Faculty should submit a write-up of up to five pages describing how they plan to work on an AR storytelling project with their students, and their experience and/or interest on the topic. This could be a class syllabus, a description of the plan for an independent study, or any other mechanism they have to work with graduate or undergraduate students that gives enough insights into how they are planning to work on a project. The application does not need to describe the actual project(s) since we accept that your ideas might emerge and evolve through interactions with your students.

The proposal should mention how often they would ideally like to meet with their assigned mentors. We would also appreciate a rough outline of budgetary needs to realise your idea if possible.

Students are expected to create a hands-on demonstration of their project at the event and provide a video, write-up, or other documentation for the website.

Submit your proposals to the organisers at creativechallenge@imx2020.com. We are also very happy to arrange a (video) call (or two) to answer questions.

Projects

We expect projects to push AR storytelling in new directions and press people to think about AR in new ways. For that reason, projects should:

• Favor compelling and novel user experiences over technical complexity; i.e., it’s fine if an idea requires a simple implementation as long as it is a novel and creative.
• Be concrete and demonstrable at the event, rather than just a set of presentation slides or a set of paper prototypes.
• Embrace perspectives from different disciplines rather than being purely technical or purely artistic.

We do not want to constrain the type of projects people work on, but if it is helpful, here are some examples:

• AR “lenses” or filters that tell a story in new ways, overlaid on a university campus.
• Software designed with and for artists or creators to use AR for storytelling.
• An application for head-worn displays that uses audio and haptics to augment reality while people experience stories in the physical world.
• A new immersive theater experience that relies on AR in novel ways.
• Shared and persistent AR for storytelling.

Form factors

Projects can leverage the form factors for Augmented Reality that are best suited for their projects. These include mobile phones, head-mounted displays, audio, and others.

Gathering at ACM IMX 2020

After working on their projects for a few months, participants will attend a full day event oriented around showcasing and describing on the students’ projects, after which participants will discuss the opportunities for further research and development in AR storytelling.

Deliverables

During the event, participants are expected to demonstrate their work in ways people can experience the idea(s). They are also expected to share or post documentation of their project in the form of a video, write-up, or any other way they feel their project is best explained. This will be posted on the website for people who cannot attend the event.

Funding

Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat and Spectacles, will provide discretionary funding of up to 10,000 USD per accepted project teams. Teams can use the funds as they see fit, including, travel to the event, equipment, user testing, and student support.

Mentors

Teams will also receive mentorship from Snap Inc., Microsoft, BBC R&D, program committee and invited experts. We would expect funded project teams to have regular catch-ups with mentors on a regular basis.

Diversity

We are committed to having a diverse set of participants and encourage faculty members from around the world to apply.

Venue

We will be meeting in Barcelona in Spain on the 17 -19 JUNE 2020 as part of the ACM Interactive Media Experiences Conference 2020. We will have space for a total of 40 to 50 people at the event, which will be composed of students, faculty, and organisers. We will know the precise number of spots available per team as the date gets closer, however, feel free to have a chat with us about your requirements or queries.