Insta360 and Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld have teamed up on the Luna Ultra Design Challenge, a global call for makers, designers, and creators to dream up fresh accessories, mods, and concepts for the Luna Ultra, Insta360’s flagship dual-lens 8K gimbal camera. The competition puts more than US$11,000 in prizes on the table, giving entrants a chance to turn a personal idea into something the whole community can use.
To lower the barrier to entry, Insta360 has published official 3MF and STL files for the Luna Ultra, so designers can model accessories that fit the camera precisely rather than guessing at its dimensions.
Two Ways to Take Part
The challenge runs along two tracks so anyone can join, with or without a printer.
The first, the Model Design Challenge, is aimed at those ready to build. Entrants design an original accessory or mod for the Luna Ultra, anything from mounting hardware and protective gear to entirely new creative tools, 3D print it, and submit the result on MakerWorld. Judges are looking for work that is original, functional, and inspiring.
The second, the Social Content Challenge, needs no special equipment. Anyone with a concept can post it as an image, video, sketch, render, or written description on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or Reddit (r/Insta360), explaining what makes the idea stand out. Submissions should carry the hashtags #PrintForLuna, #BambuLab, and #Insta360LunaUltra.
Prizes, a Mystery Grand Prize, and Key Dates
Entries are scored on creativity, functionality, and visual appeal, with rewards spanning Luna Ultra bundles, Bambu Lab X2D and A2L combos, gift cards, coupons, and more. In the Model Design track, top honors go to the Most Original Design (a Luna Ultra Creator Bundle paired with a Bambu Lab X2D Combo), alongside awards for the best functional and aesthetic entries, a dozen runner-up prizes, a People’s Choice award, and community spotlights.
The Social Content track mirrors that structure with Most Creative and Most Practical Idea awards, each combining a Luna Ultra bundle with a Bambu Lab X2D Combo, plus 20 spotlight prizes.
Beyond the standard categories sits a Mystery Grand Prize: the single most inspiring concept may be developed into an actual product, giving one creator the rare chance to watch an idea move from sketch to shelf. Further details are promised through the brands’ social channels.
Submissions are open for one month, from July 10 to August 9, with prize announcements running throughout and the final winners revealed on August 20. Full rules and guidelines live on MakerWorld, and questions can be sent to [email protected].
Turning Customers Into Co-Designers
For Insta360, the contest works less as a giveaway than as a strategy that turns buyers into collaborators. By releasing official CAD files and launching the first camera-brand page on MakerWorld, the company bypasses the off-the-shelf accessory market and the usual instinct to guard intellectual property, crowdsourcing accessory development while the Mystery Grand Prize channels the best community concepts into its own product line.
This playbook is becoming familiar in consumer electronics. CMF by Nothing ran a design challenge around its CMF Phone 2 Pro and its Universal Cover, hosted on Prusa Research’s Printables platform and supplying files, measurements, and design references so even non-owners could enter, a follow-up to anearlier CMF Phone 1 collaboration with Bambu Lab on MakerWorld.
The approach also predates the current wave. Fairphone launched an Accessory Challenge in 2014 with partners including 3D Hubs, featuring the winning design in its webshop, while Ultimaker invited users to post 3D printable accessories for the OnePlus One and saw several downloadable designs uploaded within a week.
The pattern is clear: brands increasingly treat the maker community as an extension of their own design teams. Insta360 appears to be the first camera brand to officially release its own CAD files and run a branded 3D printing design challenge.
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Featured image shows Insta360 Luna Ultra. Image via Insta360.
