In the dynamic realm of immersive experiences, we are delighted to present the winners of the 8th Wall x Hope for Haiti Challenge—an extraordinary exploration that demonstrates what’s possible when WebAR is used for the greater good. This exceptional challenge is not just a competition; it's a celebration of collaboration and innovation, uniting developers in a collective effort to make a positive impact.

Teaming up with Hope for Haiti, a non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for the Haitian people, we challenged our community to build WebAR experiences that not only showcase technological innovation but also contribute to meaningful change in Haiti. As one of the most reputable organizations actively working to alleviate poverty in Haiti, Hope for Haiti is committed to providing the necessary support and resources for sustainable improvements in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and community development.

This challenge was an opportunity for developers to dive into WebAR, connect, and use their skills for a good cause—specifically, supporting Hope for Haiti as they work to build a new Healthcare Campus that will serve hundreds of thousands of people. And with a hefty $15,000 in prizes, it was the ideal platform to flaunt both creativity and technical prowess.

To make sure participants felt well-equipped to use WebAR in this new way, we put together a month of insightful events, covering ideation, immersive storytelling, and the potential of WebAR for good. One-on-one meetings with our Developer Support Engineers were available for personalized assistance. Check out the replay playlist for all of the insightful information shared by industry leaders on leveraging AR to make a positive impact.

We are thrilled with the incredible submissions from our talented developer community and excited to see how they used their skills and creativity to push the boundaries of WebAR for a greater cause. Read on for a look at the winners. 

Grand Prize Winner

From an outstanding collection of submissions, "Rise Together" by Camilo Medina and Steven Vinicio Jacho Tutín clinched the Grand Prize, impressing us with its exceptional storytelling, overall use of 8th Wall, alignment with Hope for Haiti's mission, and project completeness.

 

This experience consists of three different activities that must be completed, which are based on world tracking, character controller, and trigger events by proximity or interaction. Once the activities are completed, the next one appears in a 'portal,' which is launched using gesture detection.

Hope for Haiti Mission Prize Winner

The Hope for Haiti Mission prize recognizes the experience that best speaks to Hope for Haiti’s mission of improving the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly women and children. is awarded to “Voices for Haiti”, by Nour Gajial and Yanni Kouloumbis! They created an immersive, personal AI x AR experience in which individuals can chat with a fully animated and knowledgeable AI Hope for Haiti representative.

Nour and Yanni created an amazing experience using the Inworld AI Integration Module to add their AI-driven character to their experience along with 8th Wall’s Integration Module for OpenAI to generate answers powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E API and ChatGPT API. 

Best Original Storytelling Prize Winner                                           

For this prize, we challenged our community to create an experience that best tells a cohesive story of Hope for Haiti while bringing the user to a donation page seamlessly. The winner is “Day of Hope” by Ilya Morozov, Alexandr Korolev, Ksenia Mukaseeva, Polina Tochenaya, Margarita Vanik, and Hanna Kukharenka!

They created an experience showcasing the various ways Hope for Haiti assists children in Haiti with all of their different programs including healthcare, access to clean water, and education. The gamification of this experience stood out to the judges as a good way to introduce information to a younger audience.  

 

Most Aspirational WebAR Experience Prize Winner

The "Most Aspirational Prize" is awarded to Marley Kanui for "Bloom," a captivating experience that seamlessly integrates 8th Wall features. Marley takes users on a guided journey, bringing Haiti into their own space and providing a step-by-step exploration to learn more about Hope for Haiti.

Community Favorite Prize Winner

In addition to the main prizes, we also featured a community favorite prize, the winner of this is “Hope for Haiti: Blossom Pathway” by Ken Mitsui. Ken used world tracking and the "Physics simulation in Three.js module", to display multiple screens that introduce Hope for Haiti. 

 

Honorable Mentions

Lastly, we had three additional honorable mention prizes:

"Be The Hero" by Libardo Martinez and Diego Aguirre seamlessly blends paper craft with 3D, offering an immersive experience enriched by spatial audio, interactive UI, meticulously handcrafted art, and detailed 3D modeling using Blender. The animation and scene transitions, powered by 8th Wall libraries, keep users engaged and connected throughout the unfolding narrative.

"Haiti in Your Hands | AR | Hope for Haiti" by Prashasti Kapadia leverages Augmented Reality (AR) with hand tracking, delivering a distinctive and immersive experience. Notable features encompass interactive visual representations of statistics, dynamic 3D elements, and an intuitive user interface, employing a tech stack that includes 8th Wall and Blender.

"WebAR Experience - 8th Wall x Hope for Haiti" by Alex Tour immerses users in the Haitian experience, fostering empathy and inspiring positive change. Through features like physics simulation, proximity, world tracking, and raycasting, every interaction contributes to a brighter future. Together, we catalyze transformation.

Thanks to our vibrant 8th Wall Community Developers for your exceptional submissions and active participation in the challenge events! Special thanks to Hope for Haiti for providing assets, and enabling our developers to create remarkable experiences. Looking ahead, select challenge experiences will support Hope for Haiti's fundraising during its Giving Tuesday campaign, advancing its healthcare program in the new year. Niantic will match every dollar donated to Hope For Haiti (through 8th wall experiences) up to $5k. Your creativity and dedication have left a lasting impact. Thank you all for being an integral part of this journey!