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.

For 2025 we’ll be using a different platform, AwardsForce, so these URLs will change.

You will receive an invitation email to access AwardsForce.

Judges Hub URL for 2025: to be confirmed

AwardsForce (Judging Platform) login URL for 2025: to be confirmed

If you need to reset your password please email chris.hutchings@iukbc.org.uk or immersive@iukbc.org.uk to have it changed.

Awards Overview

4 Internship Grand Prizes (5 Partners) – details for 2025 TBC

  • Arup Internship
  • Soluis Internship
  • StoryLab Anglia Ruskin University & ARCADE Joint Internship
  • Wales Millennium Centre & ARCADE Joint Internship

Awards Timeline Key Dates for Judges – 2025 dates 

  • 16 Jan 2025 Online Launch Event (recording will be available) & applications open 
    • Promote to your networks (partner social card will be provided by Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network marketing)
  • 16 Mar 2025 Applications Deadline
  • 18 Mar 2025 Judges Info Session 
  • 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
    • 2023: 19 judges each had up to 13 assignments with 76 applications each assigned to 3 judges
    • 2024: 33 judges (anticipating applications growth) scored 6-7 applications each
    • Please abstain for any conflicts of interest asap upon receipt of judging assignments
    • 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
  • 7 Apr 2025 Judges Meeting – Deliberate Finalists
    • Meeting to finalise top 2 finalists in each of 5 categories – deliberation will proceed with all who can attend
  • 8 Apr 2025 Finalists Announced
  • 18 Apr 2025 Briefing for Virtual Pitch Day – Judges
    • 30 min briefing
  • 23 Apr 2025 Virtual Pitch Day
    • Timing (TBC if shift back for school runs)
      • 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 June 2025 5.30pm Awards Reception in London

Judging instructions

Instructions for Judges – Round 1 Score Applications

  • Instructions for Award Force will be added soon.

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

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

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

The top 3 videos from each category will go through to a semi-final round, which will be video-only: instructions for this will be sent out by email and a final decision will be made by voting in the meeting on 7 April. This will determine the top two finalists for each category (by consensus rather than voting in Evalato) and these will go forward to the virtual pitch day.

Virtual pitch day (final round)

This will include votes in Evalato 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 .