PXR2024 Call for Proposals

Calling Performing Artists, Technologists, Experience-Makers, Game Developers, and the XR-Curious!

Thank you for your interest in PXR2024. The application period has now closed.

We will be reaching out to all who applied via email over the coming month! Feel free to email contactus@singlethread.ca with any questions in the meantime.

PXR2023 Toronto Port.

The PXR Conference, hosted by Single Thread, celebrates the evolution of live performance in XR—that is, virtual, augmented and mixed reality. Now in its 5th year, this national event brings Canadian creators together in VRChat and in-person across the country to share best practices for working within these new media. We are seeking proposals for PXR2024, which will include programming from November 8 – November 17, 2024.

This year, we are accepting applications that are digital and/or hybrid. Please read the FAQs below for more information about eligibility.

There are four streams to apply to — Experience, Engage, Laboratory, and Arcade. If you are new to PXR, we would encourage you to reach out to discuss your project and application by emailing contactus@singlethread.ca. Any questions about the conference or application process may also be directed to the email address above.

Application accessibility support: If you would prefer to answer the application questions via a video or phone call with us, please email contactus@singlethread.ca and we will reach back out to set a time to call. If there are other ways that we can make this application more accessible to you, please email us and we will do our best to work with your request.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I / my team need to be from a specific geographic location in order to apply to PXR?

We accept international applications for all four conference streams, although we will prioritize creative teams that are predominantly working within Canada as part of our goal to uplift Canadian creators within XR. Please note that our team works in EDT/EST (UTC-04:00/UTC-05:00) and PDT/PST (UTC-07:00/UTC-08:00) and PXR2024 conference sharings will prioritize attendance in these timezones.

What kinds of online presentations do you accept?

We accept online presentations from creators all over the globe. Our conference takes place predominantly in a custom-built VRChat world, but we are also open to presentations taking place in the platform / world of the presenter’s choice.

What kinds of hybrid presentations do you accept?

We have in-person programming that takes place in Toronto (ON), Kingston (ON), and Vancouver (BC). If your presentation takes place in one of these three cities, and your presentation has an XR (VR, AR, or MR) element, it is eligible to be a part of PXR2024!

I have a project that I’m excited to share with you but I’m not sure what stream it falls into!

That’s no problem, we’d still love to hear about it. Please get in touch at contactus@singlethread.ca, tell us a bit about your project, and we’ll help you sort out which stream it would best fall under.

Do you pay presentation fees?

Yes, we provide a presentation fee for all PXR presenters.

How are proposals for PXR2024 evaluated?

We gather a selection committee consisting of PXR staff and steering committee members to review all of the applications and make recommendations. The PXR producing team takes these recommendations and curates the conference schedule based on artistic merit, impact, and viability. We also strongly consider how all of the presentations will fit together in order to create a diverse and exciting experience for our attendees.

I’m finding the application form difficult to navigate / I need help responding to the application questions.

If you’re finding the application form challenging to complete, we would be happy to set up a phone or video call with you so you can answer the application questions live with a real person. Please email contactus@singlethread.ca and we will set up a time to meet.

Wait, I have more questions!

Feel free to reach out to us at contactus@singlethread.ca. We would be happy to talk through your application. We are also going to be holding a Call for Proposals Info Session on Monday, July 8 at 12PM PT / 3PM ET. Click here to register.

Info Session: We held an info session to answer questions about the Call for Proposals on Monday, July 8. Watch the recording below!

PXR Experience

Photo of OffRail by RaptorXR. PXR2023 Experience Stream.

PXR Experience is a platform for presentation-ready live performances to be showcased between November 5 – 17th, 2023. We welcome performance works that are hybrid or digital, on any platform, with special interest in projects that focus on audience agency and interactivity. Selected projects will be slated to present up to four performances to PXR attendees and the public.

• Digital or Hybrid
  • Digital performances should be available for audience members to watch live in a VR platform such as VRChat
  • Hybrid performances should be available for audience members to watch live in Vancouver (BC), Toronto (ON), and/or Kingston (ON), and should also have an XR component
• Successful applicants will be provided a presentation fee

PXR Engage

PXR2023 Welcome Speech. World Design by Myles Steel.

PXR Engage takes traditional Conference presentations, turns them upside-down, inside-out, and flips them onto a VR Headset. For this stream, we want to hear about your creative vision for live XR productions, and how your specialization and expertise influences your creative approach in this medium.

Perhaps you are developing a new platform for digital storytelling, or you can offer a blueprint for what is required to develop a live experience. We are looking for interactive, digital presentations that take full advantage of the XR medium, rejecting the traditional Conference powerpoint plague of “talking heads”. What would you like to share, and what is the most powerful way you can do so?

• Digital or Hybrid
  • PXR Engage presenters will have the opportunity to present in PXR’s custom-built VRChat conference world, with technical support from the conference team. We are also open to presentations taking place in the platform / world of the presenter’s choice.
  • Hybrid presentations should be available for audience members to watch live in Vancouver (BC), Toronto (ON), and/or Kingston (ON), and should also have an XR component.
• Successful applicants will be provided a presentation fee

PXR Laboratory

Dragon Magic, Freedom Giants by Splashmango. PXR2023 Laboratory Stream.

PXR Laboratory focuses on the technical aspects of developing a live XR performance. We invite technical experts who work on XR experiences (developers, designers, gamewriters, project managers, and more) to offer a peek into their development process, focusing on specific tools necessary to create in XR.

Do you have an exciting unity project you can walk us through? A behind-the-scenes tour of a recently developed experience? Perhaps you have a mini-masterclass for experienced developers, or a 3D modeling tutorial for those who are just getting started. Consider us interested.

• Digital or Hybrid
  • PXR Laboratory presenters will have the opportunity to present in PXR’s custom-built VRChat conference world, with technical support from the conference team. We are also open to presentations taking place in the platform / world of the presenter’s choice.
  • Hybrid presentations should be available for audience members to watch live in Vancouver (BC), Toronto (ON), and/or Kingston (ON), and should also have an XR component.
• Successful applicants will be provided a presentation fee

PXR Arcade

Sonic Mindscapes by Mana Saei. PXR2023 Arcade Stream.

PXR Arcade is all about fun and games that can be played with new friends. We are seeking applications from gamemakers with exciting group-based games that can be played in VRChat, on a Meta Quest headset. Interested in play-testing your latest creation? Apply here!

• Digital or Hybrid
  • PXR Arcade presenters will be required to upload their game to VRChat so that it is playable by PXR conference attendees
  • Hybrid presentations should be available for audience members to play live in Vancouver (BC), Toronto (ON), and/or Kingston (ON), and should also have an XR component
• Successful applicants will be provided a small development & sharing fee