Questions
Frequently asked
What the club is, who can join, and what to expect at an event.
About the club
What is McGillXR?
McGillXR is an independent, student-run organization based in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 2022. We educate, innovate and lead in extended reality (XR) technologies, including augmented, virtual and mixed reality. We run hackathons, technical workshops, film screenings and social events, and we work to bridge the gap between the immersive media industry and students in Montreal.
What is extended reality (XR)?
Extended reality is the umbrella term for technologies that blend digital content with the physical world. It covers virtual reality (VR), where you are fully immersed in a digital environment; augmented reality (AR), where digital content is layered onto your view of the real world; and mixed reality (MR), where digital and physical objects interact in real time.
How can a company sponsor or partner with McGillXR?
Email us at mcgillxr@gmail.com. We work with sponsors and community partners on hackathon prizes, workshop tooling, venues, speakers and mentorship. Past supporters include Snap Inc., Meta, the Shriners Hospitals for Children, the SickKids Foundation, The Neuro, SilicoLabs and Festival du Nouveau Cinéma. Every one of them, year by year, is on our sponsors page.
Joining
Who can join McGillXR?
Any student can join, at any level of study and from any university, CEGEP or programme. We are an independent club, not a faculty society — our members come from across Montreal and from computer science, engineering, neuroscience, medicine, the arts and beyond. Our hackathons are deliberately interdisciplinary, and many of our projects need designers, researchers and clinicians as much as developers.
Do I need experience with XR or coding to get involved?
No. Our workshops start from the beginning — past sessions have covered installing Unity, the fundamentals of object-oriented programming, and setting up an XR development environment from scratch. Our hackathons are beginner-friendly and mentors are on site throughout.
How do I join McGillXR?
Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to hear about events first. Most of our events are open to any student, from any school, with no membership required — you can simply show up. If you want to help run the club, fill in our recruitment form — that is where we list what we are looking for.
Is there a fee to attend McGillXR events?
No. Our events are free to attend, including our hackathons, and you do not need to be a McGill student to come. There is no cost to join our mailing list or to come to a workshop.
Events
Do I need my own VR headset?
No. McGillXR provides headsets at our events and our team handles setup and troubleshooting. You do not need to own any XR hardware to take part in a workshop or a hackathon.
What kinds of events does McGillXR run?
We run four main kinds of event: hackathons such as NeuroVR and CareXR; hands-on technical workshops covering Unity and XR development; screenings and industry sessions, including a VR film festival with Festival du Nouveau Cinéma; and social events such as Beat Saber tournaments and outings to venues like the Phi Centre.
Hackathons
What happens at a McGillXR hackathon?
Teams form on site, often across disciplines, and build an XR application against a challenge theme over 24 to 48 hours. Workshops and mentorship run alongside the build time, and equipment is provided. At CareXR in 2026, 105 students built 23 projects over a weekend at the Shriners Hospitals for Children.