The Meta VR Start Developer Competition 2026 will award new “hands-first” Quest and VR Glasses apps, as well as adapted or significantly updated experiences, a total of $1 million across 20 prizes of up to $100,000.
Meta VR Start, previously called Meta Horizon Start and originally Oculus Start, is a program run by Meta that gives VR/MR developers direct access to Meta developer relations staff as well as a community Discord and “exclusive Meta events, advanced technical education, community mentorship, software credits, go-to-market guidance, and more.”
The most recent competition was in late 2025 and focused on entertainment, lifestyle, and gaming apps.
David Heaney
Now, as announced during the Meta Connect 2026 Developer State of the Union, the company is running a new competition for developers to build, adapt, or significantly update Quest and VR Glasses apps across entertainment, gaming, and productivity, with a focus on “hands-first apps that make interaction more natural and gameplay more intuitive than ever before.”
The “Hard Requirements” are as follows:
- Hands-first: Your experience must be fully usable with hands, end-to-end. Controller support is welcome, but not required. The test is simple: can someone complete the entire experience without ever pairing a controller?
- Policy Compliance: Your experience must adhere to all relevant Meta VR/Start policies and terms (i.e., Meta VR Start Program Terms, Community Standards, Code of Conduct in VR Policy, Developer App Policies, Developer Content Guidelines, and all other Developer Policies).
Here is the list of awards and prizes:
- Best New Gaming Experience
- $100,000 Winner
- $50,000 Runner-up
- Best New Entertainment Experience
- $100,000 Winner
- $50,000 Runner-up
- Best New Productivity Experience
- $70,000 Winner
- $35,000 Runner-up
- Best Adapted / Significantly Updated Gaming Experience
- $100,000 Winner
- $50,000 Runner-up
- Best Adapted / Significantly Updated Entertainment Experience
- $100,000 Winner
- $50,000 Runner-up
- Best Adapted / Significantly Updated Productivity Experience
- $70,000 Winner
- $35,000 Runner-up
- Best Social & Multiplayer Experience
- $25,000 Winner
- Best Reason to Come Back
- $25,000 Winner
- Best Accessibility Forward Experience
- $25,000 Winner
- Best Agentic Interaction
- $25,000 Winner
- Best First Five Minutes
- $25,000 Winner
- Boldest Original Concept
- $25,000 Winner
- Judge’s Choice
- $20,000 each for 2 winners
Entries can be brand new or “adapted/significantly updated” apps. Meta says qualifying updates can include, but are not limited to:
“Implementing hand interactions as a new feature; adding multiplayer support; introducing a mixed reality (MR) interaction mode as a new feature; releasing a new user generated content creation tool.”
The deadline for submitting a project is November 18, 2026, and interested developers can enter the competition on Devpost. If you’re not already a Meta VR Start member, you’ll need to apply first.
The competition comes shortly after Meta VR Glasses were announced at Connect 2026. Notably, the device does not come with controllers by default, instead focusing on Eye and Hand Tracking, with optional support for the Touch Plus controllers introduced with Quest 3 and 3S.
The device will ship in spring 2027, with a catalogue of apps and games optimized for its inputs and form factor.
David Heaney
