Digital Art & Creative Storytelling

This category is about appropriate, effective, and functional art that delivers on the intent of the experience. Applicants are not required to submit something photorealistic. Submissions can range from 2D or 3D artwork, to triangulated or voxel graphics, to creative VR or AR experiences.

Examples in this category can include the below:

  • Creation of visually stunning experiences that are thought provoking
  • Interpretation of complex data into beautiful art
  • Games art representation of the built and natural environment that is novel, visually stunning and engaging
  • Applied art that is both visually incredible and communicates an idea or concept in a clear way
  • Shared art experiences with multiple users
  • Live scribe artwork in immersive experiences
  • High visual fidelity experiences that push the immersive medium into new territory such as the level of reality, detail or visual enrichment
  • Innovation with reality capture (LiDAR, photogrammetry, stereo photography) into incredible immersive experiences

Sensory

This category focuses on the sensory inputs that help to make VR or AR experiences truly immersive including vision, auditory, haptics, olfaction, and hand tracking.

Examples in this category can include:

  • Immersive experiences that bring together sensory stimulations across touch, smell, visual, acoustics, wind, vibration, head
  • Applied use of eye tracking for human centric design, simulation and analysis
  • Applied use of machine learning from a human centric immersive experience
  • Excellence in the combination of a physical and digital immersive experience
  • Immersive experiences that can be a catalyst of change to how we simulate, analyse and design the built and natural environment

Technical Innovation

This category is focused on the outcome produced by innovation and/or problem solving enabled by code. The focus should be on what technical challenge was solved when developing the immersive experience (either VR or AR), and the approach that the applicant took to solve it.

Similar to the other categories, it’s not always about the most complex or the most high-tech solution – simple but effective solutions are also welcome.

In addition to providing the code itself, applicants will also need to demonstrate the flow & outcome of the application of the code.

Examples in this category can include, but are not limited to:

  • Automation and reusable code enabling exceptional quality of experience
  • Technical ways of creating shared experiences
  • Applied integration of multiple emerging technologies
  • Applied use of visual shader, particle and voxel systems in meeting new use cases with the interpretation of data, live or static
  • Innovation in immersive use of large data sets
  • Creating systems of methodologies or creativity in putting systems together
  • Repurposing and learning from different industries to apply innovative problem solving to a different sector

UX & UI Design

This category is focused on UX & UI design for immersive experiences, which can include VR or AR. Immersive experiences should be enjoyable, intuitive, and low friction. They should feel seamless and easy to use. Submissions for this category can address any aspect of immersive UX & UI. This could include anything from creating an innovative new onboarding experience, to considering accessibility needs for users.

Examples in this category can include:

  • Accessible yet incredible experiences
  • Innovation to create high quality experiences for large scale audiences
  • Novel UI interfaces that engage and delight
  • Innovative ways to customise experiences
  • Applied innovative use of immersive user experience solving today’s user needs
  • UX innovation in knowledge dissemination for training
  • Inclusive and accessible immersive environments covering physical disability and neurodiversity
  • Immersive experiential that enable new ways to collaborate and design

Best Overall Experience

In the four categories with specific topics the applicant only needs to demonstrate excellence in that particular area: sensory, UX & UI, technical innovation, OR digital art & narrative storytelling.

Submissions for the best overall category should include immersive experiences (either VR or AR) that demonstrate excellence in more than one category. Applicants will have an opportunity to explain why they feel their project should be judged in this category.

Submit your entry

Click here to register for the Awards and begin your application.

Will multiple entries be accepted?

Applicants can submit to multiple categories, but each category requires a separate entry tailored to address how your work applies to that category.