The deadline for submissions is extended until 14 March!
To foster alliances of technology and artistic practice: that is the aim of STARTS, an initiative of the European Commission. As part of this initiative, Waag, BOZAR and Ars Electronica launched the STARTS Prize: two prizes, each with 20.000 euros of prize money, will be rewarded to the most pioneering collaborations and results in the fields of creativity and innovation, at the crossings of Science, Technology and the ARTS.
In addition to the established STARTS Prize partnership, La French Tech Grande Provence, INOVA+, T6 Ecosystems SRL and the Frankfurt Book Fair are also on board with this collaboration since 2021.
Artists as innovators
Together, science, technology and the arts form a nexus with an extraordinarily high potential for creative innovation. Such innovation is considered to be precisely what’s called for, if we are to master the social, ecological and economic challenges that Europe will be facing in the near future.
The role of artists is no longer just about propagating scientific and technological knowledge and skills among the general public. The artistic practice can be seen as a kind of catalyst, that inspires and triggers innovative processes. Creative exploration and experimental appropriation of new technologies have a wide-reaching potential. They contribute to the development of new products, and of new economic, social, and business models.
The two STARTS prizes, each with 20.000 euros of prize money, are offered to honour innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts:
- Grand Prize - Artistic Exploration
Awarded for artistic exploration and art works where appropriation by the arts has a strong potential to influence or alter the use, deployment or perception of technology. - Grand Prize - Innovative Collaboration
Awarded for innovative collaboration between industry or technology and the arts that opens new pathways for innovation.
STARTS Prize 2022 Priorities
In its latest edition, the prestigious STARTS prize not only has an expanded consortium, but also a thematic focus. The current spotlight is on cross-sectoral projects, investigating the disruptive powers of creative data and media innovation, as well as on works exploring hybrid formats, groundbreaking technologies or initiatives of storytelling in next generation media.
While all outstanding examples of innovative collaborations and artistic explorations in STARTS are highly encouraged to submit their works, the 2022 priorities lie on innovative projects:
- that show a novel artistic approach to data,
- that play with immersive technology, interactive media, and related technological developments,
- that display a democratization in the use and application of data and content development and creation in the media landscape,
- that are involved in user-generated content or metadata, crowdsourcing & co-creation or citizen involvement,
- that reveal the potentials as well as risks of the organization of contemporary data systems and media interfaces,
- that manifest innovative ways in the unique creation, access and distribution of media content & platforms as well as personalized and non-linear storytelling,
- that exhibit new, qualitative approaches as a result of disrupting traditional media.
What can be submitted and who can enter?
Procedure
The submission phase for the STARTS Prize 2022 starts on January 11th and will close on March 14nd, 2022. The submission platform is available. The jury convenes in April 2022. All STARTS Prize winners will be notified by mid-June 2022 at the latest.
The winning projects will be presented at the Ars Electronica Festival in September 2022 in Linz, Austria and at various exhibitions and events at Ars Electronica, BOZAR and Waag and at the stages of various partners worldwide.
STARTS Prize winners, nominations and honorary mentions 2021
In the category Artistic Exploration, the project 'Oceans in transformation' by Territorial Agency (John Palmesino and Ann-Sofi Rönnskog) was awarded with a STARTS Prize 2021. In the category Innovative Collaborations, the project 'Remix el Barrio' by Fab Lab Barcelona at IAAC won a STARTS Prize. 'Remix' is represented by the project team Anastasia Pistofidou, Marion Real and Milena Juarez Calvo.
