Last year marked HTC’s very first Vive Developer Awards (VDAs), which saw tens of thousands of dollars go to VR app developers across a number of categories. Now, submissions for this year’s VDAs are open, spanning more categories than last year, including Entertainment, Education, Arts & Culture, Enterprise, and Location-based Arcade games.
First place for each category will nab a cool $50,000, which includes a studio profile video produced by the Vive team, “priority access” to new developer hardware, and a shiny trophy. Second place gets a financial award of $20,000, and all of the above (besides the $50K of course).
Last year’s first-prize winners included Apollo 11 VR (2016), Fantastic Contraption (2016), Cloudlands: VR Minigolf (2016), and Allumette (2016).
Developers can only submit their app to one category, but can submit multiple titles with the maximum possibility of winning two prizes, meaning a single developer could technically take home $100,000.
HTC says all eligible entries will be reviewed and evaluated by a panel of Vive employees. Evaluation will be based on:
- overall virtual reality experience including, but not limited to, how fun, useful and engaging the title is
- engagement metrics including, but not limited to, total downloads, total user sessions and overall time played
Competing apps should either already be on Viveport, the company’s Vive-focused app store, or be submitted before the submission window closes on February 9th, 2018.
Here’s a look at the 5 newly revised categories for this year’s VDAs:
- Entertainment: An app that captivates the player in an engaging world and story. Features interactivity that is satisfying and rewarding. Leaves a lasting impression. Encourages the player to revisit the title again and again.
- Education: An app that offers immersive and interactive learning experiences for the classroom or outside of it. Sparks curiosity, imagination and passion for intriguing subject matter.
- Arts & Culture: An app that enables, preserves, and democratizes creation in the arts. Addresses a diverse, global audience and contributes to the knowledge and enjoyment of cultural heritage.
- Enterprise: An app that aims to transform businesses with digital innovation. Accelerates the way teams create, cooperate and execute. Impacts key areas such as visualization, design, collaboration, marketing/sales and simulation/training.
- Arcade: An app that will delight customers new to virtual reality. Designed for location-based entertainment considering ease of learning and playtime. A great choice for venues and businesses offering virtual reality experiences.
For more information on how to enter, check out the contest rules here.