk12paus/seylbzwh81lwpb7stwga/Demosplash-Shun.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1763667039/uscsdk12paus/seylbzwh81lwpb7stwga/Demosplash-Shun.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1763667039/uscsdk12paus/seylbzwh81lwpb7stwga/Demosplash-Shun.png","width":800}])
Upper St. Clair High School freshman Shun Watanabe earned first place in the Freestyle Audio (Composition) category at Demosplash 2025, an annual electronic arts festival hosted by the Carnegie Mellon University Computer Club.
Shun, a trombone player, is an active member of the Upper St. Clair High School Marching Band and the Honors Wind Ensemble. His musical background helped shape his award-winning composition.
Held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Demosplash features live screenings of computer-generated art, competitions, tech talks, workshops, and celebrations of retro gaming. The festival attracts participants interested in computer graphics, computer music, digital art, computer history and classic video games.
According to the event’s website, “Demosplash is one of the largest and longest-running demoparties in North America, catering both to newcomers to the demoscene as well as established artists. We show demos live on original hardware as much as humanly possible, offering a viewing experience that can't be matched by emulators or recordings. In addition to screenings, we feature a variety of events, including tech talks, workshops, and celebrations of retro gaming.”
- USCHS