Last month, we announced the VPS for Web Challenge, inviting 8th Wall developers to build unique, location-based webAR experiences. This challenge helped developers delve into new possibilities of VPS for Web, foster connections with fellow developers and the 8th Wall team, and compete for prizes worth over $20,000.

To ensure participants were set-up for success, we organized a series of events including an information and ideation session to kickstart the challenge. We held a Cre8te workshop for participants to get started with VPS for Web, in addition to an 8Talks event with Atomic Digital Design who shared their best practices when creating location-based AR experiences. Lastly, participants were able to schedule one-on-one meetings with our Developer Support Engineers to help remove any roadblocks and help developers submit their projects on time.

We were so impressed with the projects our 8th Wall developers created and the innovative use of VPS for Web! With that, let's announce the winners! 

Grand Prize Winner

Although we had several incredible submissions, there could only be one Grand Prize Winner. The VPS for Web Grand Prize goes to “Reimagine Reality” by Matthew Stentiford. This experience was inspired by the vision of allowing anyone to harness the power of AI to artistically transform everyday VPS locations.

It works by utilizing customized Stable Diffusion and ControlNet to create an AI-generative image which is then projected onto the 3D mesh creating a unique webAR experience. Our judges were impressed with the meaningful use of location-based AR and the live camera feed and believe this project has the potential to scale and grow!

Best VPS Utility Prize

The winner of the Best VPS Utility Prize goes to Libardo Martinez and Diego Aguirre for their project, “MAGIC VIEW” which presented the best practical benefit to the end user while leveraging VPS.

Driven by the fusion of learning and exploration, MAGIC VIEW was inspired by the quest for a context-aware, VPS-activated journey. Libardo and Diego sought to capture the thrill of discovering a location's historical heritage, amplified with immersive spatial audio. Inspired by the younger generations' zest, this web app invites users to dive into knowledge, top it off with the nostalgic charm of sending postcards, and turn travel into a fun-filled, educational adventure.

Most Scalable VPS Experience Prize

“KABAR” created by Tomoyuki Hisada at Another Brain Inc., won the Most Scalable VPS Experience award as this experience can easily spawn at any VPS wayspot well.  

In the Japanese language, Kaba, is the word for hippopotamus, so by combining “Kaba” + “AR” you get “KABAR” as this webAR experience allows users to ‘chomp’ wayspots. This project utilizes Lightship Maps for Web to guide users to wayspots where they scan to start the AR experience, and then play with a pixelated image of the wayspot through various facial interactions.

VPS Fun Prize

Keren Megory-Cohen at Left Field Labs, the winner of the VPS Fun Prize illustrated how webAR can bring entertainment and joy to others with their project, “Infinity’s Gate.”

This experience was inspired by Treasure Planet and allows users to peek into a gateway of endless possibilities, made into life-size by augmenting AI-generated art into a real-world collaborative portal mural. The user enters a text prompt which is passed to Stability.ai to generate an image which is sent to Microsoft Azure Computer Vision to segment, and finally uploaded to Firebase to collect entries and becomes a collaborative space where users can see others’ creations.

Community Favorite
Voted by the community, Putt Putt Planet by Peter Locharernkul at Brightline Interactive, wowed the public with its mini golf webAR game that utilizes VPS for Web and Lightship Maps for Web features.

This project presents snackable content and the mini-golf game mechanic is universally familiar and appeals to all ages and demographics. Offering custom mini-golf courses at different VPS locations around the world opens up a variety of possibilities.

Honorable Mentions

With so many great submissions to the VPS for Web challenge, it took a lot of work for the judges to narrow it down to just a few entries. Thank you to all of our developers for participating in this challenge, with honorable mention to:

• Experience Monuments in Vitoria-Gasteiz by Beatriz Junquera
• Unlock the Wings by Ruslan Karimov, Kaisar Kuanysh, Andrey Kiselev, and Oleg Bolger at Eventagrate
• SculptureScout by Pieter Siekerman
• AR Alien Pick Up by Studio Soup
• Reiki Gardens by Steven Wolpe
• TimeTrekker AR by George Casseus at NDOTO Studios
• Vivid Sydney VPS AR Challenge by Eugene Yew at Slalom
• River of Time: An AR Historical Trail through the Boats by Jake Tan, Ernest Wu, and Kiefer Kong at Serial Co.
• Pin that GIF! by Jack Haehl

Thank you to our growing 8th Wall Community for your hard work throughout the duration of the VPS for Web Challenge! Check out the submission gallery to review all the entries!