Shared Memory & EyeJack lead wins at XR festival 2024

The Australian XR Festival Awards 2024 celebrated its latest edition at the State Library of New South Wales, where local and global creative talents received numerous accolades.

The Australian XR Festival Awards, which form part of the broader Australian XR Festival, honour outstanding achievements across various creative tech industries, including Gaming, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Creative AI, Animation, and Digital Arts. This year's finalists featured notable industry names such as Toast Interactive, Shared Memory, Nathie, and Eye Jack.

Festival Director and Founder Matt Kirby expressed his satisfaction with the quality of submissions and the public's enthusiasm for the event, held in Sydney for the first time after previously being hosted in Melbourne. He stated, "It gave the people of Sydney the opportunity to experience Virtual Reality technologies — some for the first time - or play their favourite game on the giant screen at the State Library of New South Wales."

The awards highlighted both local and international prowess in creative innovation through seven main categories and three special accolades. US-based Shared Memory emerged victorious in the Best in Console Gaming category and also clinched the Best in the World award for their global hit, "Animal Well."

VR social media personality Nathie, known for engaging content, was crowned Content Creator of the Year.

On the domestic front, Toast Interactive from the Gold Coast won Best in Virtual Reality Gaming and Best in Australia for their game "Max Mustard."

EyeJack secured wins for both Best in Augmented Reality Experiences and Best in Virtual Reality Experiences with "The Dream Machine Experience," a feat made more impressive by the contrasting formats each required, as noted by Mr Kirby.

The full list of category winners includes the following:

• Best in Animation: Don Dixon for "Darwin the Dreamer"
• Best in Augmented Reality Experiences and Best in Virtual Experiences: EyeJack for "The Dream Machine Experience" led by Artistic Director Nona Hendryx and AR/VR Director & Principal Artist Sutu Campbell
• Best in Console Gaming: Shared Memory for "Animal Well", directed and produced by Billy Basso
• Best in Creative AI: Samantha Pillay for "When I'm an Astronaut"
• Best in Digital Art: ReVerse Butcher & Kylie Supski for "No Beginning"
• Best in Virtual Reality Gaming and Best in Australia: Toast Interactive for "Max Mustard"
• Best in New South Wales: EyeJack for "The Dream Machine Experience"
• Best in the World: Shared Memory for "Animal Well"

The well-attended festival, which has its roots in the Qld XR Festival established in 2021, continues to expand its reach and impact in the realm of creative technology. The organisers thanked Sydney residents for their participation and the global creative community for their high-calibre entries.

Matt Kirby summarised the event's growth, commenting, "Year-on-year we are seeing incredible growth both in the creativity of the submissions and the number of people coming to experience them."