Welcome to the private information hub for Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards 2025 judges. We’re excited to have you onboard and thank you for your amazing support!

Please bookmark below two URLs for easy reference of the awards judging process, key dates and judging platform login. Please do not share this link with anyone else and thanks for your discretion.

Judges Hub URL for 2025:https://iuk.immersivetechnetwork.org/awards/judges-hub/

AwardsForce (Judging Platform) login URL for 2025: https://immerseukawards.awardsplatform.com/entry/judge

For 2025 we’ll be using AwardsForce for the judging process, same platform as 2023.

Round 2 instructions are now on this page – scroll down below the timeline to find them..

Watch the judges’ info session recorded on 18th March:

You will receive an invitation email to access AwardsForce before judging opens on 19 March. Please check your spam box in case it lands there. These were mostly sent on 25 February – if you haven’t received one, please contact chris.hutchings@iukbc.org.uk. They will look like:
From: Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards <no-reply@app.awardforce.com> 
Subject: Invitation: Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards

If you have any difficulty logging in or registering, please email chris.hutchings@iukbc.org.uk or immersive@iukbc.org.uk for assistance.

Awards Overview

5 Internship Grand Prizes for 2025:

  • Arup Internship
  • Snap Internship
  • Soluis Internship
  • StoryLab Research Institute Anglia Ruskin University Internship
  • Wales Millennium Centre & Sugar Creative Joint Internship

Awards Timeline Key Dates for Judges – 2025 dates 

  • 16 Jan 2025 Online Launch Event (watch recording) & applications open
  • 16 Mar 2025 Applications Deadline 
    • Promote 2025 awards to your networks (partner social card will be provided by Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network marketing)
  •  18 Mar 2025 Judges Info Session (30 min) after 16 March application deadline – see recording above
    • Overview of Judging 3 Stages
    • Session recorded for those who can’t attend
  • 1st Stage: 19-30 Mar 2025 Judges Score Applications (in 5 Categories)
    • Please complete all judging assignments in Award Force (judging platform) by 30 Mar without fail
    • 2025: anticipating 5-6 applications per judge – we have more applications received but a larger increase in judge numbers
    • Please abstain for any conflicts of interest asap upon receipt of judging assignments. Our team will review university affiliations recusals, while there may be other conflicts of interest we’re not aware of.
    • Score applications on 4 criteria each on a scale of 1 to 5
      • Creativity (including originality and aesthetics)
      • Execution
      • Functionality
      • Potential (including innovative approach)
    • Scale of 1 to 5
      • 1 = Poor
      • 2 = OK
      • 3 = Good
      • 4 = Great
      • 5 = Excellent
  • 2nd Stage: 7 Apr 2025 Judges Meeting – Deliberate Finalists 11:00am-12:15pm
    • Meeting to vote and finalise top 2 finalists in each of 5 categories – deliberation will proceed with all who can attend
    • Judges will be sent short 3-minute videos only of applicants who scored the highest to watch 2-6 Apr ahead of 7 Apr meeting
    • Attendance highly encouraged but not mandatory as long we have a majority of judges – option to vote ahead of time if unable to attend deliberation
  • 8 Apr 2025 Finalists Announced
  • 3rd Stage: 23 Apr 2025 Virtual Pitch Day 9:00am-3:00pm
    • Required of all judges
    •  Timing
      • 9-9:30am Login & Overview
      • 9:30am-1pm Pitches
      • 1-2pm Lunch Break
      • 2-3pm Voting & Discussion
    • Pitches
      • 20 min each
      • 3 min pitch
      • 15 min Q&A
      • 2 min switch
  • 2 or 3 June 2025 (TBC) 5.30pm Awards Reception in London

Judging instructions for round 2 (watching videos 2-6 Apr, meeting 7 Apr)

We’re excited to move on to Round 2 now to determine each of the 5 categories’ top 2 finalists.

Please find below instructions with screenshots to review the finalists’ videos in preparation for next Monday 7 April Judges Meeting to Deliberate Finalists at 11:00am-12:15pm.

The meeting allows all judges who attend a chance to deliberate and cast your 2 votes in each category.

Each year, this process has been very useful to determine finalists in categories with tight scores.

During the deliberation, if judges agree by consensus that a project is better suited for another category, the project will be moved accordingly for voting to follow suit.

If you are unable to join on 7 April but still wish to vote, please do so in your Awards Force account by Sunday 6 April for your vote to be included at the meeting.

If any projects may be moved to another category, the judges not present at the deliberation meeting will not be involved in the final vote.

Round 2 instructions

1) Please log into your account same as for Round 1

2) Click ‘Start’ to access Round 2 to view finalists’ videos in each of the 5 Categories

You’ll see 24 Applications (3 min videos = about an hour 12 min of your time) – if you have been recused from a category, it may be fewer than this.

  • Best Immersive Games: 6 (close scores)
  • Creative XR Storytelling: 7 (most competitive category with highest entries)
  • Sensory: 4
  • Technical Innovation: 3
  • UX & UI Design: 4

Award Force screenshot

3) Each judge will cast 2 votes for your choices in each of the 5 Categories

Award Force screenshot

4) Please click on a category to easily view the finalists in that category

Award Force screenshot

5) Vote for your top 2 choices by clicking the heart symbol next to ‘Vote’

You will have a maximum of 2 votes per category.

Award Force screenshot

***Please note if your university has finalists in a category, you will be recused from voting in that category. The category will not show in your assignments.

For example, this judge below has been recused from Best Immersive Game and Creative XR Storytelling categories.

Award Force screenshot

We look forward to seeing everyone on 7 April 11:00am for the deliberation.

Judging instructions for round 1 – this is now complete for 2025, you can ignore these instructions until 2026

Instructions for Judges – Round 1 Score Applications

Criteria details for Round 1 Score Applications

1)  Creativity including Originality and Aesthetic

Creativity may be demonstrated in various elements of a project/ work across the concept, content, design, innovative use of technology, problem solving to the overall user experience. Top-notch creativity may be the ability to stand out through the strength of such elements or a culmination shown.

2) Execution

Execution is key to making creative and innovative ideas brilliant, to deliver intended aims in projects and achieve outcomes. The level and quality of execution takes into account the medium, technology, user experience, immersive engagement and further development. Does the experience stand out? For earlier stage projects submitted, the current stage of development alongside clear roadmap for further execution is considered.

3) Functionality

How well does the project functionality work to make it immersive and engaging for users? Some examples of what you could consider:

  • Content Creation (designing appropriate and engaging 3D assets)
  • Game Design (crafting engaging and interactive stories, tasks, and challenges for users to explore)
  • Motion Capture (translating real-world movements into accurate animations to enhance user immersion)
  • Computer Vision (detecting and tracking objects, scenes, and people in the real world to anchor digital content)
  • UX Design (ensuring digital elements enhance rather than hinder users’ understanding and interaction with their environment)
  • Spatial Mapping (recognising and mapping real-world environments to enable digital content interaction with physical objects accurately)
  • Gesture Detection (capturing and interpreting user gestures for intuitive navigation and interaction with digital elements.)
  • Holographic Display (designing and managing 3D holograms which integrate with the user’s environment convincingly)

4) Potential including Innovative Approach

What is the impact and potential future implications of the project or work? Could an innovation or concept alter the way the technology could be utilised in the future or have game-changing impact with multiple or cross-industry uses? Is there potential to impact existing or new areas of R&D? Does the project try to solve a current challenges in XR or for industry verticals using XR technology? Is the idea new or innovative? Does the project apply or approach the design, content, technology, user experience and/ or problem solving in innovative ways?

Video Brief

Up to 3 minutes in length explaining their work to show:

  • An overview of your project and please include if the project is complete or still in production
  • Demonstrate the work developed and be sure to include a demo of the experience such as walkthrough of the build, prototype, designs
  • How does your project fit the category
  • Your biggest challenges and how you overcame them
  • Outcomes of the project

Focus on using the time to explain your project and clearly demonstrate what was developed.

Scoring for Round 1 (1st Stage)

The votes from each judge will be combined and averaged – there will be 3 judges scoring each application.

Semi-final (2nd Stage to determine 2 Finalists in each of 5 Categories)

The top 3 (or more) videos from each category will go through to a semi-final round, which will be video-only: instructions for viewing the videos will be share and final decision will be made by voting in the meeting on 7 April. This will determine the top two finalists for each of the five categories and these will go forward to the Virtual Pitch Day.

Virtual Pitch Day (3rd Stage final round)

This will include votes in Award Force while logged into the Zoom meeting for the Virtual Pitch Day. The top two in each category will be voted on to determine the category winner. (These winners will then go through to interviews, after which the grand prize winner will be determined, but this will not require further voting.) You will receive an invitation to this round once the finalists have been decided.

Please contact the Immersive Tech team with any queries: immersive@iukbc.org.uk .

 

Awards Force Judging Round 1 Screenshots

Judging Round 1 Screenshots – Awards Force

1. Overview of ‘My judging assignments’: click Start to access applications for scoring

2. Judging Information: provides details for the judging process

3. ‘Abstain from judging’ box: please tick to abstain from judging an application and please add a comment in the box on your reason for abstention

REMINDER: PLEASE ALSO EMAIL AMY, ASHA & CHRIS (immersive@iukbc.org.uk will reach all of us) SO ANOTHER JUDGE CAN BE REASSIGNED ASAP.  

4. 4 Scoring boxes on 4 Criteria: please select from 1 to 5 scale to score each criteria

5. ‘Comment on this application’ box: please provide at least a line or two of feedback on the application

6. Save button – be sure to save your score before you exit or move on to the next application