Laptop battle

Laptop Battles are a competitive event for an electronic musician to match their skills against others. Competition rules limit equipment to a laptop computer and an external pointing device (mouse). Some competitions will allow external hardware, usually a single MIDI controller (this set up is very similar those used for Live PA). There are typically three or four rounds, following a single elimination bracket or similar structure. Each round consists of a number of head-to-head matches between two randomly selected participants. Rules vary, but typically the competitors are allowed two to three minutes on stage to play their individual compositions and/or sounds. Stage presence is often a key element for judging, in addition to technical finesse and ability to engage the audience.

A panel of judges decide which contestant advances to the next round, single elimination style. Usually, there are no restrictions on the type of material performed other than it must be the competitor's original creation. This aids to provide distinction from DJ battles, wherein competitors play music created by others. Musical genres vary widely, with obvious tendencies towards intelligent dance music, glitch, experimental electronica, mashups, house, and technoid.

Various local and national Laptop Battles have garnered the attention of electronic music and/or sound design production sponsors, such as Ableton, Mackie, and Native Instruments. Sponsor products are often included in competition prizes. Laptop Battles are becoming a worldwide phenomenon with battles organized in Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, and Italy.

...
Wikipedia