Social Impact Buildfest 2023

The Texas Immersive Institute at UT-Austin, in partnership with Niantic Labs’ 8th Wall, will present a three-day Social Impact Buildfest on campus at the Moody Communications Building beginning 6 p.m. Friday, March 24 and ending 1 p.m. Sunday, March 26. Event is open to all media professionals and students, RSVP here.

Immersive technology is a very powerful tool being used in the fight for social change. The Social Impact BuildFest is a weekend-long event that challenges the idea that building with immersive technology is difficult and complex.

Designed for people who don’t see themselves as “tech-savvy”, attendees are not expected to arrive with existing development experience. They will be guided through the design and prototyping process by both technical experts who understand the technology tools as well as social mentors who will ensure that projects are nuanced, impactful, and sensitive to the communities being addressed.

This year we have partnered with 8th Wall to bring their cutting edge WebAR platform to BuildFest 2023. Diverse teams of 3-5 participants will use 8th Wall to build an augmented reality experience that addresses a wide variety of social issues. These projects will then be presented to a panel of industry judges who will provide feedback and award prizes.