Ctrl+Space Hackathon - SF

about this event

📍 Ctrl+Space San Francisco: join us in person. This is the San Francisco in-person event for Ctrl+Space, the global online hackathon from ReactVision and Expo. Come meet other builders, hack together and celebrate the best projects.

How to take part: Register for the online hackathon. You need this to compete: luma.com/ctrl_space. Join the Discord. Announcements, team formation, help and the submission form all live there: discord.gg/DKhRrrJC. Pick your track. Code (ViroReact + Expo) or no-code (ReactVision Studio). Rules and setup are in #hack-rules-faq. Build during build week, Oct 3–11. Submissions close Sun Oct 11, 11:59 PM PT. A 2–4 minute demo video is required. Celebrate in person. Top teams will be invited to an in-person celebration and prize distribution.

Key dates (Pacific time): Kickoff recording in #hack-announcements on Discord. Daily office hours, Oct 5–10, on the Discord stage. Finalists announced: Wed Oct 14. Virtual finals livestream: Thu Oct 15, 9–11 AM PT (RSVP). The venue address is shared with approved guests. Space is limited.

Build a real AR/VR app with React Native - no Unity, no native rewrite, just the stack you already know. ReactVision and Expo are teaming up for a hackathon built for developers who want to go past the demo stage. One fixed build week, four cities, real judges, and a direct path into Expo's App Awards if you ship something worth entering. We're looking for real AR/VR depth: geospatial anchoring, cross-platform native builds, spatial experiences that actually work in the physical world. Bring an idea, bring a team (or fly solo), and build something that runs on iOS, Android, and Quest from one codebase.

🎮 Details. Who can participate: All skill levels welcome · Individuals & teams (up to 4). Open globally, in-person events in SF, London, Bengaluru and Toronto. 📅 Build Week: Oct 3–11, 2026. 📍 Format: Global, virtual build week + in-person regional finals. 🏆 4 prize tiers · Guaranteed perks for all participants.

Ctrl+Space is a joint hackathon between ReactVision and Expo, focused on building real AR/VR experiences using React Native: no Unity, no native rewrites, no starting from scratch. This hackathon invites developers, designers, and builders to create next-generation spatial computing experiences across industries like education, real estate, retail, training, and enterprise.

✨ What Makes Ctrl+Space Special. 🌐 Focus on real spatial computing: geospatial anchors, cloud anchors, and genuine device-agnostic builds, not surface-level AR effects. 🧠 Build with code (ViroReact + MCP server) or no-code (ReactVision Studio): pick the path that fits you. 🤝 Open for both solo participants and teams. 🚀 Direct eligibility for Expo's App Awards if you ship something real.

🛠 What You Can Build. You can create: AR/VR experiences using ViroReact, ReactVision Studio, or the MCP server. Geospatial or Cloud Anchor–based experiences: persistent, real-world-anchored, not single-session. Cross-platform builds: one codebase shipping to phone and Wearables alike. Spatial training, education, or simulation experiences. Agent-built apps: use an AI coding agent connected to the ViroReact MCP server to scaffold and validate your scene. Infrastructure or tooling that uses Expo's build/deploy stack alongside ReactVision.

🎯 Important Creation Guidelines. To ensure quality and consistency across submissions: Build your AR/VR experience using ViroReact, Studio, or the MCP server. For education or training use cases: include a clear walkthrough (voiceover or on-screen explanation) so judges understand the concept. For other use cases (retail, real estate, enterprise, etc.): show the experience running and interacting in a real environment, not just a static render.

⚠️ Important Note. 🚫 Submissions without a demo video will NOT be considered. Also share on social media and tag @reactvision and #Ctrl+Space.

Requirements 📦 Submission Requirements. To submit a valid project, include: 🔹 Basic Details — Project Title & Description, Problem Statement, Solution Overview, Target Users / Industry. 🎥 Demo Video (Mandatory – 2–4 mins) — Your video must clearly explain: What you built, How it works, Why it matters. 🖼 Additional Assets — Screenshots / Images (at least 2), Tech Stack Used, GitHub / Source Code Link, Platform Details (iOS, Android, Meta Quest, or Web).

Prizes. 1st Place – Grand Winner: 1 team. Featured case study on ReactVision + Expo channels. Direct eligibility for Expo App Awards. 1-year ReactVision Pro tier + 1-year Expo credits. 2nd Place: 1 team. 6-month ReactVision Pro tier + 1-year Expo credits. Runner-up feature on our channels. 3rd Place: 1 team. 1-year ReactVision Basic tier + 1-year Expo credits. All Participants: Free ReactVision Studio access, 1-month Expo Starter plan upgrade, Access to the shared Expo × ReactVision Discord.

Judges from ReactVision, Expo, Meta, Pico.

Judging Criteria. Innovation & Creativity: Originality of the idea and uniqueness of approach to the problem space. Technical Implementation: Effective, skillful use of ViroReact, Studio, geospatial/cloud anchors, or the MCP server. Real-World Impact: Applicability to a real industry or use case: not just a technical demo. Design & Experience: Immersion quality, usability, and how the interaction actually feels. Presentation & Demo Quality: Is the demo video clear, concise, and does it actually prove the thing works?

Join fellow builders for technical onboarding, casual workshops, team formation, focused build time, and feedback as you participate in the Expo x ReactVision Hackathon here: https://luma.com/ReactVision

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