The most WIN-derful time of the year

As we hurtle towards the end of the year-end, the relentless jingle-jangle of one’s to-do list ringing increasingly loudly in one’s ears, it’s great to take a moment to pause and reflect on the work that’s been poured into the preceding 12 months.

Award ceremonies, with all their tinselly joy, allow our industry to give ourselves a pat on the back, to take stock of why we all do what we do, and to share our best work with the wider world.

And while winning isn’t everything, it’s jolly nice when you do.

At the end of November,  we put on our best frocks and dickie bows – and in the case of our esteemed  MD Robin, a delightfully spangled silver dinner jacket – and headed out to the 2022 Learning Tech awards.

A glittering evening compered by Jo Brand was rounded off nicely with two big wins for Make Real.

The ground-breaking Hear to Listen, created with Lloyds Banking Group, walked away with a Gold Award for ‘Excellence in the design of learning content in the commercial sector’. Judges described it as “[A] beautifully designed piece of learning…Great interactivity with the use of video conversations to help reinforce the learning. It was well-researched, planned, executed, and evaluated, we found the scenario used highly realistic and engaging. A worthy winner in this category and we wish more learning was like this.”

And then, to top it off, we also bagged a silver award for ‘Best use of simulations of virtual environments for learning’ for our Diversity and Inclusion VR Experience, created for EDF. The judges were “impressed by the thoughtful scenario design which allowed learners to experience multiple perspectives through each storyline. Positive learner feedback demonstrated a high level of engagement with the VR Experience and a mindset shift of many participants.”

This week, we’re on the road again, this time in Rotterdam for Immersive Tech Week. And while it’s not all about the prizes, it’s beyond brilliant that both our St James Place Immersive Role Play and Tunnelskills/CITB VR induction suite projects have been listed as finalists in the AIXR VR Awards.

For a smaller studio like Make Real to get recognition from the industry doesn’t just help signal boost our credibility and profile. For everyone who works here,  it makes us feel especially proud to be part of a team that continually punches above its weight. It motivates us to work that little bit harder, and take our solutions to new heights. And we’d do anything, literally anything,  to see Robin’s shiny jacket get another airing next year.