Vive to Recognize VR Applications in Third Annual Viveport Developer Awards

The competition for the next year’s Viveport Developer Awards has begun. The program recognizes and promotes exciting VR applications available for Vive devices.

Last year’s Viveport Developer Awards had over 250 applicants, and there are likely to be more this year. Here are a couple of things that you should know about regarding the application process, the awards, and past winners.

How to Participate?

Vive announced late last month that they will now be accepting submissions for the awards, which celebrate new VR applications.

Submissions opened on November 28 and will remain open until February 1, 2019. Developers can enter VR applications in four main categories: Entertainment, Education, Arts & Culture, and Arcade. The Arcade category is only open to PC applications, but the other categories will have winners in both PC and Mobile categories.

All submissions must be available on Viveport at the time of entry or completion. Applicants must register with the Viveport Developers Console in order to submit their PC or Vive Wave titles. Applicants may not submit VR applications that have been funded through Vive or titles that have previously been nominated or won Viveport Developer Awards in the past.

Winners will be announced on March 18, 2019.

What Are the Prizes?

The winners and finalists will receive a coveted title and up to US$30,000 with an additional US$20,000 worth of resources to help support the project. There’s also a physical trophy involved.

Winners and finalists don’t only receive prize money, however. They also receive marketing support, paid media, tickets to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, where they will officially accept the award.

“The Viveport Developer Awards are just another way Viveport puts developers first. With the most avenues to monetize their content, full marketing support, 100% revenue share during the busiest quarter of the year, and double the reach with the support of Oculus Rift, Viveport continues to be the best platform for VR developers,” says Corporate Vice President, Marketing for Viveport and VIVE Studios, Rahul Sandil.

Who Has Won in the Past?

This is the third year of the Viveport Developer Awards program. And there have been some changes to the competition, most notably in the categories and in the prizes. In the past, winners received just cash or cash and a Vive system. This year the marketing support and resources make the prize far more valuable.

The first year categories were Explore, Connect, Experience, and Create. There was also a Community Choice Award. Notable winners included Apollo 11 VR and Realities in the Explore Category, and Cloudlands: VR Minigolf and Altspace VR in the Connect Category. As far as the Experience and the Create categories go, the first places were taken by Allumette and Fantastic Contraption, respectively.

The second year categories didn’t have a Community Choice Award and had all of the same categories as this year, but with the addition of an Enterprise Category. Notable winners included OVERVIEW: a walk through the universe in the Education category and The Kremer Collection VR Museum in the Arts and Entertainment category. The second year also had a separate competition for developers in China. This year all developers are competing for the same prizes.

What Are You Waiting for?

VR applications that enter the Viveport Developer Awards contest are up against some pretty stiff competition. However, winners will receive prize money and resources from Vive. They will also have their names listed among previous winners of the new, but already prestigious, award.

Good luck developers!