Auggie Awards
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The Auggie Awards, also called the Auggies, are an annual awards program for augmented reality, virtual reality and other extended reality products, projects and people. The competition began as an initiative of AugmentedReality.org, the producer of Augmented World Expo (AWE), and the winners are presented at the US edition of AWE.[1][2] The first Auggies were given at the Augmented Reality Event (ARE) in 2010, the event that later became AWE.[3][4]
The program began as a live demo contest with two awards. It now has close to twenty categories, from headworn devices and developer tools to games, films, campaigns and healthcare. Most category winners are chosen in three stages: industry nominations, a public vote that helps pick finalists, and scoring of the finalists by a judging panel. A few further awards, such as Best in Show, are decided at the show itself.[2] The 17th edition took place at AWE USA 2026 in Long Beach, California, on 17 June 2026.[2][5]
History
Live demo contest (2010-2012)
AWE co-founder Ori Inbar has said that the first event, held in June 2010 in Santa Clara, California, was called ARE (Augmented Reality Event); the name was changed to AWE a couple of years later.[4] The Auggies were part of that first event. Co-founder Tish Shute described them in 2011 as "an award for the best AR demo presented live with commentary", with judges commenting on each demo in the style of American Idol.[6] In the 2011 announcement for the second edition, the organizers wrote that each team had five minutes on stage to compete for the best live AR demo, and that the audience voted for the winners.[7] From 2010 to 2012 the program gave two awards each year, Best Demo and Best Startup (listed as Best AR Startup in 2010 and 2011).[3]
Juried categories (2013-2019)
In 2013, for its fourth edition, the competition expanded to six categories with open online nominations, plus two startup awards. Nominations were accepted from 1 to 15 May, a public vote chose finalists, and a judging panel picked the winners, who were announced at a ceremony at the Santa Clara Convention Center on 4 June 2013.[8] The organizers described the goal of the competition as promoting excellence in augmented reality across platforms and categories.[8] Judging was based on three criteria: quality, user experience and impact.[3][1]
The categories grew with the show. In 2014 the organizers described AWE as a gathering of professionals focused on augmented reality, wearable technology and the Internet of Things,[1] and the 2016 category descriptions covered "AR, VR and wearable technology".[9] Sponsors were attached to individual categories in several years; in 2015, for example, the IEEE Standards Association co-sponsored Best Smart Glasses and Qualcomm co-sponsored Best Campaign.[10]
Online and later editions (2020-present)
The 2020 edition, the eleventh, was held online along with the rest of AWE that year.[11] The 2021 ceremony moved to November, at AWE USA 2021 in Santa Clara.[12] Best Societal Impact was introduced in 2019, and the 2020 list added categories for healthcare and wellness, location-based entertainment, indie creators and the use of AI.[13][11] AWE described four categories as new in 2024; compared with the 2023 list, these were Best Climate Change Solution, Best Content Creator(s), Best Education & Training Solution and Best Web3 Implementation.[14][15] Two more, Best Reality Capture and an ethical product award, followed in 2026.[16] The 2021 edition had 15 categories.[17]
AWE also hands out a smaller set of Auggie Awards at its regional events. Its 2022 Europe page says these local awards were given at AWE Europe, AWE Asia and AWE Israel, and lists the AWE EU 2022 winners as Pico (Best in Show), PatchXR (Start-up to Watch) and VitruvianVR (AWEsome Award).[18]
Selection process
For the 2026 edition, AWE published this timeline and process:[2]
| Stage | 2026 dates | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nominations | 12 January - 19 April | The AR/VR industry nominates products and solutions in one of the active categories. Nominations must follow the published rules. |
| Public voting | 24 April - 14 May | The public votes for the nominees it thinks should be finalists. |
| Finalists and judging | 21 May - 10 June | Public voting results and a preliminary expert review are used to pick finalists. AWE's panel of judges rates the finalists, and the ratings decide each category winner. |
| Ceremony | 17 June | Winners are announced on stage at AWE USA 2026. |
Best in Show is open to every presenting company at the event and is decided by a popular vote at the show. Start-up to Watch goes to the winner of AWE's startup pitch competition, chosen by a panel of judges. The AWEsome Award is chosen by the judges for anything at the event, such as a prototype, a booth or a talk, that stands out.[2] In 2019, the organizers stated that public voting picked five finalists in each category, and that the judges could "save" further nominations to include them as finalists.[19]
Trophy
The Auggie trophy was designed by the artist Sigal Arad Inbar.[6][3] AWE's 2014 page credits the sculpture to Sigal Arad Inbar and its 3D model to Brian Yetzer.[1] In 2015, the organizers said winners would receive a trophy 3D printed by Formlabs.[20] MIXED reported in 2024 that winners still received a trophy designed by Sigal Arad Inbar.[21]
Editions
The table below lists editions for which a source gives the date or edition number.
| Year | Edition | Event | Ceremony | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1st | ARE 2010, Santa Clara | June 2010 | Best Demo and Best AR Startup[3][4] |
| 2011 | 2nd | ARE 2011, Santa Clara Convention Center | 17-18 May 2011 (event dates) | Live demo contest, audience vote[7][6] |
| 2012 | 3rd | 2012 event | 2012 | Best Demo and Best Startup[3] |
| 2013 | 4th | AWE 2013, Santa Clara Convention Center | 4 June 2013 | 87 nominations, 6 categories plus 2 startup awards[3] |
| 2014 | 5th | AWE 2014, Santa Clara Convention Center | 28 May 2014 | 112 nominations, 10 trophies[1] |
| 2015 | 6th | AWE 2015, Santa Clara | 9-10 June 2015 | Over 100 nominations, 9 categories[20][10] |
| 2016 | 7th | AWE 2016 | 1 June 2016 | 9 categories plus 3 Best in Show awards[9] |
| 2018 | 9th | AWE USA 2018 | 31 May 2018 (more awards on 1 June) | More than 250 nominations, 10 categories[22][23] |
| 2019 | 10th | AWE USA 2019, Santa Clara | 30 May 2019 | More than 250 nominations, 66 finalists[13] |
| 2020 | 11th | AWE 2020 (online) | 29 May 2020 | 16 awards[11] |
| 2021 | 12th | AWE USA 2021, Santa Clara | 10 November 2021 | 283 nominations, 15 categories[12][17] |
| 2022 | 13th | AWE USA 2022, Santa Clara | 2 June 2022 | 280 nominations, 86 finalists, 16 categories[24][25] |
| 2023 | 14th | AWE USA 2023 | June 2023 (wrap-up awards on 2 June) | 16 categories[15] |
| 2024 | 15th | AWE USA 2024 | June 2024 | 19 categories, 4 of them new[14][21] |
| 2025 | 16th | AWE USA 2025, Long Beach | June 2025 (Best in Show on 12 June) | 19 categories plus Start-up to Watch[26][27] |
| 2026 | 17th | AWE USA 2026, Long Beach | 17 June 2026 | 18 categories, 2 of them new[2][16] |
2010
The first Auggies were held at ARE 2010. The Best Demo award went to YDreams; the YDreams nomination was "Touching Augmented Reality". Other Best Demo nominees included Metaio's Zombie Shoot AR, Layar's Sam Fisher AR Game, Mobilizy's Wikitude Drive and Tonchidot's Sekai Camera.[3] In 2011, Ivan Franco of YDreams was quoted as "the 2010 Auggies winner".[7]
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Demo | YDreams |
| Best AR Startup | e23 |
2011
The second Auggies took place at ARE 2011 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, held on 17 and 18 May 2011. The announced judges were the science fiction writers Bruce Sterling and Vernor Vinge, the game designer Will Wright and Jaron Lanier.[6][7]
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Demo | Churchill Navigation |
| Best AR Startup | Previznet |
2012
Best Demo nominees in 2012 included Sony Computer Entertainment (with SLAM technology), Stupid Fun Club, Freescale and Ogmento.[3]
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Demo | Metaio (3-D object tracking) |
| Best Startup | Catchoom |
2013
The fourth competition had six categories with a combined US$20,000 in cash prizes, plus two startup awards. After 87 nominations, more than 1,500 voters chose five finalists per category, and a judging panel chose the winners, who were announced at the ceremony on 4 June 2013.[3][8]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Augmented SDK for Developers | Vuforia by Qualcomm |
| Best Augmented World Mobile App | Hermaton - Enter the Grid by Sahar Fikouhi (Darf Design) |
| Best Augmented Marketing Campaign | Gold Streetwear by Giovanni Landi |
| Best Augmented Solution for Enterprise | Otolift Stairlift B2B tools by TWNKLS |
| Best Augmented World Video | Sight by Eran May-Raz and Daniel Lazo (Bezalel Academy of Arts) |
| Best Augmented World Hardware | Sphero by Orbotix |
| Best Augmented World Start-up (Startup Launch Pad pitch session, chosen by a VC panel) | 3Gear Systems (Robert Wang, CEO) |
| Best Hardware Startup | OpenFuelCell (Carlos Uranga, H2MDK) |
2014
AWE reported 112 nominations and more than 10,000 public votes for the fifth competition. Winners were announced at the ceremony on 28 May 2014. The judges included Tish Shute, Brian Mullins, Will Wright, Ori Inbar, Robert Scoble, Bruce Sterling and Mark Billinghurst, and each of the ten winning teams also received a one-year team license to DAQRI 4D Studio.[1]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Film | The Institute (director Spencer McCall) |
| Best Tool | Qualcomm Vuforia |
| Best Hardware | Epson Moverio BT-200 |
| Best Campaign | Ikea Catalog by Metaio |
| Best Game | The Rolling Dead by Orbotix/Sphero |
| Best App | ColAR Mix by Puteko |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Welding Training by Seabery |
| Best of Hackathon | HUD How to |
| Best Startup | BitGym |
| City Vision Challenge | City Muse by Serhan Ulkumen |
2015
- Main article: 2015 Auggie Awards
The sixth competition received more than 100 nominations across nine categories, including Best Smart Glasses. The public voted on all nominations to pick finalists, and the judges included people from Intel, Qualcomm, Epson, IEEE, THRED and Rackspace. AWE's press release of 9 June 2015 announced the category winners and said the attendee-voted Best in Show award would follow at the event wrap-up on 10 June; the AWE winners page gives 10 June 2015 as the ceremony date and reports more than 10,000 votes.[20][10]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Smart Glasses | CastAR by CastAR |
| Best Hardware | BublCam by Bubl Technology |
| Best App | Child MRI Evaluation by Current Studios |
| Best Campaign | Nigeria by AR&Co |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Lowe's Holoroom by SciFutures |
| Best Tool | Qualcomm Vuforia |
| Best Game or Toy | Assassin: The Game by LyteShot |
| Best Art or Film | Consumption Cycle by Heavy and Re+Public |
| Best in Show | MindRide |
2016
The seventh Auggies had nine categories decided by public vote and judges, and three Best in Show awards decided by popular vote at the show. The category winners were announced at the ceremony on 1 June 2016 and the Best in Show winners at the closing remarks on 2 June. The Virtual World Society's Nextant Award, presented by Tom Furness, was added that year.[9]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Headset or Smart Glasses | Epson Moverio BT-300 |
| Best Hardware | Ricoh Theta S by Ricoh |
| Best App | BeoHome Design by ViewAR |
| Best Campaign | Dutch Lady Flying Farm by AR&Co |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Atheer AiR Platform by Atheer |
| Best Tool | Vuforia by PTC |
| Best Game or Toy | Air Hogs Connect Mission Drone by Spin Master Studios |
| Best Art or Film | Refugees by Scopic |
| Best in Show (Augmented Reality) | Osterhout Design Group |
| Best in Show (Virtual Reality) | SubPac featuring The Wave VR |
| Best in Show (Wearable Technology) | UNICEF "Wearables for Good" |
| Nextant Award | Randy Pausch |
2017
Schell Games announced that Happy Atoms, a physical and digital chemistry modeling set it made with Thames & Kosmos, won the 2017 Best Game or Toy Auggie Award at AWE 2017, after making the final round from a field of more than 20 games and toys. No full list of 2017 winners was found in the sources consulted.[28]
2018
AWE reported more than 250 nominations for the ninth Auggies. Ten category winners were announced at the ceremony on 31 May 2018, and Best in Show, the AWEsome Award and Start-up to Watch followed on the final day, 1 June. The Virtual World Society gave Nextant Awards to Nonny de la Peña and Mark Bolas.[22][23]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Consumer App | IKEA Place by IKEA |
| Best Art or Film | Karim & Noor by Blink Studios |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | Gravity Sketch |
| Best Campaign | Acura AR Race by Current Studios |
| Best Developer Tool | Unity |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Holoroom Test Drive by Lowe's Innovation Labs |
| Best Game & Toy | Star Wars: Jedi Challenge by Lenovo |
| Best Headworn Device | Vive Pro by HTC |
| Best Input or Output Hardware | Holo-Stylus by Holo-Light |
| Best Interaction Software Tool | ManoMotion |
Under the heading for Best in Show AR and VR, Startup to Watch and the AWEsome Award, the 2018 winners page lists Upskill, Where Thoughts Go, Varjo and The Looking Glass by Looking Glass Factory, without saying in its text which award each received.[23]
2019
For the tenth edition, AWE reported more than 250 nominations, from which public voting selected 66 finalists for the judges. Twelve awards were presented at the ceremony on 30 May 2019 in Santa Clara, including the new Best Societal Impact category presented by the Virtual World Society; Best in Show AR, Best in Show VR and the AWEsome Award were left for the wrap-up the next day.[13]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | The Navigator by Meow Wolf |
| Best Campaign | 7-Eleven Always on AR by Zappar |
| Best Consumer App | NYTimes App by The New York Times |
| Best Creator or Authoring Tool | Lens Studio 2.0 by Snap |
| Best Developer Tool | 8th Wall Web by 8th Wall |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Atheer AiR Platform by Atheer |
| Best Game or Toy | Create by Magic Leap |
| Best Headworn Device | RealWear HMT-1 by RealWear |
| Best Interaction Software Tool | Neurable DK1 by Neurable |
| Best Societal Impact | VR Medical Experiential Training by ORamaVR |
| Startup to Watch | Lexset.ai |
The winners post names the Startup to Watch award separately and does not list a twelfth category winner in its text.
2020
AWE 2020 was held online. Sixteen Auggie Awards were presented at the online ceremony on 29 May 2020. Fifteen were chosen through public nominations, public voting for finalists and judging by an industry panel; Startup to Watch was chosen by venture capitalists at the online pitch competition.[11]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | The Key by Lucid Dreams Production |
| Best Campaign | PORTAL with Nreal by MESON, inc. |
| Best Consumer App | SBB AR App - The Future of Customer Information by SBB |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | Grib3D by Grib |
| Best Developer Tool | Unity AR Foundation by Unity Technologies |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Spatial by Spatial |
| Best Game & Toy | Otherworld Heroes by Bublar Group |
| Best Headworn Device | Nreal Light by Nreal |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | MediView Surgical Navigation System by MediView XR |
| Best in Location-Based Entertainment | Universal Monsters Presents: Bridge of Frankenstein holoride by Universal Pictures and holoride |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | Tangible UI by Greg Madison |
| Best Input or Output Hardware | Looking Glass 8K Immersive Display by Looking Glass Factory |
| Best Interaction Software | The Lion King Virtual Production System by Magnopus |
| Best Societal Impact | SoundShirt by CuteCircuit |
| Best Use of AI | Eve by TechSee |
| Startup to Watch | TVORI |
2021
The 2021 ceremony was held on 10 November at AWE USA 2021 in Santa Clara. Nominations ran from 3 February to 12 September, public voting from 13 September to 7 October, and judging from 15 to 31 October.[12] Auganix reported 283 nominations across 15 categories, a record at the time.[17]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | Peaceful Places by Gold Enterprise |
| Best Campaign | Countdown Super Insects by Zappar |
| Best Collaboration Tool | ShapesXR by Tvori Inc. |
| Best Consumer App | Google Maps Live View by Google |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | Masterpiece Studio Pro by Masterpiece Studio |
| Best Developer Tool | Mixed Reality Toolkit for Unity by Microsoft |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Beamo by 3i Inc. |
| Best Game & Toy | Hand Physics Lab by Dennys Kuhnert (Holonautic) |
| Best Headworn Device | Spectacles by Snap Inc. |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | C19-SPACE by Immersium Studio, Mediconed and the EU Society of Intensive Care Medicine |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | Hand Physics Lab by Dennys Kuhnert (Holonautic) |
| Best Interaction Product | TactSuit X40 by bHaptics |
| Best Location-Based Entertainment | The Edge VR Matterhorn Experience by Red Bull |
| Best Societal Impact | Breonna's Garden by YesUniverse |
| Best Use of AI | Mixed Reality Navigation by APOSTERA |
| Best Startup to Watch | InCitu |
2022
The 13th Auggies were presented on 2 June 2022 at AWE USA 2022 in Santa Clara.[24] GfxSpeak reported 280 nominations across 16 categories, narrowed to 86 finalists, with winners chosen by judges on quality, user experience and impact.[25]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Enterprise Solution | Avataar |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | Audio Trip |
| Best Developer Tool | ZapWorks: Universal AR SDKs |
| Best Consumer App | Measure Your Space |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | Osso VR: Virtual Reality Surgical Training Platform |
| Best Collaboration Tool | Hubs Cloud |
| Best Art or Film | UNITE - Space Explorers: The ISS Experience - Ep. 3 |
| Best Use of AI | Volu - a camera for the Metaverse |
| Best Headworn Device | Varjo Aero |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | ZapWorks: The all-in-one WebAR Platform |
| Best Interaction Product | Galea |
| Best Societal Impact | Breonna's Garden Virtual Reality Experience |
| Best Game or Toy | Tilt Five Holographic Gaming System |
| Best in Location-Based Entertainment | Battery Powered VR Bumper Cars |
| Best Campaign | Across Technology to Art - A virtual journey to Arles with LG SIGNATURE |
| Startup to Watch | Croquet |
2023
AWE reported a record number of nominations, finalists and winners for the 14th Auggies, which had 16 categories open to nominations. Three further awards were announced at the event wrap-up on 2 June 2023.[15]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | Museum of Digital Life by Delta Reality |
| Best Campaign | Countdown: Bricks Farm by Zappar |
| Best Collaboration Tool | VR at Pfizer - Creating the Covid Vaccine at lightspeed! by Pfizer |
| Best Consumer App | Central Library of Düsseldorf App by Exponential Dimensions |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | Lens Studio by Snap Inc. |
| Best Developer Tool | Cloud Platform for 3D Asset Management by echo3D |
| Best Enterprise Solution | AjnaVidya by AjnaLens (Dimension NXG) |
| Best Game or Toy | Among Us VR by Innersloth, Schell Games and Robot Teddy |
| Best Headworn Device | VIVE XR Elite by HTC VIVE |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | NEXTMED by ARSOFT |
| Best in Location-Based Entertainment | LEGOLAND Windsor Resort: LEGO MYTHICA Magical Forest by Zappar |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | Big Rock Creative |
| Best Interaction Product | Trixel 3 by TriLite |
| Best Snapdragon Spaces App | The Future of Training by Verizon |
| Best Societal Impact | Zapvision: Accessible QR codes for people who are blind or partially sighted by Zappar |
| Best Use of AI | SYNTH3D by Maxar Technologies |
| Best in Show | Sightful for its Spacetop AR laptop |
| AWEsome Award | EXIT SUIT |
| Best Visual Impact | Sutu |
2024
The 15th edition, at AWE's 15th anniversary show, had 19 categories open to nominations, four of them new. AWE reported its highest number of nominations and finalists to date, and the most winners of any edition.[14] MIXED reported that the winners were chosen by a panel of independent judges.[21]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | JFK Memento: An Immersive Chronicle of the Assassination by TARGO |
| Best Campaign | New Messi Chicken Sandwich x Hard Rock Café by CamOn XR |
| Best Climate Change Solution | SAMARitan by HENSOLDT Sensors |
| Best Collaboration Tool | Webex Hologram by Cisco |
| Best Consumer App | Pillow |
| Best Content Creator(s) | Between Realities |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | STYLY Studio by STYLY, Inc. |
| Best Developer Tool | 8th Wall's Metaversal Deployment by Niantic |
| Best Education & Training Solution | Hyper-realistic Safety Training System (immerseLearn) by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Campfire |
| Best Game or Toy | Kluest by Sons of a Bit Entertainment |
| Best Headworn Device | Meta Quest 3 by Meta |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | Hands-Only CPR VR by the American Heart Association |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | 3lb Games |
| Best Interaction Product | HTC VIVE Ultimate Tracker by HTC VIVE |
| Best Location-Based Entertainment | Japantown Geospatial for Paper Tree Origami by Rock Paper Reality |
| Best Societal Impact | TouchKEY+ Multisensory Station by WEART |
| Best Use of AI | AI and Augmented Reality at Pfizer - "Manufacturing AR Co-Pilot" by Pfizer |
| Best Web3 Implementation | SEPHORA UNIVERSE by SURREAL Events |
| Startup to Watch | Playbook XR |
2025
AWE reported its highest number of nominations and a record number of votes for the 16th edition. The 19 category winners were posted on 11 June 2025, and the Best in Show awards were announced at the closing of AWE USA 2025 in Long Beach on 12 June.[26][27] The Virtual World Society's Nextant prizes, presented by Tom Furness and Alvin Graylin, went to Danny Pimentel (Rising Star) and Jaron Lanier (Legacy).[27]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | Non-Player Character Musical by Brendan Bradley |
| Best Campaign | OREO X PAC-MAN SUPERMARCADE by ARKx, Form & Fun and Saatchi & Saatchi Germany |
| Best Climate Change Solution | Burn Zone: Immersive Truths from California's Wildfires by Lucid Reality Labs |
| Best Collaboration Tool | Campfire by Campfire |
| Best Consumer App | Pencil by 4th Wall Breakers |
| Best Content Creator(s) | Dilmer Valecillos XR YouTube Channel by Learn XR LLC |
| Best Creator & Authoring Tool | Niantic Studio by Niantic Studio |
| Best Developer Tool | Lens Studio by Snap Inc. |
| Best Education & Training Solution | XR Guru Healthcare Pathways Training by XR Guru |
| Best Enterprise Solution | Cactus Spatial AI for Retail by Auki Labs |
| Best Game or Toy | Spatial Ops by Resolution Games |
| Best Headworn Device | XREAL One Series by XREAL |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | Fundamental Surgery by FundamentalVR |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | Ferryman Collective |
| Best Interaction Product | Omni One by Virtuix Inc. |
| Best Location-Based Entertainment | AR in Google Maps for Paris Olympics by Rock Paper Reality and Google |
| Best Societal Impact | Sign Language Translator by Frame Sixty, LLC |
| Best Use of AI | Medical AI Agent by Lucid Reality Labs |
| Best Web3 Implementation | The Posemesh by Auki Labs |
| Startup to Watch | Verse Immersive by Enklu |
| Best in Show | Snap Inc. |
| Best in Show Playground | Anywhere Bungee VR |
| Best in Show Gaming Hub | TRIP THE LIGHT by Dark Arts Software |
2026
The 17th edition was held at AWE USA 2026 in Long Beach, with the ceremony on 17 June 2026. Two categories were new that year: Best Reality Capture, supported by the Reality Capture Network, and an ethical product award run with the XR Guild, listed by AWE as Ethical XR Product of the Year and in the press release as Most Ethical Product.[2][16] AWE's press release of 18 June 2026 said that 20 developers, brands and creators had received Auggie Awards, and that eight people had been inducted into the XR Hall of Fame.[5]
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Art or Film | D-Day: The Camera Soldier by TARGO |
| Best Campaign | Toyota - FanPort by Draw & Code |
| Best Consumer App | Google Maps XR (Immersive View for Android XR) |
| Best Content Creation Tool | MetaNeural Immersive Simulation Platform |
| Best Content Creator(s) | Gabriele Romagnoli |
| Best Developer Tool | MultiSet AI |
| Best Education & Training Solution | NICS Korea: Chemical Incident & Terror Response in XR by the National Institute of Chemical Safety |
| Best Enterprise Solution | FabStation by Eterio Realities Inc. |
| Best Game or Toy | Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow by Vertigo Games |
| Best Headworn Device | Spectacles by Specs Inc. |
| Best Healthcare & Wellness Solution | ARVIS by Enovis |
| Best Indie Creator(s) | Year of the Cicadas |
| Best Interaction Product | Be There Without Being There: Humanoid Robot Immersive Telepresence by Carolina Cruz-Neira and Judah Rowe |
| Best Location-Based Entertainment | Interstellar Arc by Felix & Paul Studios |
| Best Reality Capture | Cintoo VR Experience |
| Best Societal Impact | Cooper's Clean Air Quest: Making Invisible Pollution Visible by YORD |
| Best Use of AI | XR Vibe Coding with XR Blocks and Gemini by Google |
| Most Ethical Product (Ethical XR Product of the Year) | SecureMR by PICO/ByteDance |
| Startup to Watch | PROLO by CG Technologies |
| Art Festival Winner | Reality Looks Back by Superposition XR Studio |
AWE's winners post said that the Best in Show winners would be announced at the event wrap-up on 18 June 2026; the press release published that day does not name them.[16][5]
Current status
As of October 2026, the most recent edition is the 17th, held in June 2026. AWE's website lists the next AWE USA for 14-17 June 2027.[2]
Related honors
The Virtual World Society's Nextant Award has been presented during the Auggie Awards ceremony since 2016. AWE described the 2019 Nextant Awards as honoring "rising stars and pioneers using AR and VR for the betterment of society".[9][13] Since 2024, AWE has also run the XR Hall of Fame, whose inductees are announced alongside the Auggie winners.[21][5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "The Auggie Awards - Winners Announced!". Augmented World Expo (archived). AugmentedReality.org. 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140804025402/http://augmentedworldexpo.com/auggies/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "17th Annual Auggie Awards". AWE USA 2026. AWE. https://awexr.com/usa-2026/auggie. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 "Past Auggie Award Winners". Augmented World Expo (archived). AugmentedReality.org. 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140806000619/http://augmentedworldexpo.com/past-auggie-award-winners/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Adario Strange (2019-05-09). "After Nearly a Decade of AWE, Founder Ori Inbar Unpacks the Past, Present, & Future of Augmented Reality". Next Reality. https://next.reality.news/news/after-nearly-decade-awe-founder-ori-inbar-unpacks-past-present-future-augmented-reality-0197331/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Augmented World Expo Announces 2026 Auggie Award Winners, Best in Show and XR Hall of Fame Legends". PR Newswire. AWE (Augmented World Expo). 2026-06-18. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/augmented-world-expo-announces-2026-auggie-award-winners-best-in-show-and-xr-hall-of-fame-legends-302803908.html. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Tish Shute (2011-04-13). "Augmented Reality Event, 2011: Bruce Sterling, Vernor Vinge, Will Wright, and Jaron Lanier to Judge the "Auggies"". UgoTrade. https://www.ugotrade.com/2011/04/13/augmented-reality-event-2011-bruce-sterling-vernor-vinge-will-wright-and-jaron-lanier-to-judge-the-auggies/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Ori Inbar (2011-04-26). "The Best of the Best in Augmented Reality Compete for Top Industry Award". Games Alfresco. https://gamesalfresco.com/2011/04/26/the-best-of-the-best-in-augmented-reality-compete-for-top-industry-award/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ori Inbar (2013-05-04). "AWE 2013 is Now Accepting Nominations for the Auggie Awards". Games Alfresco. https://gamesalfresco.com/2013/05/04/awe-2013-is-now-accepting-nominations-for-the-auggie-awards/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "The 2016 Auggie Award Winners". AWE USA (archived). Augmented World Expo. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927070623/https://usa2018.augmentedworldexpo.com/past-auggie-awards/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "2015 Auggie Awards - Winners". AWE 2015 (archived). AugmentedReality.org. 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150722033029/http://augmentedworldexpo.com/auggies/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 "The Winners of the 2020 Auggie Awards". AWE. AWE Team. 2020-05-29. https://www.awexr.com/blog/277-the-winners-of-the-2020-auggie-awards. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "12th Annual Auggie Awards". AWE USA 2021. AWE. https://awexr.com/usa-2021/auggie. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 "Announcing the AWE 2019 Tenth Annual Auggie Award Winners". AWE. AWE Team. 2019-05-31. https://awexr.com/blog/91-announcing-the-awe-2019-tenth-annual-auggie-award-. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Auggie Award Winners at AWE USA 2024". AWE. AWE Staff. 2024-06-19. https://awexr.com/blog/AWE-USA-2024-Auggies-Winners. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "Auggie Awards Winners at AWE USA 2023". AWE. AWE Staff. 2023-06-01. https://awexr.com/blog/Auggie-Awards-Winners-at-AWE-USA-2023. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "Auggie Award Winners at AWE USA 2026". AWE. AWE Team. 2026-06-17. https://www.awexr.com/blog/auggie-Award-Winners-at-AWE-USA-2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Sam Sprigg (2021-11-11). "2021 Auggie Award winners announced at Augmented World Expo". Auganix. https://auganix.org/?p=11144. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ "AWE EU 2022 Auggie Awards". AWE EU 2022. AWE. https://www.awexr.com/eu-2022/auggies. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ "AWE USA 2019 - Auggie Awards". AWE USA 2019. AWE. https://www.awexr.com/usa-2019/auggie. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Game Changing Augmented Reality Hardware and Software Make Up the Winners of the Sixth Annual Auggie Awards". AWE 2015 + UploadVR (archived). AugmentedReality.org. 2015-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20150715105201/http://augmentedworldexpo.com/game-changing-augmented-reality-hardware-and-software-make-up-the-winners-of-the-sixth-annual-auggie-awards/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Josef Erl (2024-06-23). "Meta Quest 3 is the best VR headset: These are the winners of the Auggie Awards 2024". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/meta-quest-3-is-the-best-vr-headset-these-are-the-winners-of-the-auggie-awards-2024/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 "Meet the 9th Annual Auggie Awards Winners". AWE. AWE Team. 2018-06-01. https://dev.awexr.com/blog/45-meet-the-9th-annual-auggie-awards-winners. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 "2018 Auggie Awards Winners". AWE USA 2018 (archived). Augmented World Expo. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708230059/https://usa2018.augmentedworldexpo.com/auggie-award-finalists/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "13th Annual Auggie Awards". AWE USA 2022. AWE. https://www.awexr.com/usa-2022/auggie. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Ruchika Saini (2022-06-07). "Auggie Award winners revealed at AWE 2022". GfxSpeak. Jon Peddie Research. https://gfxspeak.com/newswatch/auggie-winners-revealed/. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "Auggie Award Winners at AWE USA 2025". AWE. AWE Team. 2025-06-11. https://www.awexr.com/blog/AWE-USA-2025-Auggies-Winners. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 "Augmented World Expo Reveals 2025 Auggie Award Winners, Best in Show and XR Legends". PR Newswire. AWE (Augmented World Expo). 2025-06-12. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/augmented-world-expo-reveals-2025-auggie-award-winners-best-in-show-and-xr-legends-302480800.html. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
- ↑ "Happy Atoms Wins Best Game or Toy Auggie Award at AWE 2017". Schell Games. 2017-06-05. https://schellgames.com/blog/happy-atoms-wins-best-game-or-toy-auggie-award-at-awe-2017. Retrieved 2026-10-19.