Snapchat Aims to Entice AR Creators with a New Lens Rewards Program
Snapchat has announced Lens Creator Rewards, a new program that pays augmented reality creators who make popular Lenses.
Snapchat’s Lenses have long been a large part of the social media platform’s appeal. The Puking Rainbow filter, for example, created a mini-cultural sensation that many have mimicked in real life. Some Lenses, like the Puking Rainbow one, are released by Snapchat itself, but others are made by members of Lens Studio, the app the lets users make AR Lenses.
Each month, new and existing Lens Studio members can get up to $7,200 if their creation is the top-performing Lens in the United States, India, and Mexico, according to Snapchat. It’s unclear if each amount will be the same or how many people can get awards each month, however. Users from almost 40 countries can participate, and additional eligibility details can be found on Snap’s website.
“This program is designed to celebrate the most creative Lenses that help Snapchatters express themselves and have fun with friends—from imaginative new looks to try on, to amazing AR scenes they can explore,” a release from Snapchat states.
According to the company, Lens Studio members have already created more than 3 million Lenses, which in turn, have viewed more than 5 trillion times. Anyone can download the app and start diving into AR Lens creation.
“Snapchatters love Lenses built by our global AR community of more than 300,000 AR creators, developers, and teams around the world,” Joseph Darko, Snap’s global head of AR developer relations said in a release. “At Snap, we’re committed to rewarding the value that AR creators bring to the platform as they advance their skills and grow their businesses through the new Lens Creator Rewards Program.”
Snapchat previously started rewarding its users when it launched Spotlight Challenges, which offers cash payouts for making top-performing Snaps using specific Lenses, Sounds, or topics. Most recently, the app celebrated its first year since launching Snapchat+, a paid version with exclusive features and pre-release features. Snap said it boasts 4 million subscribers to the service, which offers over 20 features, including chat effects that change the size and color of messages and its artificial intelligence bot My AI.
Image credits: Snap
