About Us

VR Prizes is an organization that uses VR and AR to help bring about social change. We believe that virtual and augmented reality can be used as part of a larger strategy to reduce such things as homelessness, poverty, mental illness, racism, discrimination, abuse (physical, psychological, and sexual), and addiction.

Our strategy is three-pronged: (1) promoting the creation of VR / AR content, primarily through contests; (2) using that content to help shift societal beliefs and perceptions; and (3) working with companies and organizations to provide basic non-VR essentials and fun (such as shelter, food, jobs, gifts, and experiences) to those in need.

The current contest, Home for the Holidays, came about because my brother and best friend became homeless. Seeing how difficult life has been for him and the fellow homeless he’s encountered, and what a struggle it is for them to find housing, jobs, privacy, and safety, it became my mission to do whatever I can to help. VR is not going to solve the problem. But it can at least give people some brief psychological support.

The overarching goal with this contest is to provide randomly selected homeless people with a Merry Christmas. The VR experience will be part of that. Yet with the help of sponsors, we aim to also provide them with much more than that – temporary shelter (in the form of hotels or Airbnbs), food, clothing, and presents. It is exciting to see not only what the VR creators will make, but also what the larger community will bring. If you or anyone you know has anything to donate, even if it’s something small, please talk to me. We need both fun and interesting prizes (not just cash) for the contest winners along with things that will bring joy to the homeless human beings.

-Michael Waite (founder)