Shape the Future of Design

$15000+ Prize Pool
Write your awesome label here.

Join the XR Design Challenge, a 6-week online event from December 2, 2024, to January 13, 2025

💰

Prize Pool

🧑🏽‍💻

Participants
IN  COLLABORATION  WITH

Why participate?

As an aspiring or established Designer, this is your opportunity

01

Learn 🧠

Access a free XR course to transition seamlessly from 2D to XR.
02

Network 🤝

Connect with designers globally in a  supportive community.
03

Build 🔨

Apply new skills immediately, build projects, and enhance your portfolio.
04

Grow 📈

Gain visibility as top projects get promoted by Meta, IDEO, ShapesXR, and immersive insiders.

Break out of the screen
and into 3D

Take your designs beyond the screen

and bring your ideas to life in 3D spaces.
Evaluating projects

Judges

The judges bring seasoned perspectives and carefully evaluate each project.
Winston Esposito
Product Manager at Meta Reality Labs
Yiqi Zhao
Product Design Lead at Meta
Brian Mc Laughlin
Design Lead for AR Games at Meta
Inga Petryaevskaya
Founder and CEO at ShapesXR
Gabriele Romagnoli
Head of Community at ShapesXR
Jenna Fizel
Managing Director, Global Head of Emerging Technology at IDEO
Yicheng 'YC' Sun
Senior Software Design Director at IDEO
Lucas Couto
Design Director at
Microsoft Mixed Reality
Troy Kirwin
Partner at a16z Games
Ken Zolot
Senior Lecturer in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT
Pat Pataranutaporn
Co-Director at MIT Advancing Human-AI Interaction Research Program
Payam Tabrizian
Head of Design at Uber Maps, Stanford course founder, Design for XR
Charles Migos
Co-Founder and CEO at Intangible.ai
Grace Boyle
Founder at The Feelies Ltd
Preetish Kakkar
Senior Computer Graphics Engineer at Adobe
Bhanuprakash Madupati
Senior Software Engineer at Minnesota Department of Corrections
Sharing their expertise

Mentors

All of our mentors bring deep industry knowledge and can guide and inspire each step of your designs.
Gabriele Romagnoli
Head of Community at ShapesXR
Michael Markman
Head of Design at ShapesXR
Tiange Wang
Senior Software Designer at IDEO
Ziyuan 'Zoey' Zhu
Senior Creative Technologist at IDEO
Daniel Deruntz
Executive Design Director at IDEO
Tushar Ghei
Interaction Design Lead at IDEO
Aidan Kehoe
Principal UX Designer / SW at Logitech
Koh Terai
Graduate Student at Stanford University
Wyatt Roy
Creative Director at Maku XR
Pip Turner
XR Prototyper at FitXR
Davide Zhang
Technical Designer at Microsoft
Yuehui Du
XR Product Designer, Stealth
Gunnlaugur Egilsson
Founder at opopolo
Maryna Razakhatskaya
Creative Director, Immersive Design at Superside
Arome Ibrahim
Executive Director at Immersive Tech Africa
Bernard Masika
Chief Technological Officer at SEEDE Group XR
Emily Lam
CEO/Co-Founder at Rtangent
Joey Campbell
Lecturer & Researcher at Munster Technological University
Mamadou Oury Diallo
Program Manager & Lead Developer at Metafrik
Vignesh Harikrishnan
Product Designer at Yale
Danilo Parise
Currently in Stealth
Twesigye Duncan
Team Lead at Africhezza Studio
Muhammad Shoaib
Team Lead Spatial Computing Engineer and Game Development at hawklogix
John Hanacek
Consultant at JHDesign
Maya Georgieva
Senior Director, Innovation Center/XR and AI Labs and Faculty at Parsons School of Design
Binna Lee
Adjunct Professor at Parsons School of Design, Creative Director at Team Echo
Yassine Bounouader
Head of XR Center, XR Research and Development Engineer at XRcenter
Ben Curtis
Head of Design at Fundamental VR
Arnab Chakravarty
Prototyping/Tooling at Fundamental VR
Rui Pereira
Lead/Manager at humanos
Mikeldi Rodriguez
Metaverse Creative Lead/3D Design Manager at Telefónica Innovación Digital
Carlos Quesada
Director of Product Design and User Experience at AR Vision
Howard McCabe
CEO-Creative Director at DreamSyndicate
Mary Anne Powers
Executive Producer at Rock Paper Reality
Ramkumar SPS
UX Designer at Trimble
Lisa Lokshina
Director of User Experience at L3A UX Studio
Melikşah Canoğlu
XR Development Team Lead at RWTH Aachen University
Charity Everett
Founder at Go Back Fetch It
Justin Harrison
Director of Innovation at Maxar
Tabassum Salma
Development and Design Intern at FellowBot
Yan Zeng
Product Designer at Polyzone Studio LLC
Pengpeng Li
Founder at Coffee&XR
Khushi Bhatt
Creative Director of XR Experiences & Strategy at Mangolin Creative
Lei Xia
PhD Candidate at Togji University
Alexis Zerafa
Creative Director at Pond Skater Studio
Carolina Hedman
CEO at Design Thinking Sweden
Karthik Yagnamurthy
Lead VR Product Designer at Rival Technologies
XR DESIGN CHALLENGE

Join the team today

As a Mentor

Mentor alongside industry leaders like IDEO, Meta, and ShapesXR, expanding your network and boosting your personal brand and credibility.

As a Media Partner

You will also learn how to put the ideas presented to you into action and build your own personal brand through content marketing.

Partners & Friends

Frequently asked questions

If you have any further questions, get in touch with our team. We are always happy to help!

Who is this for?

The XR Design Challenge is open to everyone with a passion for XR! Whether you're a seasoned designer, developer, student, or simply curious about XR (Extended Reality) technologies, this challenge is for you. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and skill levels to join in, learn, create, and connect with a global community of XR enthusiasts.

What are the dates?

The XR Design Challenge runs from December 2, 2024, to January 13, 2025.

During these six weeks, you’ll have access to workshops, tools, and resources to bring your ideas to life. Don’t worry if you can’t start right away—jump in when you’re ready and make the most of the resources available!

Do I need to have any prior experience?

Nope! You don’t need prior experience to join.

The XRDC is designed for everyone, from beginners to experts. If you’re new to XR, we’ve got you covered with a free XR Design Course and plenty of learning resources to help you get started.

This is a space to learn, experiment, and grow—so dive in, even if you’re just starting out!

How do I register for the XR Design Challenge?

To join the XR Design Challenge, simply register here for free.

Once you’re registered, we’ll send you everything you need to get started, including event details, resources, and ways to connect with the community.

It’s a quick and easy sign-up process, so you’ll be ready to go in no time!

Is there a registration fee for the hackathon?

Nope! Registration is completely free.

We believe that innovation should be accessible to everyone, so there’s no cost to join the XR Design Challenge.

Can I register without a team, or how do I find a team?

Absolutely! You can join the challenge solo, with a pre-formed team, or find teammates within our community.

We’ll provide ways for you to connect with others looking for teammates, so whether you’re flying solo or want a group to work with, you’ll have options.

What projects can I build?

You’re free to use any tool or technology you like! Whether you prefer Figma, ShapesXR, Blender, or even paper prototyping, it’s up to you.

For the submission, we require a video that showcases your project—this helps keep submissions consistent and makes it easy for us (and you!) to share and promote your work.

The categories and tracks will be announced at the start of the challenge, so you’ll have the flexibility to choose a focus area that inspires you. We’re looking for creative concepts and new ideas in AR/VR interaction, so no need for a fully developed or polished project—this is all about exploring and sharing innovative ideas!

What criteria are used for evaluating the projects?

Projects will be evaluated by a dedicated panel of high-profile judges, each with deep expertise in XR design and innovation.

They’ll be looking at creativity, usability, and technical innovation in each submission. We’re especially interested in fresh ideas that push XR boundaries and demonstrate thoughtful user experience.

Judges will also assess projects for originality, potential impact, and alignment with the challenge’s themes. This is your chance to get valuable feedback from industry leaders!

What are the prizes for winning projects?

We offer a $10,000 prize pool, which will be distributed across various tracks. But there’s much more than cash at stake!

Winning projects will be promoted across all our partner networks—including Meta, ShapesXR, IDEO, and Immersive Insiders—giving you incredible visibility in the XR field.

Additionally, top projects may open doors for connections with larger enterprise partners, potentially leading to collaborative opportunities. If you’re serious about building a career in XR design, this challenge offers a platform to showcase your skills and get noticed by major players in the industry.