Oculus and OTOY have today announced the winners of the second round for Render the Metaverse, a three-month long contest to find the most compelling 360-degree stereo-panoramic still images rendered by OTOY’s OctaneRender software.

OTOY and Oculus have named the winners of this month’s Render the Metaverse contest. Oculus CTO John Carmack joins comic artist Alex Ross, and OTOY CEO Jules Urbach to judge the contest which closes 26, July 2015. Monthly prizes top out at $10,000 for first place, with $5,000 for 2nd and $2,500 for 3rd. One talented artist will take home the grand prize of $25,000 to be announced at a later date.

All winners, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place along with runner-ups are showcased in the Oculus 360 Photos app on Gear VR. The latest winners seen below can now be seen in VR through the app.

See Also: ‘Render the Metaverse’ Contest by OTOY, John Carmack Signs on as Judge

Without further ado, here are the winners of this month’s contest.

1st Place – Mini Metaverse by Javier Leon

Link to low-resolution preview

Link to high-resolution stereo cubemaps

John Carmack: “Basically sticking your head inside a dollhouse is eye-stretching stereo, but there were so many charming touches everywhere you looked in this panorama; I didn’t even notice the NES hiding in the shadows until the third time I looked at it.”

2nd Place – Neon Buddha by Miksim Loginov



Link to low-resolution preview

Link to high-resolution stereo cubemaps

Alex Ross: “This is the Electric Light Orchestra album I’d love to see done. It’s absolutely a beautiful graphic design of room structure and bright vivid colors. This environment transports me through time to a ‘70s album cover paradise.”

Third Place – Two Sides by Stefan Haberkorn



Link to low-resolution preview

Link to high-resolution stereo cubemaps

Jules Urbach: “I was impressed by the creativity and originality behind the composition of this scene. It came across as a truly novel and artful blending of the abstract and the real.”

Winning entries are viewable via the Oculus 360 Photos app on Samsung Gear VR. If you’re interested in competing in Render the Metaverse, visit the OTOY website for contest details.

You can preview winners of May’s portion of Render the Metaverse here.