$100K Cash Prize Awaits Climate Change Aware XR Creators

People have different views on the best way to approach climate change. In fact, some think that it is too late to make a difference. The problem has become too big and complicated. As a result, humanity cannot rely on just a small part of society to manage it.

In line with this, Augmented World Exposure (AWE) released the “XR Prize Challenge: Fight against climate change.” The organization will accept AR and VR video concept submissions through December 31. Each must come up with an impactful, creative and working XR-based solution to the climate crisis. AWE will award $100,000 to the winning group or individual.

XR Prize Challenge Categories

Entries must represent XR’s role in society in one of these four categories:

1. REPLACE: Substituting Wasteful Material Practices: Concepts in this category should focus on demonstrating how to use XR solutions as a means of communication and collaboration to reduce the need for transportation and new property development.

2. VISUALIZE – Visualize the causes and impacts of climate change – Competing solutions in this category will need to demonstrate how XR can be used to create empathy for climate change efforts through visualization. As explained in the XR Prize Challenge Guidelinesthese submissions should illustrate “XR’s unique ability to educate people about the causes and effects of climate change and influence behaviors and policies to promote equity and justice.”

3. EDUCATE: Educate on Climate Change Solutions: This category focuses on how to use the storytelling power of XR to empower solution providers and climate scientists. “As an immersive, spatial, and task-oriented storytelling medium, virtual environments can capture ideas and imaginations like no other communication platform can,” the guidelines page reads.

4. OPTIMIZE: Optimizing the design and execution of climate solutions: Concepts in this category will aim to demonstrate the use of XR technology to refine solutions to manage or reverse climate change.

XR Prize Challenge Judging Criteria

XR and climate experts will make up the jury and choose the winner based on:

• Creativity: originality, design, beauty and adaptation of extended reality to fight against climate change;
• Functionality: thoughtful user experience, innovative user interaction, and ease of use;
• Impact: Feasibility and scalability of the XR-based solution in the market.

XR Prize Challenge Stages

The XR Prize Challenge will have three stages:

1. Qualification for the minimum viable product (MVP) of your concept

First, AWE will send out invitations in January 2023 to qualified contestants. These contestants must submit their MVP by April 16, 2023. Entries must be no longer than 90 seconds and must be in English or have an English translation.

2. Selection of finalists

Second, judging for MVP submissions will take place between April 17 and 30, 2023. AWE will announce the finalists on May 1, after which they will perform live demos of their MVPs in Santa Clara. , USA, prior to AWE USA 2023.

3. Selection of winners

Finally, the jury will choose the winners of the batch of finalists. They will award the cash prize during the Auggie Awards on June 1, 2023.

Help fight climate change now

As AWE co-founder Ori Inbar says in a press release shared with ARPost: “There really is no more significant collective challenge facing humanity today than climate change, and XR is the ideal technology platform for that. try to develop creative solutions to address it. .”

Those interested in participating in the AWE: Fight Climate Change Fill XR Prize Challenge can submit their concept until later this year via this form.