We are thrilled to share that today, the U.S. Department of Education announced the five finalists in the EdSim Challenge. The Challenge called upon the virtual reality, video game developer, and educational technology communities to submit concepts for immersive simulations that will prepare students for the globally competitive workforce of the 21st century.
Five finalists were selected out of an impressive 249 submissions. Thank you to everyone who entered for your hard work! We are inspired by the tremendous participation in the Challenge.
Join us in congratulating the finalists!
- Case Western Reserve University: Holographic Applications to Transform Learning uses holographic display technology, such as the Microsoft HoloLens, with multiple students to advance medical educational experiences and outcomes.
- Embodied Labs, Inc.: Embodied Labs is an embodied patient experience lab that uses virtual reality to train students to become better caregivers of aging populations.
- Octothorpe LLC: The Irregular: A Mystery at Baker Street is a VR experience that uses critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork to explore skills related to success in STEM fields.
- Osso VR Inc.: Osso VR is a highly-mobile surgical training platform that enables healthcare professionals to practice cutting edge techniques through realistic, hands-on simulations.
- Smart Sparrow: LifeCraft explores the story of life on Earth with VR voyages through biology, archaeology, astronomy, and beyond.
The finalists were recommended by a panel of judges with expertise in education, gaming, workforce development, emerging technology, and venture capital.
Each finalist will receive $50,000, as well as in-kind prizes from Oculus and Samsung, and will enter the Virtual Accelerator to refine their submission and develop a prototype. HTC VIVE™ announced separately that they will offer each finalist a Vive virtual reality headset.
The Virtual Accelerator phase will culminate in Demo Day, where each of the finalists will present their playable prototypes to the panel of judges. The judges will recommend the grand prize winner(s) to receive the remaining $430,000 of the $680,000 cash prize and additional in-kind prizes from IBM and Microsoft.
Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner later this year.