SONA 2025
Schedule
Day 1
Thursday March 27th
Registration: 10 AM - 12:30 PM
MAP: (Tepper building Lobby)
VR FilmS: 10 AM - 4 PM
MAP: (VR Room - Cohen University Center Activities Room)
Immersive screenings: 10 AM - 5:30 PM
MAP: (Kenner Room)
Henry Aberle, Meghna Anil,
Lorendana Larionescu
Short talks: 11 AM - 12:30 PM
MAP: (Hamburg Hall Room 1002)
Eric Williams, Jordan HErron
Creator Talk: 12:30 PM - 1 PM
MAP: (Hamburg Hall Room A301)
Rod Pisa
Enterprise talk: 1 PM - 2 PM
MAP: (Swartz Center, Tepper Building)
Judi Alston, Andy Campbell
Creator talk: 2 PM - 3 PM
MAP: (Hamburg Hall Room A301)
Derek Ham
Opening Keynote: 6 PM - 7 PM
MAP: (Hamburg Hall Room A301)
Opening Gala/ DJ BigCashew:
7 PM - 9 PM
MAP: (Welcome Center)
Day 2
Friday March 28th
Registration: 10 AM - 12:30 PM
MAP: (Tepper building Lobby)
VR Films: 10 AM - 3:30 PM
MAP: (VR Room - Hunt Library
basement media lab)
Immersive screenings: 10 AM - 2 PM
MAP: (Kenner Room)
Joel Benjamin, Brad Riddell
Animators Talk: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
MAP: (Hamburg Hall Room 1002)
Ralph Vituccio, Nevine Abraham,
Michal Friedman
creator Talk: 2 PM - 3 PM
MAP: (Kenner Room)
Amber Johnson
Creator Workshop: 3 PM - 4 pm
MAP: (Kenner Room)
Johannes De Young, Annie Hui-Hsin HSieh Present The Endless Mile : 4:30 PM - 5 pm
MAP: (VR Room - Hunt Library basement media lab)
SONA 2025 Awards/ DJ Formosa:
7 PM - 9 PM
MAP: (Welcome Center)
Day 3
Saturday March 29th
VR Films: 10:30 AM - 12 PM
MAP: (VR Room - Hunt library basement media lab)
Immersive screenings: 10:30 AM - 12 PM
MAP: (Kenner Room)
Panel Discussions: 1 PM - 2 PM
Where Do We Go From Here?
MAP: (Kenner Room)
Closing 2 PM
MAP: (Kenner Room)
MAP LINKS:
Welcome Center
Kenner Room
Cohon University Center
VR Room (Activities Room)
Tepper BUiLding Lobby
Hamburg Hall
Swartz Center for entrepreneurship
Hunt library
VR Room (Media Lab)
PARKING:
East Campus Parking Garage
AWARDS
FRIDAY March 28th
SONA recognizes the creativity and innovation
of immersive storytellers through a series of awards and prizes.
Audience Choice Award: $1000
Awarded to Joel Benjamin - MAX Q
Voted on by festival attendees, this award recognizes the immersive work that creates the strongest connection with its audience, whether through emotional impact, interactivity, or narrative power.
Social Impact Award: $1000
Awarded to Judi Alston & Andy Campbell - Streets of Change & The Abandoned Library
Celebrating immersive projects that address social, environmental, or humanitarian issues, this award honors works that drive awareness, spark change, and amplify underrepresented voices.
Emerging Creator Award $1000
Awarded to Amber Marie Johnson - Crafting the Unreal
Acknowledging new talent in the immersive space, this award is reserved for first-time or early-career creators who show exceptional promise, originality, and innovation in their work.
Unbound Award: $1000
Awarded to Eva Davidova - Garden for Drowning Descendant
Celebrating the most unconventional, bizarre, or boundary-pushing experience, this award is for creators whose storytelling ventures into the unknown, offering visionary, often surreal, or experimental experiences.