Google’s Immersive Geospatial Challenge

At Google I/O 2023, Google’s Augmented Reality team and Google Maps Platform team launched Geospatial Creator and Photorealistic 3D Tiles, which allows developers and creators to build world-anchored, immersive experiences with high resolution, 3D imagery. With this technology, it’s now easier than ever to create new world-scale use cases across entertainment, commerce, sustainability, local discovery, navigation, and more.

Why join?

• Learn about Photorealistic 3D Tiles and Geospatial Creator
• Get creative with Adobe Aero or Unity
• Make connections within the Google Developer community
• Compete for one of the cash prizes, totaling to $70,000
• Meet with a Google employee to share your thoughts and see your work featured on a Google-owned website

Prizes

• Best of Entertainment & Events (AR): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry
• Best of Entertainment & Events (Photorealistic 3D Tiles): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry
• Best of Commerce (AR): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry
• Best of Commerce (Photorealistic 3D Tiles): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry
• Best of Travel & Local Discovery (AR): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry
• Best of Travel & Local Discovery (Photorealistic 3D Tiles): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry
• Best of Productivity & Business (AR): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry 
• Best of Productivity & Business (Photorealistic 3D Tiles): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry 
• Best of Productivity & Business (AR): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry 
• Best of Productivity & Business (Photorealistic 3D Tiles): $6,500 USD - awarded to one (1) entry 
• Honorable Mention: $1,000 USD - awarded to five (5) entries
• Being featured on Google channels - awarded to the recipients of the above fifteen (15) prizes
• Virtual coffee with Google team member - awarded to the recipients of the above fifteen (15) prizes

What to Build?

Build a brand new experience in one of the categories by either A) developing a location-based, AR experience with Geospatial Creator in Adobe Aero or Unity, or B) developing a virtual immersive experience with Photorealistic 3D Tiles.

• Entertainment & Events - Build immersive live events, museums, theme parks and attractions, concerts, conferences, and more. Check out how Google partnered with Gorillaz to turn the world into a stage with an immersive performance of “Skinny Ape”.
• Commerce - Create immersive promotional storefronts, virtual try-on experiences, detailed product information, interactive displays, product demonstrations, and more. Check out how Google partnered with Unit9, Gap, and Mattel to transform the Gap Store in New York City with a Barbie takeover.
• Travel & Local Discovery - Make immersive interactive maps, local recommendations, sightseeing tours, navigation, educational information on nearby attractions, and more. Check out how Google partnered with Singapore Tourism Board to turn the world into an adventure with an augmented tour through Singapore’s landmarks. 
• Productivity & Business - Develop immersive interactive training modules, design mock-ups, immersive project management tools, augmented workflow visualizations, real-time document collaboration, virtual brainstorming rooms, and more. Check out how Google partnered with DignityMoves and Gensler to turn the world into a community with 3D visualizations of interim supportive housing projects. 
• Sustainability - Create impactful, innovative experiences that pave the way for a more sustainable future. Check out our new environmental APIs like Solar, Air Quality, and Pollen and see how you can create unique experiences with Photorealistic 3D Tiles, Aerial View, or Geospatial Creator.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to enter the Contest, you must be:
  • above the age of majority in the country, state, province or jurisdiction of residence (or at least twenty years old in Taiwan) at the time of entry;
  • not a resident of Brazil, Quebec, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Russia, Vietnam, or the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic or Luhansk People’s Republic;
  • not a person or entity under U.S. export controls or sanctions; and
  • have access to the Internet as of September 25, 2023. Contest is void in Brazil, Quebec, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Russia, Vietnam, and the so-called Donetsk People’s Public or Luhansk People’s Republic, and where prohibited by law. 
• Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders of Google, Devpost, Inc., and their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, advertising and promotion agencies, representatives, and agents (“Contest Entities”), and members of the Contest Entities’ and their immediate families (parents, siblings, children, spouses, and life partners of each, regardless of where they live) and members of the households (whether related or not) of such employees, officers and directors are ineligible to participate in this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility and to adjudicate on any dispute at any time.

What to Submit?

• Open Source Code. Provide a URL to your open source code repository for the project if it is a virtual immersive experience with Photorealistic 3D Tiles or an AR experience built with Unity. For an AR experience built in Adobe Aero, the Applicant only needs to submit a demonstration video. The code repository should have instructions and everything the review team and judges will need to test the project.
• Demo video. Include a video (about 3 minutes) that demonstrates your submission. Videos must be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook Video and made public.
• Write up. Pitch your project and describe how it uses Geospatial Creator or Photorealistic 3D Tiles.

For more information, visit Google.