Q&A with Islam Ayad: Meet The Snap’s Middle East Cultural Lensathon Winners

At the heart of every AR Challenge lies a simple mission: to inspire creators, help them transform their passion into opportunity, and boost their creativity with specific themes. The Middle East Cultural Lensathon was no exception.

Together with the Snapchat team, we aimed to spotlight creators from across the MENA region, showcasing their culture through their own eyes—reimagined through AR Lenses.

Starting today, we’re highlighting the talented winners of the Lensathon, giving them a platform to share their stories, experiences, advice, and inspire the AR Community.

So let’s welcome Islam Ayad, the winner of 1st place in the Middle East Cultural Lensathon. 👏

📸 About the Lens:

With Timgad Arch, Islam Ayad transforms cultural heritage into an interactive story. The Lens invites users to piece together the Arch of Trajan, scattered like fragments of memory waiting to be restored. Each tap not only rebuilds the Roman masterpiece but also unveils the layered history where Berber artistry meets Roman engineering.

As animations and sound effects bring the reconstruction to life, the final reveal presents the Arch in 3D alongside its historical context. turning a 2,000-year-old UNESCO landmark into an experience that is both playful and educational.

Please introduce yourself!

My name is Islam Ayad, and I’m from Algeria. I first discovered Lens Studio back in 2022, but I only started creating Lenses in January 2025 when I was excited to join community challenges.

My background comes mainly from 3D, as I’ve been working with Blender software for several years. I also picked up some 2D design skills through other software like Adobe Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint. This mix of experiences helped me quickly adapt to AR creation and bring my ideas to life.

What inspired your winning Lens?

My winning Lens was inspired by the Roman ruins of Timgad in Algeria, a UNESCO World Heritage site. I wanted to capture both the beauty of the site and its historical significance by turning it into an interactive AR puzzle experience.

The idea was to let users put together the fragments of the ruins and, through interaction, get a sense of how these ancient structures once stood. It was both a creative challenge and a way for me to highlight the rich heritage of my region in a modern format.

What technical challenges did you face, and how did you solve them?

Compressing textures into smaller sizes while keeping good quality was one of my first challenges. Another was the time it took to slice and build the puzzle pieces in a way that felt smooth and natural. Animations added another layer of complexity. For most of these tasks, I relied on Blender software, which really helped me handle texture compression and reduce animation weight effectively. Another major challenge was scripting.

I needed a way for users to tap puzzle pieces in any order while still reaching the final animation. Without a script, it would have been impossible to manage this logic. Thankfully, I used the GenAI Suite inside Lens Studio to manage a working script that allowed me to bring the idea to life.

How would you describe the style of your Lenses and what do you focus on in your AR work?

I like to focus on creating interactive world experiences, where users engage with objects and environments through the rear camera rather than just filters for the selfie view. Interactivity is key for me, whether it’s tapping on objects to trigger effects or exploring an AR space more freely. I also enjoy integrating smooth animations into these objects to make the experience feel alive.

What’s the best part of being in the Lens Creator Community?

For me, the best part is being able to participate in something big, like this challenge, especially because it’s focused on my region. It motivates me to keep up with my 3D design skills, learn from others, and believe more in myself as a creator. Being part of this community makes me feel supported and inspired to push further with my work.

What are your next plans with Lens Studio – any upcoming projects or features you’re excited to try?

As someone still new to Lens creation, I want to challenge myself early by exploring tougher, more advanced features. In particular, I’m very interested in testing how my ideas can come to life on Spectacles AR glasses. Being able to design experiences that people can see and interact with directly through wearable AR feels like the natural next step.

For upcoming projects, I plan to build immersive educational World Lenses where users can explore, interact with objects, and trigger smooth animations to learn in engaging ways. My goal is to mix interactivity with storytelling, so every Lens feels both fun and meaningful.

A huge thank you to Islam Ayad—and once again, congratulations on winning first place in the Middle East Cultural Lensathon, hosted in partnership with Snap! 💛👻 His work is a great example of how AR can preserve history, celebrate culture, and connect communities across the globe. 👏

Stay tuned for our upcoming Q&As with the other Middle East Cultural Lensathon winners, where they’ll share their stories, creative journeys, and advice for fellow AR creators.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on our website for the latest AR Challenges and opportunities to showcase your own work within the Community. 🏆 Your next big idea could win the next Challenge and be the one that inspires creators worldwide! 🌍

P.S. A reminder that a brand-new Challenge Tag and the Spectacles Community Challenge are now open for submissions. 👀⌛

👉 See the full list of Middle East Cultural Lensathon winners here.