Presentation of the First “VR NOW Awards” in Potsdam on November 16
The first German Virtual Reality Awards, the VR NOW Awards, will be presented in Potsdam on Wednesday, November 16, 2016. The newly created awards are dedicated exclusively to Virtual Reality projects and will recognise outstanding technological, business and artistic achievements. The VR NOW Awards are the festive highlight of the VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference (VR NOW Con) which will be providing the backdrop for this awards ceremony. The entry deadline is Sunday, October 16, 2016.
An independent expert jury consisting of media professionals, VR experts, critics and journalists will be selecting the nominees ahead of the awards ceremony. The VR NOW Expert Jury comprises Thomas Bedenk (VR consultant at Exozet), Maren Demant (Immersive Experience Designer at tRX), Cyrill Etter (Founder of Game Science Center Berlin), Philip Hausmeier(Founder and CEO at Metaphysics), Marcus Richter (Journalist, Games Reviewer, Presenter at Deutschlandradio Kultur), Rachel Uwa (Founder of School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe), Sara Lisa Vogel (Indie Dev/VR Shaman at VR Nerds), Thorsten Wiedemann (Founder and Director of A MAZE). The nominees will be announced at the beginning of November, with the winners being unveiled on the evening of November 16 at the awards ceremony.
The VR NOW Awards are being presented in four categories:
VR NOW Grand Prize
will honour the best VR project of the year, based on quality and innovation.
VR Tech Award
will recognise a technically outstanding VR project, with particular attention to the technological progress and innovation.
VR Business Award
will demonstrate the economic potential of VR and recognise existing, financially successful and promising projects as well as functioning advertising campaigns and innovative business models and start-ups.
VR Art Award
will honour artistically outstanding VR productions that create special experiences with Virtual Reality, be it a game, film, fiction, non-fiction, advertising, VR activism, special aesthetics, etc..
The submitted entries must be compatible with one of the following platforms: Gear VR, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive (Consumer Version), Oculus Rift (Consumer Version) or PlayStation VR. Productions not compatible with any of these platforms can only be submitted if the entrant is able to provide the jury with an opportunity to evaluate the entry in Berlin.
Entries are being accepted until Sunday, October 16, 2016. The entry fee is 40 Euros (plus VAT). Registration and details at http://awards.vrnowcon.io
The „VR NOW Con“ will be held in Potsdam’s Schiffbauergasse on November 16, 2016. The conference will be addressing current impulses and trends in the industry and presenting new business models and sustainable prospects for the successful application and various possibilities of Virtual Reality. Among the many international speakers are Alysha Naples, the American-Italian designer and until recently Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction at Magic Leap, the American Ela Darling, VR pioneer in the porn industry and co-founder ofVRTube.xxx, Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel, Professor of Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn, and many more.
The one-day English-language conference and the awards ceremony will be held under the auspices of Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg, which was founded this year, organised byBooster Space – Made with Love in Berlin, and funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
About Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg
Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg was founded in April 2016 by several companies and initiatives from Potsdam and Berlin. Another 15 leading Berlin and Brandenburg-based film and TV producers, tech entrepreneurs and research institutes have joined the venture alongside Studio Babelsberg, UFA LAB, Exozet, SMI, Metropolis VR, Babelsberg Film University and HPI (D-School). The new association brings all of the VR and AR expertise available in Potsdam-Babelsberg and the capital region together as a way of making this location internationally competitive in this field. The board comprises Stephan Schindler (Wonderlamp Industries), Henry Bauer (Exozet), Christian Villwock (SMI) and Sven Bliedung (SLICE Studios). Preparations in setting up the association were supported by Brandenburg’s Economics Ministry, the Zukunftsagentur Brandenburg and media.net berlinbrandenburg. www.virtualrealitybb.org
About Booster Space – Made with Love in Berlin
Booster Space – with its headquarters in Berlin and a global network of partners and contacts – is a professional event organiser and specialist in developing brands. Working in collaboration with experienced and qualified partners in the areas of production, PR and design, Booster Space facilitates the efficient organistion and successful promotion of events and other projects, as well as offering concept development, marketing strategies and event production from a single source. At the forefront of Booster Space’s interdisciplinary work is the desire to create and realise projects in an authentic and exciting way. The agency is the founder and manager of #gamesweekberlin. www.booster-space.com
