We are thrilled to present the winners of the 8th Wall Time Capsule Challenge — an exciting journey through time that pushed the boundaries of what's possible with WebAR.

We invited the 8th Wall community to harness WebAR to weave together narratives that spanned various timelines, blending past marvels with the latest innovations. From the initial 'Info + Ideation' session to insightful webinars like '8Talks: Using WebAR for Historical Preservation' and 'Cre8te: Mastering VPS Tools for Historical AR Experiences', participants were equipped with the knowledge and tools to craft experiences that not only showcased their technical skills but also brought history to life in engaging and innovative ways.

With a generous prize pool at stake, the challenge served as a perfect platform for developers to showcase their talents, while also contributing to a larger conversation about the role of technology in preserving and celebrating our collective history.

As we reveal the Time Capsule Challenge winners, let's celebrate their creative WebAR storytelling that's redefined augmented reality. Discover the projects that have carved out their place in history.

Grand Prize Winner

The Grand Prize goes to Tyler White, Sofia Rodriguez, Xinyun Liu, and Miru Jun, the visionary team behind "Memory Space: Chinatown AR"! This innovative project masterfully utilizes VPS waypoints, Arcturus Holostream, generative AI imagery and video.

"Memory Space: Chinatown AR" transports users back in time, uncovering the rich history and vibrant stories of Los Angeles' first Chinatown. Through the lens of immersive technology, the project reveals the unseen past, inviting users on an exploratory journey to engage with the history that surrounds them. By blending cutting-edge AR technology with historical narrative, this project stands as a testament to the transformative power of AR in storytelling and historical preservation.

Timeless Creativity Prize (x2) 

We had two winners of the Timeless Creativity Prize, the first being Stijn Spanhove for crafting "Time Jump," an immersive Shared AR game. This innovative adventure sets players on an intergalactic mission to help a stranded alien robot find its way home, playable on mobile, desktop, or even through headsets like the Quest 3.

In "Time Jump," players navigate through time to collect hidden rocket tokens, essential for repairing the alien's spacecraft. The game challenges users to leap across different eras, unlocking new areas and surmounting various obstacles. It's not just about the journey but also the creative ways players engage with time and space to achieve their mission.

A round of applause for Lauren Schroeder, whose creation "Moontower Ghosts" secures the second Timeless Creativity Prize! This scavenger hunt marries the thrill of discovery with engaging minigames, leveraging VPS maps, immersive audio effects, and 3D animated GLB placements to bring the past into the present through Austin's historic towers.

Designed to unearth the layered history of Austin's iconic towers, "Moontower Ghosts" offers players a chance to connect with the city's heritage in a way that's both educational and entertaining. By navigating through wayspots, players uncover stories and complete challenges, deepening their understanding and appreciation of the landmarks that often go unnoticed among the city's modern skyline.

Temporal-Geographic Explorer Prize (x2)

Taking home the first Temporal-Geographic Explorer prize is "Tales of VR," crafted by the dynamic duo Sergio Camilo Medina Galvis and Steven Vinicio Jacho Tutin. This immersive AR journey transports users through the history of virtual reality technology, from its nascent stages in the 19th century to the cutting-edge advancements of today.

Leveraging Niantic Maps and a custom geolocation system, "Tales of VR" transforms local public spaces into interactive learning hubs, where users uncover historical VR devices at designated points of interest. The integration of 8th Wall Try-On technology offers a unique twist, enabling users to virtually wear the VR headsets they discover, further bridged by social sharing functionalities for photos and videos.

This inventive AR experience not only educates but also connects users to the technological milestones that have shaped virtual reality, marking a significant contribution to both the fields of AR and historical education.

Saul Pena Gamero and Mackenzie Li's "Cappy the Time Traveler" has triumphed as the second winner of the Temporal-Geographic Explorer Prize, captivating the imagination with its innovative blend of education, exploration, and augmented reality. In a world thrown into disarray by the breaking of the Eighth Wall—an ancient protector of space and time—players are enlisted by a capybara, humanity’s ally, to restore balance by navigating a city caught in a tempest of tangled timelines.

Armed with a key that reveals objects lost across different eras, players are tasked with returning these items to their rightful times. The game employs lightship maps for navigation, VPS for precise location-based interactions, and the player data module to track progress, offering an educational twist on time travel.

 

Historian’s Choice Prize (x2) 

Congratulations to Kristina Veltri, Bernardo Caussin, and Ruddy Alpire for their exceptional creation, "Back to the AR," which is the winner of the first Historian's Choice Prize! This innovative experience invites users on a captivating journey to explore the Egyptian era, cleverly merging world tracking and portal effects to transport users thousands of years back in time.

"Back to the AR" stands out for its interactive learning approach, where history comes alive through engaging informative elements and the novel use of a remote-controlled car functioning as a time-traveling vehicle. This immersive educational tool not only deepens users' understanding of ancient Egypt's rich history and mystique but also demonstrates the powerful potential of AR in making history accessible and engaging for audiences of all ages.

Congratulations to Alexandre Di Guida, whose creation "Tokyo Time Machine" has been awarded the second Historian's Choice Prize. This exceptional AR experience leverages the power of VPS and the Niantic Lightship map, offering users an unparalleled journey back in time to explore the iconic landscapes of Tokyo, such as Asakusa and Ueno Park.

By utilizing the Niantic Lightship Map and VPS technology, "Tokyo Time Machine" enables users to navigate through these historical sites, revealing transformative scenes from the past. Alexandre's innovative approach to bridging the past and present through AR provides a unique educational platform, allowing users to connect with Tokyo's rich historical heritage in a way that's both engaging and informative.

Cultural Heritage Prize (x2) 

Kyle Borg's innovative project, "LA's Legacy: How Did The City Inspire June as National Pride Month?" has been awarded the first Cultural Heritage Prize. This experience brilliantly utilizes 8th Wall's VPS Wayspots not just to highlight points of interest but to craft shared experiences that can be easily integrated across various locations, promoting group engagement and communal discovery.

"LA's Legacy" stands out for its dedication to forging real-world connections through AR, focusing on the power of communal interaction to unearth and share the rich, often untold stories of how Los Angeles played a pivotal role in the origins of National Pride Month. This approach transforms individual exploration into a collective journey, encouraging dialogue, shared moments of discovery, and a deepened understanding of cultural heritage.

Michael Epstein and Maxim Antinori's "At Home in the Castro" secures the second Cultural Heritage Prize, delivering an innovative "walkable documentary" that weaves together AR, immersive audio storytelling, and real interactions to delve into the Castro neighborhood's transformative history. Drawing on oral histories collected by Walking Cinema and the GLBT Historical Society, this project narrates the journey of the Castro from a tranquil Irish-American enclave to a beacon of LGBTQ+ activism and community. A notable feature is a 270-degree wraparound overlay, blending archival images to juxtapose the Castro's past and present, enriching the narrative with a sense of time and place.

Thank you to our amazing 8th Wall developers for your inspiring work and engagement in the Time Capsule Challenge! Your creativity has illuminated history, showcasing WebAR's potential and the vital role of storytelling in historical and cultural preservation. Thanks for joining this memorable journey!

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