HACKATHON
Storytelling
with AR:
Bringing 3D Objects to Life
Submit Your Storytelling Effects
June 6 – July 4
Hey Creators!
We’re finally back with another Lenslist and Meta Spark hackathon!
We’re thrilled to invite you to join our first community activation in 2023 to create and share your stories using AR effects and interactive 3D objects.
Set your imagination free – we’ve all got stories to tell – it’s time to share your own and bring some 3D objects to life!
Submit your Effects by July 4, 11:59:59 PM CET to win your share of the $50,000 prize pool!
Please read Terms & Conditions before registering.
Your Task
The first part of your task is to create a storytelling AR effect in Meta Spark, including interactive 3D objects.
The second one is to make an Instagram Reel using your effect and submit it instead of a usual preview video.
Your Task
What is a storytelling AR effect?
A storytelling AR effect should explore a comprehensive narrative and allow users to experience at least 3 different scenes:
The beginning, introduction or set up – usually exposing or teasing the context or the whole story;
The middle or developing action – the main plot point, meaning a change, disturbance or switch from the context established in the beginning;
The end or finale – the climax of your story, showcasing the actual point you want to make, or show with your AR effect.
Your Task
Top features we’re looking for are:
Inclusion of interactive 3D objects, which should add depth and immersion to your effect;
Showcasing your coding skills with unique types of interactivity;
Reflecting the narrative structure of a story in your effect.
Keep in mind that a well-done storytelling AR effect should invite others to share their stories using it!
Don’t forget to add the necessary instructions, which should explain how to use your effect.
Examples
Why storytelling?
A storytelling AR effect should explore a comprehensive narrative and allow users to experience at least 3 different scenes:
Storytelling is what people are looking for on social media – use it to your advantage and gain more traction as a digital Creator;
One of the most important thing to do as a Creator is to showcase and share your work in the best way possible and Instagram Reels are a great tool for that;
Meta just unveiled Reels AR Ad Campaign Tools, which means soon, together with an AR effect, you might be pitching a whole creative UGC campaign to your clients and collaborators – it’s time to learn more about storytelling and Reels!
Prizes
1x 1st place
$10,000
2x 2nd place
$5,000
5x 3rd place
$2,000
10x 4th place
$1,000
20x Honorable mention
$500
Prizes
Overall we will award our Creators Community with $50,000!
Timeline
Workshops &
Learning Resources
We want to help you come up with the best submissions possible, so together with our friends at Meta we decided to organize workshops with two of the top and skilled members of our AR Community: Mitsuko Ono (@mitsukokubota) and Isabel Yayla (@icybitch3d) and just before the hackathon ends, we’ll also have some fun on a live Office Hours Q&A with Creators, who will be there to give you some final advice on your projects.
Sign up for
the workshops 👇
Workshops &
Learning Resources
Below you will find the most essential tutorials and demos from Meta that will help you succeed in this hackathon:
Judging Process
The judging process in this hackathon starts with a pre-selection conducted by the Lenslist Team – you can be sure all of your submissions are tested and checked. Then, we invite our judges from Meta to score your effects on 4 different criteria:
Technical Quality (30%)
Is the effect reliable (work as intended, work every time) and work across different devices? Is it intuitive to use, and interactions are easily discovered?
Narrative Quality (30%)
How well does the storytelling factor of your effect resonate with the user? Does it include a comprehensive narrative structure, meaning 3 different scenes – the set up, main plot point and the finale?
Craftsmanship (30%)
How complex, polished and immersive is the effect? Does it include 3D objects, as required in the creative brief?
Content Relevance (10%)
How relevant is the Reel submitted and created with your effect? How well does it inspire people to share their stories?
Judging Process
At the same time, the core of our Lenslist Team, consisting of: our CEO Paweł Jarco, COO Zuza Śliwińska, our AR Project Manager & Research Lead Aleksandra Juś and last but not least your favorite Community Manager – Jana Michajłowskaja – scores the shortlisted effects, too. Then, we combine all of our scores and make the final decisions based on the number of accumulated points.
FAQ
Make sure you read our Hackathon Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy before submitting.
Who can take part?
- This Hackathon is open globally (see exceptions in the question below),
- You need to be at least 18 years old,
- Employees of Meta Platforms, Inc. and Lenslist (both Lenslist and Lens That), other partners in this Hackathon and their immediate family are not eligible to participate,
- Both individual Creators and collaborative Teams of 2-4 Creators can participate,
- Brands and professional AR Agencies can not participate in the prize draw, but can submit their work to be showcased,
- Spark Network Partners can participate.
Residents of which countries can NOT take part?
This Hackathon is NOT open to: Individuals who are residents of, or entities/organizations domiciled in countries noted in the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions: American Samoa, Anguilla, Dominica, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, US Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Seychelles, as well as any country that is not under any trade or economic sanction or on any program or country list designated by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or where the laws of the United States or local law prohibits their participation or receipt a prize in any contest and specifically excludes Russia, Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
How to take part?
1. Create & publish your storytelling effect:
- First things first – Design your AR effect in Meta Spark Studio and then publish it on Instagram. Download Meta Spark Studio here,
- Keep in mind, your effect should coincide with the theme: Storytelling with AR,
- Your effect should include at least 3 different scenes to convene the storytelling theme,
- Your effect should include interactive 3D objects,
- Keep in mind that in order for your submission to be valid, effects must be published on your Instagram account via Meta Spark Hub. If your effect didn’t go through the verification process yet, you can also submit it using the demo/test link. Go here to find out how to publish a link-only effect,
- Works must follow Facebook’s Community Standards and comply with Facebook’s Terms of Service, Meta Spark Studio Terms, Meta Spark and Frame Studio Terms and Meta Spark Policies,
- Important note: Retain your original source files in the highest quality possible, as we might need them to make the final decision.
- Go here to read the full Terms & Conditions.
2. Submit your AR effect using our Submission Form at the bottom of this page 👇
- Each Creator or Team can submit 10 Effects max,
- Each and every effect should be submitted separately,
- Before submitting your first Effect, you’ll have to fill in a registration form concerning your AR experience and basic personal information,
- In 48h you will get a confirmation email from our Lenslist Team, so that you can be sure your entry was valid and in accordance with our Terms & Conditions.
- Go to the form at the bottom of this page and submit your effect.
Which effects are not eligible for this Hackathon?
- Your AR project can’t include references to any real people, dangerous situations, other brands, show or imply alcohol or drunkenness, or anything offensive,
- It has to be original! It means you can’t use any third-party pre-existing copyright materials and/or stock images in your project. No other person or entity may have rights to any submitted Work, while you can still use royalty free assets,
- Effects submitted for our Hackathon can be used by you for personal, non-commercial and portfolio use only,
- Lenslist reserves the right to remove inappropriate, offensive and harmful submissions as well as projects that do not fit the brief.
Does my effect have to be published? Can I use a demo link?
In order for your submission to be valid, effects should be published on your Instagram account via Spark AR Hub, so no other software or platform can be used. Although, if your effect didn’t go through the verification process yet, you can also submit it using the demo/test link. Go here to find out how to publish a link-only effect.
What kind of assets can I use in my submission? Can I use copyrighted material?
You can use free assets (eg. from Sketchfab) or those with royalty-free, non-commercial license as a part of your submitted effect. You can’t use any third-party pre-existing copyright materials and/or stock images in your project. No other person or entity may have rights to any submitted Work.
Do I give away the rights to my effect when submitting it?
Your ideas are safe with us! Submissions will not be visible to the public on Lenslist until the Submission Period is over, although, during the Submission Period, your project may be featured on Lenslist social media channels – of course with credits given to you – only as a way of spreading the word about our Hackathon. Your design is your property and it will stay that way!
Do I need to have a Facebook/Instagram account?
In order to take part you need to have a valid Facebook or Instagram account. It means that all Facebook/Instagram accounts must be at least thirty (30) days old and have not changed the age or date of birth in the last 30 days prior to entering the Hackathon.
Is there any Submission Fee to take part in the contest?
No, submitting your effect to our Hackathon is totally free. Both downloading the software and entering the Hackathon do not require any additional fee on your part.