Judging Criteria & Process

All submissions will be evaluated based on the equally weighted criteria below:

Innovation & Creativity 

Measures originality, creative ambition, and relevance to the chosen track (Gaming, Entertainment, or Productivity). 

High-scoring projects differentiate themselves, show developer ingenuity, and uniquely leverage Meta device capabilities (e.g., spatial depth, hands-first design, gaze, passthrough mode, scene understanding, persistent anchors) to drive repeat usage.

Experience Design

Evaluates the quality of design, mechanics, and user journey tailored to the intended audience, emphasizing seated, hands-first, or specific context use. 

High-scoring entries ensure intuitive navigation from the moment of entry, clear onboarding, and a rewarding, habit-forming purpose.

For entries that use passthrough, passthrough should be purposeful. The player’s real room should meaningfully change the experience, whether a table becomes the play surface, walls host content, or UI adapts to the space, rather than a scene that plays identically with passthrough off.

Technical Implementation

Assesses technical expertise, reliability, and strategic use of platform tools, particularly the features that define hands-first experiences: gaze interactions (Unity/Unreal ISDK v207+), hand tracking, passthrough, spatial anchoring, and FoV-aware design.

High-scoring entries must be performant on Meta Quest hardware (min 60 fps), solid and bug-free, and show seamless integration of features relevant to their specific track.

For entries that use passthrough, this includes correct use of scene understanding (MRUK), anchoring content to detected planes, surfaces, and room geometry, and holding up in rooms the developer never tested.

Polish & Presentation

Assesses the overall quality of the project submission, including UI/UX, art direction, and sound design. 

High-scoring entries are performant, visually cohesive, and clearly demonstrate relevance to the chosen track. This includes high-quality submission materials (text, images, video) that effectively communicate the project’s value.

On your video/trailer: show real gameplay that honestly represents the experience. Lead with the story and what makes your project distinct. Don’t lean on AI-generated video to carry the pitch.

Judging Process

Winners in the competition will be determined by a panel of experts that may include Meta employees and third parties. There will be two stages of judging. Information about the judging criteria and phases can be found in the official rules.

Please note that once the competition deadline has passed, do not make any modifications to your submission. Projects that are modified after the submission deadline may be disqualified.