osu! Mapping Olympiad #6: osu!catch

Fruit artists assemble as the Mapping Olympiad returns to osu!catch! Do you have what it takes to ascend the pantheon of osu! Mapping Olympians? Read inside for all the juicy contest details and how to participate!

With a hearty congratulations to our Mapping Olympians in each of osu!'s four game modes, we set our sights on the future, and the time is once again ripe for fruit arrangers from all corners of the globe to take centre stage.

Naturally, fantastic prizes such as the highly coveted Elite Mapper title and the glorious Mapping Olympian profile badge are on the line. Whether you're taking your first steps into the editor, or a veteran seeking an exciting new challenge, all are encouraged to try their hand in pursuit of mapping glory!

So without further ado, let's meet your new favourite song!

Song Selection

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, comes courtesy of one of our newest, fantastically-talented Featured Artists, MYLK and her headlining track, Waffle Wave!

MYLK's Waffle Wave masterfully blends electronic dance rhythms and sugar-sweet pop vocals to create a truly unique experience that is both accessible to newer mappers, but also presents a vast amount of nuanced poitential for the more experienced.

Rules

• This contest is for the osu!catch mode only.
• Each entry must follow the Ranking Criteria (with one notable exception, stated below). Entries found to break the Ranking Criteria will be subject to penalties, ranging from point deductions to disqualification based on severity.
• Beatmap submissions must not exceed 15MB.
• Storyboards will not be considered in the judging process.
• Custom hitsounds may be used.
• Collaboration on entries is not permitted.
• Maps submitted to the contest must not be uploaded using the Beatmap Submission System (BSS) until the contest is concluded and the winners are announced.

As an additional twist for this contest, we'll be asking our contestants to submit two difficulties for audiences of different skill levels. One difficulty must be an Insane (Rain) or Expert (Overdose) difficulty, and the other must be an Easy (Cup), Normal (Salad) or Hard (Platter) difficulty. Each submission must clearly reflect the intended level of difficulty (so no custom difficulty naming please!)

If multiple difficulties from the same category (e.g. Insane and Expert) are submitted, only the hardest difficulty will be judged. However, the two difficulties are exempt from spread requirements—Normal -> Expert combos and more are certainly welcome here!

Judging Criteria

For each eligible submitted difficulty, the judging panel will award points based on the following criteria:

• Musical Relevance (10 pts): How well the entry follows the outline of the song through rhythm choices, emphasis, and patterning.
• Creativity (10 pts): How unique and interesting the concepts and themes utilised are.
• Technique (10 pts): How well executed the ideas presented in the entry are.
• Impression (5 pts): The judge's overall impression. How they view the effectiveness of the entry in its entirety.
• Hitsounding (5 pts): How well the entry utilizes hitsounds to add to overall beatmap expression.

Prizes

After all valid entries are judged and the results are finalized, the top three entrants will receive the following prizes:

• 1st place: 4 months of osu!supporter, 6 Olympiad Points (awards Mapping Olympian Badge), Elite Mapper title
• 2nd place: 3 months of osu!supporter, 4 Olympiad Points
• 3rd place: 2 months of osu!supporter, 2 Olympiad Points

Olympiad contests utilise a points-based system to award the Mapping Olympian badge. Even if you do not win a particular contest, achieving a podium placement in multiple contests can result in the award of a badge. Every 6 points earned will grant a badge level, with incrementation on the badge for each level achieved.

How Do I Enter?

You will have 28 days from the date of this post to submit your entries. A pre-timed .osz can be downloaded here, so you can sink your teeth into mapping at your convenience!

If you're ready to submit your entries, need a refresher on the rules, or just want to keep an eye on the contest deadline, head on over to the contest page! We look forward to seeing how our mappers bring MYLK's creation to life in fruity form, so give us your best!

Good luck and have fun!

—JBHyperion