June 1, 2023 – XR Women, a global community of women in XR technologies, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 3rd Annual XR Women Awards: Real World Impact, Innovation, and Trailblazer. These awards recognize exceptional women who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and have made significant contributions to the XR industry.

The 2023 honorees were announced on the Augmented World Expo Main Stage on Thursday, June 1 in Santa Clara, California. Deirdre V. Lyons was selected as the winner of the Innovation Award for her genre-establishing achievements in immersive theater. A co-founder of the Ferryman Collective, Lyons wrote, produced, and directed the moving, poetic, and fanciful Gumball Dreams (2022), which has received numerous accolades. In the words of a nominator, Lyons “is a top creator in the field, challenging the convention of what theater is, and creating a foundation of what theater looks like in virtual reality and beyond.”

The Trailblazer Award was presented to Athena Demos for her vision and leadership in bringing large-scale, previously in-person events to the metaverse and for opening up opportunities for XR creators and technologists. She pioneered BRCvr, an official virtual Burning Man Experience, whose scope is unprecedented in the VR space. Demos has also produced internationally recognized social impact projects, including Breonna’s Garden, and she is a frequent speaker on her philosophical approach to the foundations of creative collaboration in the metaverse.

Real World Impact Award recipient Paige Dansinger has created hundreds of Metaverse worlds and is the founder of the Better World Museum, which uses XR creative tech for more resilient individuals and communities, and Women in Horizon Worlds, where she has produced ground-breaking exhibitions addressing real-world issues such as sexual violence and reproductive rights. Dansinger’s work includes empowering survivors of domestic abuse to heal and learn new skills through creating in VR.

About XR Women

XR Women is a vibrant and inclusive global community that meets weekly in virtual worlds. XR Women’s reach encompasses over 700 individuals from 50 countries. Since its inception in November 2020, XR Women has orchestrated more than 130 events, solidifying its position as a pivotal platform for networking, professional growth, and knowledge exchange within the XR industry. With an unwavering commitment to empowering women in XR, the organization remains dedicated to showcasing their remarkable achievements to a worldwide audience. The XR Women Museum in FrameVR showcases past speakers and events.

Awards process

The 2023 XR Women Award recipients emerged from a pool of highly qualified nominees. XR Women received 85 nominations following an open call. Those shortlisted were assessed in a multi-stage process and evaluated on several criteria in making the final selections, including their contributions to the XR Women community.

For more information on XR Women, contact GlobalXRWomen@gmail.com