Vision Hack, the world’s first global visionOS hackathon, is being held this week from September 13–15th. The organizer has announced $25K in cash & prizes on offer for winners.

Guest Article by Cosmo Scharf

Cosmo Scharf is an Emmy-nominated product designer and entrepreneur with a decade of experience in XR. He co-founded Vision Hack and visionOS Dev Partners to support visionOS developers. Previously, Scharf created MovieBot, an AI-powered 3D animation app, and Mindshow, a VR platform for animated content creation. His also started VRLA, one of the world’s largest immersive technology expos.

Vision Hack is happening this week starting on Friday the 13th. All skill levels are welcome and there’s still time to sign up to participate. The first two readers to use code RoadToVRF5M3T can sign up for free.

We have some exciting updates for you about the event.

Prize Categories

There will be four main prize categories:

• Game & Entertainment
• Productivity & Utility
• Wellbeing & Lifestyle
• XR Demoparty – Presented by XR.vc

Each category will have three winners: 1st Place ($3,000), 2nd Place ($1,500), and 3rd Place ($500).

Schedule

Here’s a schedule of Vision Hack’s key moments (all times in EST):

Day One – Friday, September 13th

5:00 PM – Opening Ceremony
6:00 PM – Hackathon Begins

Day Two – Saturday, September 14th

10:00 AM – Check-in & Workshop Kickoff
1:00 PM – Teamwork & Mentor Office Hours
7:00 PM – Evening Coding Jam

Day Three – Sunday, September 15th

10:00 AM – Check In
6:00 PM – Project Submission Deadline
6:30 PM – Closing Celebration

Day Four – Monday, September 16th

10:00 AM – Winners Announced

Local Meetup Update

We’ve added Manchester and Stockholm to our existing lineup of NYC, SF, Paris, & Montreal. RSVP here. Can’t wait to see you IRL!

Thank You Sponsors & Media Partners

Thank you to our sponsors XR.vc, The Venture Reality Fund, Syntech, CXR Agency, Annapro, & Globular Cluster! Thank you as well to our media partners Apple Insider, Apps for Apple Vision Pro, Road to VR, XReality Zone, r/VisionPro, and Immersive Tech Week!

Sounds fun? Sign up for Vision Hack here.

Road to VR is a proud media partner of the Vision Hack event

Vision Hack is a forthcoming remote hackathon for developers building apps for visionOS. Open to all skill levels, the event is set to take place September 13–15th.

Guest Article by Cosmo Scharf

Cosmo Scharf is an Emmy-nominated product designer and entrepreneur with a decade of experience in XR. He co-founded Vision Hack and visionOS Dev Partners to support visionOS developers. Previously, Scharf created MovieBot, an AI-powered 3D animation app, and Mindshow, a VR platform for animated content creation. His also started VRLA, one of the world’s largest immersive technology expos.

Imagine building the first iPhone apps in 2008. That’s where we are with visionOS today. Vision Hack is your launchpad into the new frontier of spatial computing.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the virtual reality industry evolve from a niche technology to a transformative medium. From the early days of clunky prototypes to the sleek, powerful devices we have today, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Now, with the introduction of Apple Vision Pro, we’re standing at the threshold of a new era.

As one of the organizers of Vision Hack, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the first global visionOS hackathon. Scheduled for September 13–15th, this event represents a significant milestone in our industry’s progression. It’s an opportunity to explore and shape the future of spatial computing as Apple Vision Pro continues its global rollout.

Vision Hack is designed to be a truly immersive experience. We’re encouraging teams to communicate in Vision Pro itself using spatial Personas, in addition to Discord. This approach not only showcases the device’s capabilities but also provides participants with authentic, hands-on experience in visionOS development.

Our three-day program caters to both seasoned spatial computing developers and newcomers:

• Day 1: Workshops and team formation
• Day 2: Intensive development with mentorship from industry experts
• Day 3: Development, project presentations, and awards

To foster collaboration while ensuring focused development, we’ve capped team sizes at 5 people each. Understanding the global nature of our community, we’re organizing local meetups in various cities so developers can connect in person.

While we highly recommend access to a Vision Pro for the full experience, it’s not a strict requirement for participation. However, developers will need a Mac with an Apple chip to run the visionOS simulator. This setup will enable meaningful participation even without the physical device.

The organizing team brings extensive experience from major VR expos (VRLA), Metaverse hackathons, and XR startups.

As spatial computing evolves, we believe early developer engagement is crucial in building a robust ecosystem. Vision Hack aims to play a key role in nurturing the visionOS developer community, potentially influencing the trajectory of spatial computing applications.

For developers keen on exploring visionOS, Vision Hack offers a unique opportunity to dive into this emerging platform. There’s a $25 registration fee, which helps us cover some of the event costs and ensures committed participation.

For companies interested in being at the forefront of spatial computing development, we offer various sponsorship opportunities. These partnerships not only support the event but also provide sponsors with direct access to a pool of talented developers working on cutting-edge spatial computing applications.

More details, registration information, and sponsorship opportunities can be found at visionoshackathon.com. We’re excited to see the innovative projects and ideas that will emerge from this event, and we look forward to welcoming you to the next chapter of spatial computing development.

Join Road to VR’s Ben Lang and VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi for a live discussion hosted by Spatial Collective about the challenges and opportunities of marketing XR startups, games, and apps.

Organized by XR veteran Don Stein, Spatial Collective is a network of AR & VR Founders building the next wave of spatial computing startups. 130+ members who have collectively raised $300M in venture capital and employ hundreds, come together weekly for incredible conversations with pioneers of the industry.

This Wednesday, July 17th at 11:30AM PT (your timezone here) the Spatial Collective is hosting a live, remote conversation with Road to VR’s Ben Lang and VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi, both veteran journalists in the XR space. RSVP for the event here.

The conversation will cover how the press thinks about about covering stories in this industry and the best strategies for getting eyes on your XR startup, app, or game.

Founders working in the areas of XR, 3D, computer vision and venture capital are all encouraged to join this live conversation.

RSVP for the Event

Hosting the discussion is Spatial Collective organizer Don Stein. Stein has made XR scout investments for General Catalyst, worked at Meta deploying capital to Quest apps, and raised $5 million as CEO of his own VR startup.