AIXR, the group behind the annual VR Awards and other initiatives, this week announced the launch of a new Centre for Immersive Innovation in the UK.
Set to open in early 2024, the centre will be located in Colchester and will provide access to a range of tools and resources for VR and AR. Those include a mixed reality capture studio and what a press release describes as “dedicated haptic zones” as well as educational events and training.
There will also be co-working and office spaces along with a function space.
Currently AIXR is looking for early adopters for the space, and you can find out more by filling in a fact sheet at an official website here.
Elsewhere, nominations are still open for this year’s VR Awards, running until July 8. This year’s ceremony will return to an in-person event on November 3.
Last month the Academy of Extended Reality (AIXR) announced that its annual VR Awards would once again be held as an in-person event in London, UK later this year after spending 2021 as a digital-only event. Today, the VR Awards 2022 has opened nominations across 12 categories.
Photography by Dom Martin
This will be the sixth annual VR Awards, open to immersive projects the world over. Most of the usual categories return looking for the best VR hardware, videogame, film, location-based entertainment (LBE), healthcare app and more.
Nominations are open now until 20th June 2022 with anyone – from individuals to companies – able to place a nomination. As always the VR Awards is a not-for-profit event with the nomination fee waived if you or your company is an AIXR member. If not, each nomination with cost £205 GBP so make your selections carefully. The AIXR has created a handy 2022 Entry Kit to help with the nomination process.
Additionally, there will be two VR Awards webinars held in May and June so that nominees can learn more about the process. They’ll feature previous award winners as well as members of the judging panel.
The VR Awards 2022 will be held on 3rd November returning to its roots as a luxurious black-tie event. For all the latest updates on the VR Awards, keep reading gmw3.
For the past couple of years the annual VR Awards – organised by the Academy of Extended Reality (AIXR) – has been a virtual-only event, taking place in AltspaceVR in 2021. This week the AIXR has announced the return of its physical London, UK, event, with early bird tickets now available and nominations to begin in April.
Now in its sixth edition, the VR Awards has become one of the most prestigious in the XR industry’s calendar. Last year saw the likes of Paper Birds, Madrid Noir, and the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition take home awards. Resolution Games’ turn-based, tabletop adventure Demeo took home the coveted VR Game of the Year.
If you’re in the industry and interested in attending the VR Awards 2022 then early bird tickets are now available until 1st April. Individual tickets start from £170 GBP, with food, drink and entertainment included. If there are a few of you who wish to attend then a table might be a better option. The standard early bird table will cost £1522 whilst the VIP table will cost $2813. Of course, with that, you get a few juicy extras.
As for the nominations themselves they open on 25th April, which you can register your interest for on the official VR Awards website. AIXR hasn’t confirmed which categories will feature but gmw3 would expect the major ones such as VR Game of the Year, Hardware of the Year and VR Experience of the Year to return.
The VR Awards. Photography by Dom Martin
The 2022 VR Awards will be taking place on 3rd November starting from 6pm, held at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London. When the AIXR releases further info regarding the physical awards presentation gmw3 will let you know.
Last night The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) held its fifth annual VR Awards, with the 2021 event taking place virtually inside AltspaceVR for the first time. The VR spectacle – which you could also watch via Youtube and Twitch – celebrated virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology across 12 categories, with the winners including tabletop multiplayer Demeo and interactive film Paper Birds.
Ahead of the prestigious event, the VR Awards 2021 saw over 128 international nominations, 98 finalists judged by XR experts and almost 10,000 public votes cast in the VR Social Influencer of the Year, and VR Game of the Year categories. Resolution Games took home the coveted VR Game of the Year for Demeo, which is no surprise considering VRFocus’ review found the title excelled as a co-op, turn-based strategy experience.
VR Film of the Year went to 3DAR’s enchanting Paper Birds and VR Experience of the Year was awarded to Madrid Noirby ATLAS V & NO GHOST, two excellent VR titles. One of the big surprises of the night came from the VR Hardware of the Year, with HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition enterprise headset taking home the honours.
“Last night, we were delighted to have been able to celebrate the year’s achievements within the Metaverse once more and through our completely bespoke 5th-anniversary world-hop experience – the amazing team here have created a one-of-a-kind virtual journey through the history of the VR Awards and the founders, an event like this is truly a world-first for an awards ceremony,” said Daniel Colaianni, AIXR CEO in a statement. “Our guests were transported into 5 distinctly designed worlds that represent the 5 years that the VR Awards have been recognising VR excellence all across the globe.”
VR Awards 2021 Winners
VR Film of the Year – 3DAR – Paper Birds
VR Social Influencer – ThrillSeeker
VR Hardware of the Year – HP – HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition
VR Game of the Year – Resolution Games – Demeo
VR Experience of the Year – ATLAS V & NO GHOST – Madrid Noir
VR Marketing of the Year – Geometry Ogilvy Japan – Shibuya Virtual Halloween
Rising VR Company of the Year: triple A code
Innovative VR Company of the Year – Virtualware
VR Education and Training of the Year – NORCAT – Vale VR
VR Healthcare of the Year – Osso VR – Osso VR – Cinematic VR Surgical Training Platform
Out-of-home VR Entertainment of the Year – Figment Productions Ltd.- Current, Rising
VR Social Impact Award – Accenture – AVEnueS – Race Equity in Child Welfare
VR Enterprise Solution of the Year – Masters of Pie – Hyperbat – World’s First VR Design Review over 5G
VR Lifetime Achievement Award by Accenture – Tom Furness
And that’s it for another year, did you watch and enjoy the show? For all the latest XR news, keep reading VRFocus.
It’s almost time for the fifth annual VR Awards which is holding its event virtually for the second year in a row. Catering to as wide an audience as possible, the VR Awards 2021 will be available in virtual reality (VR) via AltspaceVR as well as streamed online across Youtube, Facebook, and Twitch.
For those that want to enjoy the full immersive spectacle, you’ll need to download AltspaceVR (which is free) as well as booking a free ticket via the VR Awards website. Organised by The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR), the awards show begins at 6:30 pm GMT/10:30 am PST, with a virtual drinks reception followed by a “5th Anniversary World Hop.” The main event takes place at 7:30 pm GMT / 11:30 am PST followed by a virtual after party.
You may want to watch the pre-panel live stream from 5:30 pm GMT because there’s a chance to win an Oculus Quest 2. Simply watch the show and note down how many VR Awards posters appear during the stream and at what time they appear. Submit your answer here and you’ll be entered into the raffle to win the standalone headset.
The show will be announcing winners from across 12 categories, from the highly coveted VR Game of the Year to awards for film, educational app, healthcare and enterprise solution of the year. The AIXR also confirmed earlier today that Tom Furness will be given the Accenture Lifetime Achievement Award. With a career spanning over 50 years, Furness is known for developing the first VR systems for the US Air Force and founding the ‘Virtual World Society’ to help families access VR learning facilities.
In response to the Accenture Lifetime Achievement Award, Furness said: “For me, this clearly underscores the current – and continuing – emergence of virtual experiences that introduce us to worlds of wonder! I am more excited now than ever before about the future and how this unprecedented technology will further connect humanity. And this is just the beginning…and I am a kid again!”
AltspaceVR supports most major VR headsets including Oculus Quest and Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality. Or you can watch the live stream below. For continued updates from AIXR, keep reading VRFocus.
The annual VR Awards organised by the Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) has become one of the most prestigious on the calendar with the fifth edition due to take place next week. Due to the success of the virtual awards held in 2020 due to the pandemic, AIXR will once again be hosting the VR Awards online for everyone to attend worldwide. VRFocus has all the details of how to visit and enjoy this innovative event.
The VR Awards 2021 is comprised of 12 categories covering the breadth of the XR industry, with all the winners selected by an expert panel of industry judges. All apart from the VR Game of the Year and VR Social Influencer of the Year which was open to public voting during September.
If you love a good awards show then the easiest way to enjoy the event next Thursday is via AltspaceVR. AIXR teamed up with the VR platform to create a whole new showcase that is entirely free to attend but you do need to book. Simply head to the VR Awards ticket section and choose the consumer option to attend the live ceremony, viewable via compatible VR headsets like Oculus Quest 2, HTC Vive and Valve Index. You’ll need an AltspaceVR account, of course, with the app freely available to download from Steam or the Oculus store.
Or for those who like the more personal, in-person approach tickets are still available for the event with prices starting from £79 GBP per person. More beneficial for those within the XR industry, it’ll be a chance for attendees to network and actually chat face to face, a rare situation only a few months ago.
“Last year brought about an extraordinary virtual celebration of the advances made in virtual reality across what was a highly unusual twelve months. Despite the constraints that COVID-19 presented, it is evident that innovation and progress in delivering virtual reality to all has not been hindered and we are looking forward to continuing to produce another ground-breaking award show to elevate VR experiences as the new normal,” said Daniel Colaianni, Chief Executive of AIXR in a statement.
VR Awards Finalists
VR Healthcare of the Year
BroadAR – Smell Revived
Health Scholars – Saving Kid’s Lives: VR Training for Pediatric Emergencies
Khora – The Challenge Project
Make Real Ltd – Make Real & NHS Blood Transplant – Aseptic Technique VR
AIXR is extending the nominations deadline for this year’s VR Awards into June.
Nominations for this year’s event — which will take place towards the end of 2021 — were due to end today, but they’re being extended out for another two weeks. They’ll now close on June 3rd.
VR Awards 2021 Nominations Extended
This year’s categories include 12 types. It recognizes apps, hardware and other services released between May 9th 2020 and July 1st 2021. That puts hardware like the Oculus Quest 2 and HP Reverb G2 in the running, along with recent games like Demeo (should their creators choose to put a nomination forward).
Here’s a list of this year’s categories:
VR Hardware of the Year
VR Game of the Year
VR Experience of the Year
VR Film of the Year
VR Marketing of the Year
Rising VR Company of the Year
Innovative VR Company of the Year
VR Social Impact Award
VR Enterprise Solution of the Year
VR Education & Training of the Year
VR Healthcare of the Year
Out-of-Home VR Entertainment of the Year
You can find out more about submitting a nomination right here. Finalists will be announced in July and the awards ceremony itself should go ahead in November. Last year’s awards moved online and virtual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and this year will do the same – you’ll be able to watch in-VR and on traditional platforms.
What do you want to see take home awards at this year’s show? Let us know in the comments below!
The annual VR Awards created by The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) holds its event every November, highlighting the best companies, products and those working in the XR industry. One of its main awards is the ‘Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement Award’ which HTC founder and CEO Cher Wang has been given this year.
HTC has been involved with the virtual reality (VR) industry for many years, initially with a firm focus towards consumers with the HTC Vive. Whilst still involved with the consumer sector via the Vive Cosmos, over the years the company has shifted more towards enterprise use cases, from hardware such as Vive Focus Plus and Vive Pro Eye to fostering new startups through its Vive X accelerator.
“I am honoured to receive this award, and dedicate it to all of our teams and partners who dared to dream and are working hard to make the vision happen,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC Corp in a statement. “It’s an exciting time to be in the industry. We’re still in the Age of Exploration for VR, discovering new use cases every day, and it’s been fantastic to see so many people, companies, schools, museums, and more recognise the potential for VR, and utilise it for collaboration, training, education, healthcare, art and culture, and even global sustainability. VR truly holds the key to a better world.”
Recently, HTC Vive launched the Vive XR Suite, designed to help businesses collaborate virtually, comprised of Vive Sync, Vive Sessions, Vive Campus, Vive Social, and Vive Museum; all with their own unique features. Whilst its distribution platform Viveport has been an important part of recent festivals such as Venice VR Expanded and LFF Expanded.
“We’re incredibly proud to name Cher as our ‘Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement’ award winner and hope that by showcasing her work, we can inspire the next generation of pioneers to do more, to break new barriers and continue to develop digital technology,” Daniel Colaianni, AIXR Chief Executive commented. “As always, we’re thankful to our partners at Accenture for their support which enables us to recognise achievement and nurture a flourishing industry as it continues to grow.”
This is the second year for the award which was previously by John Carmack. All the other award winners will be announced during the main event on 12th November 2020, held virtually for the first time inside VRChat. For further updates including the winners, keep reading VRFocus.
This November the annual VR Awards will hold its fourth event, going digital for the first time via VRChat. In the run-up to the event, nominations are now in and the finalists have been revealed for the 13 categories, with some expected and unexpected entrants.
The VR Awards 2020 is set to be the biggest yet for organiser The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR). Now that the nominations are in a judging panel of industry experts will make their decision for the 12th November ceremony.
Additionally, tickets have now been made available, with a free tier providing access to the VR Awards 2020 via desktop or VR headsets. The £35 GBP ticket also gives holders access to online 1-to-1 matchmaking pre and during the event plus networking with similar ticket holders. The Professional VIP ticket at £199 then adds a bespoke and curated academy meet and greet sessions and collectors edition digital access.
Here’s the full list of award nominees:
VR Healthcare of the Year
Make Real & NHS – Blood Identification VR
FundamentalVR – Fundamental Surgery HomeVR modality
Sector 5 Digital – Galderma Interactive Anatomy (GIA) VR
Health Scholars – Health Scholars ACLS VR Simulation Trainings
Oxford Medical Simulation – OMS: Interprofessional
PeriopSim – PeriopSim
Oxford VR – Social Engagement
Exonicus – Trauma Simulator
VR Education and Training of the Year
VirtualSpeech – Collaborative Soft Skills Training in VR
Orka – DHL SLAM
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy International LTD – Large-Scale Multi-user Fuel Movement VR Training Simulator
ITI – ITI VR Construction Hazard ID
TANTRUM Lab – McDonald’s Hospitality Training
MEL Science – MEL Chemistry VR
Accenture – Police Stop and Search VR Training
Make Real & Lloyds Banking Group – Relationship Management
As many events have had to do this year, the annual VR Awards by the Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) will be online only. Today, the AIXR has announced a partnership with VRChat to host the event.
One of the longest-running virtual reality (VR) social platforms, VRChat has built a solid community thanks to customisable features. You can hop in and simply explore what’s been made, playing games or chatting with other users. Or for those who know how to use Unity, the VRChat SDK opens up a world of possibilities for the creation of avatars or new environments.
Hence why AIXR has partnered with the app to bring the 2020 VR Awards to life digitally. To help in this endeavour, the AIXR is seeking Unity creators from the VRChat and VR Awards community, whether they’re good at 3D animation, modelling, world-building and more.
If you’d like to get involved in an event celebrating the XR industry then fill out this form. Or if you just want to attend then you’ll need to download VRChat (which is free) for headsets like Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index. The awards are scheduled to take place on 27th October 2020.
“Our primary goal for this VR Awards was to create the most impressive VR event experience to date – We are proud to be joined on this journey by our industry partners as well as talented creators and VR fans from across the world,” says Daniel Colaianni, Chief Executive, AIXR, in a statement.
The VR Awards will be celebrating virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) content across 13 categories including VR Hardware of the Year, Rising VR Company of the Year, VR Education & Training of the Year and the Accenture Lifetime Achievement Award – which John Carmack won last year.
Nominations were originally supposed to close in May but due to the current pandemic, the AIXR extended the window until 11:30 PM BST / 3.30 PM PDT on 11th June 2020. And for this year’s event, there will be a new public voting portal although no further details have been revealed regarding how this will operate. Traditionally, all the VR Awards are selected by a panel of judges from the XR industry.
As further details regarding the 2020 VR Awards are released, VRFocus will let you know.
