Real-Time Animated Avatar Creation Contest

  • Status: Pending
  • Prize: €250
  • Entries Received: 9

Contest Brief

Contest: Real-Time Lipsync Avatar from a Single Photo — POC / Skills Test
Important: This is a Paid Proof of Concept
This contest is a skills assessment. We are looking for a talented engineer to join a multi-week (potentially multi-month) project to build a full real-time avatar platform — similar in quality and capability to HeyGen, LiveAvatar, Replika, Candy AI, and D-ID.
The winner of this contest will be offered a long-term contract to build the full pipeline with us.
Do NOT apply if you can only deliver pre-rendered video. We need real-time.

What We Need (POC Deliverable)
Build a working prototype that does the following in real time:

Take a single static photo (portrait/face) as input
Take a live audio stream (microphone or audio chunks) as input
Output a video stream of the photo animated with accurate lip-sync, matching the audio in real time

Technical Requirements
RequirementSpecificationLatency< 300ms end-to-end (audio in → frame out)Input photoSingle image (JPG/PNG), any human faceAudio inputLive microphone or PCM/WAV chunks (streaming)Video outputFrame stream (MJPEG, WebRTC, RTMP, or raw frames via WebSocket)ResolutionMinimum 256×256, ideally 512×512RuntimeMust run locally on a consumer GPU (RTX 3060 or equivalent)No cloud API dependencyMust NOT rely on paid third-party APIs (D-ID, HeyGen, etc.) — we want a self-hosted solution

What You Must Deliver for This Contest
1. Live Demo Video (mandatory for contest entry)

A screen recording showing the system running in real time
You must speak into your microphone and show the avatar reacting live
Show a visible latency indicator or timestamp if possible
Pre-rendered videos will be immediately disqualified

2. Source Code + Setup Instructions

Full Python (or C++/JS) source code
A Dockerfile or clear environment setup (conda/pip)
A README with step-by-step instructions to run the demo
List of models/weights used and how to download them

3. Integration Interface
Provide at least ONE of the following integration methods:

WebSocket server: send audio chunks → receive video frames
REST API (FastAPI/Flask): endpoint for streaming lipsync
RTMP/WebRTC output: streamable video output we can plug into OBS or a web app


Evaluation Criteria
We will judge entries on:
CriteriaWeightLip-sync accuracy30% — lips must match phonemes, not just open/closeVisual quality25% — no heavy artifacts, natural head micro-movements are a plusLatency20% — lower is better, must be under 300msCode quality & integrability15% — clean code, documented, easy to plug into our pipelineBonus features10% — emotion control, head movement, eye blink, multi-language support

The Bigger Picture (Long-Term Project)
The winner will be invited to collaborate on building a full real-time interactive avatar platform. The scope includes:

Real-time lipsync engine with emotion and expression control
Text-to-Speech integration (streaming TTS → avatar animation pipeline)
Multi-avatar support (switch faces/characters dynamically)
Full-body animation (gestures, posture, not just face)
Web-based deployment (browser-ready via WebRTC or similar)
Conversation mode (bidirectional: user speaks → AI responds → avatar animates the response live)
Quality matching or exceeding: HeyGen Interactive Avatar, D-ID Agents, Replika visual avatars, Candy AI characters, LiveAvatar

This is a serious, funded project. We are building a production-grade product, not a toy demo. The long-term engagement is several weeks to months, with competitive compensation.

Skills We're Looking For

Strong experience with deep learning for face/video generation (GANs, diffusion, NeRF, or similar)
Hands-on experience with models like SadTalker, Wav2Lip, MuseTalk, LivePortrait, Thin-Plate Spline, FOMM, or similar
Proficiency in Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow
Experience with real-time streaming (WebSocket, WebRTC, RTMP, GStreamer)
Ability to optimize inference for real-time performance (TensorRT, ONNX, model quantization)
Bonus: experience with TTS pipelines (Coqui, Bark, XTTS, ElevenLabs integration)


How to Enter

Build the POC following the specs above
Record your live demo (screen + mic, showing real-time sync)
Upload your code (GitHub repo or zip)
Submit both as your contest entry

Recommended Skills

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Public Clarification Board

  • SakibKaiser
    SakibKaiser
    • 6 days ago

    Hi, It seems you're not active in the platform but I really completed the whole thing. DM me and I will show you full video.

    • 6 days ago
  • SakibKaiser
    SakibKaiser
    • 3 weeks ago

    Hi, I don't have any entries left. Couldn't add a new submission for that but I have completed the full POC. DM me, I will share it with you.

    • 3 weeks ago
  • SakibKaiser
    SakibKaiser
    • 3 weeks ago

    Hi, I completed the POC. Can you please DM me so that I can share the video recordings with you. entry #6 and #39 .

    • 3 weeks ago
  • ikhan9985
    ikhan9985
    • 4 weeks ago

    Kindly reconsider 30 and 31 since I was working on the newer versions, I don't know why you rejected the versions that were still more accurate than the current ones. I can't place new entry so I need an entry back where can I place the new code. I can't put here in public board. Thanks!

    • 4 weeks ago
  • AFAQCEO
    AFAQCEO
    • 4 weeks ago

    Inbox me so I can share demo

    • 4 weeks ago
  • SakibKaiser
    SakibKaiser
    • 1 month ago

    Hi, wait 1-2 days more before declaring a winner. Working on it. Hopefully I can deliver what you wanted exactly.

    • 1 month ago
  • tanyat29
    tanyat29
    • 1 month ago

    Pls check #9

    • 1 month ago
  • faizulIah
    faizulIah
    • 1 month ago

    Hi, I’m currently working on it and resolving a few technical issues. I expect to have everything sorted out by today.
    Could you please DM me so we can discuss a few details? I’d also like to share some avatar samples and a short video demonstrating the code and how the lip-synced avatar system will be executed.

    • 1 month ago
  • khelendra2
    khelendra2
    • 1 month ago

    check entry #29

    • 1 month ago
  • jayyx03
    jayyx03
    • 1 month ago

    Wait for me

    • 1 month ago
  • DanishLokman04
    DanishLokman04
    • 1 month ago

    Feel free to check mine #17

    • 1 month ago
  • sihinas2
    sihinas2
    • 1 month ago

    #16

    • 1 month ago
  • Agsstudio07
    Agsstudio07
    • 1 month ago

    Will submit my entry by tomorrow, kindly keep the contest open till deadline. Thank you

    • 1 month ago
  • PadmR
    PadmR
    • 1 month ago

    Hello, Sir. Please Share a Photo So I can Create an avatar of it

    • 1 month ago
    1. PadmR
      PadmR
      • 1 month ago

      Please Replay Me

      • 1 month ago

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