It’s all about virtual and other realities on November 16
- VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference: exciting programme with around 30 international speakers
- 1st VR Now Awards 2016: eight nominated projects, four categories
Berlin/Potsdam, November 8, 2016. The nominees of the 1st VR Now Awards and the programme of the international virtual reality conference VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference were announced during today’s press conference. The conference and the awards ceremony will take place at the Schinkelhalle in Potsdam’s Schiffbauergasse on Wednesday, November 16.
VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference (VR NOW Con), www.vrnowcon.io/conference
Wednesday, November 16, 9am to 6pm, Schinkelhalle, Potsdam
Virtual Reality is the current hot topic. The technology is on the way to becoming a mass medium. World-renowned Virtual Reality experts will reflect during VR NOW Con on the status quo and the future prospects – applications, distribution and content. The speakers include Gabo Arora (Creative Director & Senior Advisor, United Nations), the journalist Martin Heller (Head of Video Innovations at WeltN24), James Jensen (co-founder of THE VOID), Pieter van Leugenhagen (co-founder and business strategist of The Yondr), Alysha Naples (designer and – until recently – Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction at Magic Leap), Kathleen Schröter (Executive Manager, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut), Debby Shepard (responsible for International Market Development at the social VR company AltspaceVR), the multi-award-winning Berlin-based documentary filmmaker and VR enthusiast Cyril Tuschi, and many more.
VR NOW Awards, www.vrnowcon.io/award
Awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 16, 7pm, Schinkelhalle, Potsdam
The newly created VR NOW Awards are dedicated exclusively to Virtual Reality projects and will recognise outstanding technical, business and artistic achievements in four categories. The nominees were selected by an expert jury. The main jury will finally decided on the winners in the individual categories.
Here are the nominees for the VR NOW Awards:
VR Tech Award
The VR Tech Award will recognise a technologically outstanding VR project, with particular attention being paid to the level of technological progress and innovation.
- The Climb, Crytek, Oculus Rift
- Immersive Deck, Illusion Walk, Immersive Deck Technology
- XMG WALKER, Schenker Technologies, hardware
VR Business Award
The VR Business Award will demonstrate the business potential of VR and recognises financially successful or promising projects, functioning advertising campaigns as well as innovative business models and start-ups.
- HERE Next Generation Automotive Services, HERE, HTC Vive
- Städel Time Machine, NMY Mixed-Reality Communication, Gear VR
- XMG WALKER, Schenker Technologies, hardware
VR Art Award
This prize category will recognise artistically outstanding VR productions creating special experiences, whether it be games, films – fiction or non-fiction -, advertising, VR activism or a special aesthetic, etc..
- Accounting, Crows Crows Crows, HTC Vive
- Longing for Wilderness, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Institute for Animation, Visual Effects and Digitale Postproduction, 360° video
- Mush Mush VR, Vladimir Storm, HTC Vive
VR NOW Grand Prize
This prize category will honour the best VR project of the year, based on quality and innovation. The winner of this category will be chosen by the main jury from all of the nominees.
The independent expert jury consisted of Thomas Bedenk (bedenk.de/sign), Maren Demant(tRX), Cyrill Etter (Game Science Center), Philip Hausmeier (Metaphysics), Marcus Richter(Deutschlandradio Kultur), Rachel Uwa (School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe), Sara Lisa Vogl (indie developer), Thorsten S. Wiedemann (A MAZE.). The main jury comprised Sönke Kirchhof (INVR.SPACE), Frank Lochter (The Federal State of Brandenburg’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), Stephan Schindler (Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin Brandenburg/Wonderlamp Industries), Susanne Stürmer (Film University Babelsberg), Frank Zahn (Exozet).
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 by Booster Space – Made with Love in Berlin, and funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
Please find more details about the nominated productions and the conference here.
The press conference is available from 6pm today as 360° video here.
Website: www.vrnowcon.io
Facebook: www.facebook.com/virtualrealitynow
Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/676269155860989/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/vrnowcon, @VRnowCon, #VRnowCon, #VRlove
For press registration, interview and photo requests, please contact:
SteinbrennerMüller Kommunikation
Dr. Kathrin Steinbrenner und Kristian Müller
Telefon: 030 – 4737 2191 oder 4737 2192
Email: mail@steinbrennermueller.de
