STARTS Prize 2018 – Grand prize of the European Commission honoring innovation in technology, industry and society stimulated by the arts

Appointed by the European Commission, Ars Electronica, BOZAR and Waag Society are launching a prize to select the most pioneering collaborations and results in the field of creativity and innovation at the crossings of science and technology with the arts.

Two prizes, each with €20,000 prize money, are offered to honor innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts:

• one for artistic exploration, and thus projects with the potential to influence or change the way technology is deployed, developed or perceived,
• one for innovative collaboration between industry/technology and art/culture in ways that open up new paths for innovation.

Science, Technology and Arts (=STARTS) form a nexus with an extraordinarily high potential for creative innovation. And such innovation is considered to be precisely what’s called for if we’re to master the social, ecological and economic challenges that Europe will be facing in the near future. The role of artists thus is no longer seen to be just about propagating scientific and technological knowledge and skills among the general public but much more as a kind of catalyst that can inspire and trigger innovative processes. The artistic practice of creative exploration and experimental appropriation of new technologies has a wide reaching potential to contribute to the development of new products and new economic, social and business models. Accordingly, the STARTS Prize focuses on artistic works that influence or change the way we look at technology, and on innovative forms of collaboration between the ICT sector and the world of art and culture. ​

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.

More information and application until 2 March.