Prix Ars Electronica

Prix Ars Electronica
Name	Prix Ars Electronica
Awarded for	Excellence in electronic and interactive art, digital culture, media art
Presenter	Ars Electronica
Country	Austria
Year	1987

Prix Ars Electronica is an international award recognizing innovation in media art, digital art, interactive art, and electronic music. Founded in Linz by the cultural organization Ars Electronica and supported by institutions such as the City of Linz, Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and Culture, and partners like Siemens, the prize has intersected with festivals including the Ars Electronica Festival and exhibitions at venues like the Lentos Art Museum and Brucknerhaus. Over the decades it has engaged practitioners from scenes associated with Fluxus, Neue Slowenische Kunst, Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, V2_, Eyebeam, and universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Royal College of Art, and University of California, Los Angeles.

History

The award was inaugurated in 1987 in Linz as part of a program by Ars Electronica led by artists and curators including Gerfried Stocker and administrators like Nicholas Knoller, evolving alongside institutions such as ZKM, V&A, Museum of Modern Art, and festivals like SIGGRAPH, Sónar, and Transmediale. Early editions highlighted practitioners from movements represented by Nam June Paik, Laurie Anderson, John Cage, Brian Eno, and platforms including Wired (magazine), Rhizome, and New Media Caucus. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the prize expanded categories reflecting work from labs such as MIT Media Lab, Bell Labs, Harvard Berkman Klein Center, and collectives like The Yes Men, Critical Art Ensemble, and electronic Disturbance Theater. Collaborations with entities such as the European Union, UNESCO, Goethe-Institut, British Council, and corporations like Intel and Adobe influenced programming, parallel to archival efforts at institutions including the Austrian National Library and MoMA.

Award Categories and Prizes

Categories have included Computer Animation/Film, Digital Musics, Interactive Art, Hybrid Art, Artificial Intelligence & Life Art, u19 – create your world, and Digital Communities, intersecting with practices from groups like Factum Arte, TeamLab, Random International, and artists such as Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jenny Holzer, Hito Steyerl, Harun Farocki, and Pipilotti Rist. Prize levels typically comprise the Golden Nica, Honorary Mention, and Distinction, mirroring award structures used by events like Venice Biennale, Documenta, and Turner Prize. Special awards and commissioned productions have connected winners to residencies at Banff Centre, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, SALT, and funding bodies including European Cultural Foundation and Arts Council England.

Selection Process and Jury

Submissions are evaluated by juries composed of curators from institutions like Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Serpentine Galleries, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, alongside academics from Stanford University, Goldsmiths, University of London, University of Arts London, and researchers from labs such as MIT Media Lab and Digital Arts Lab. The procedure incorporates peer review, jury deliberation, and exhibition curation similar to selection systems at SXSW, ICANN, World Economic Forum cultural programs, and artist residency committees like MacDowell Colony. Jurors have included figures associated with Guggenheim Museum, ICA London, Whitney Museum, Kiasma, and curatorial networks such as Independent Curators International.

Notable Winners and Works

Winners span a range of internationally renowned practitioners and projects including Nam June Paik-adjacent video pioneers, Ryoji Ikeda’s audiovisual works, Bill Fontana’s sound installations, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s interactive pieces, Golan Levin’s software art, Heather Dewey-Hagborg’s bioart, Myron Krueger-influenced interactive environments, Mauro Martino’s data visualizations, Olafur Eliasson-related public interventions, and collaborative projects with institutions like NASA, European Space Agency, CERN, and Human Genome Project. The award has recognized audiovisual films screened at Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, and Cannes Film Festival, sound works played at Caveat, Moogfest, and Mutek, as well as net art hosted on platforms like Rhizome, Archive.org, and Github.

Impact and Cultural Significance

The prize has influenced curatorial practice at institutions such as MoMA PS1, Museum Ludwig, Kunsthalle Zurich, Centro Cultural Reina Sofía, and policymaking circles at European Commission cultural programs, contributing to discourse alongside scholars from MIT Press, Oxford University Press, University of California Press, and journals like Leonardo (journal), e-flux, and Artforum. Its role in legitimizing new media art affected funding priorities at foundations including Graham Foundation, Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, and collections at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Tate Modern, and Stedelijk Museum.

Related Events and Exhibitions

Associated events include the annual Ars Electronica Festival, thematic exhibitions at Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum, symposiums linked to ISEA International, panels at Transmediale, and satellite showcases at venues like FACT Liverpool, ZKM, Eyebeam, and State Hermitage Museum. The prize’s exhibition format has intersected with biennials such as the Venice Biennale, São Paulo Art Biennial, and Istanbul Biennial, and with conferences like SIGGRAPH, ISEA, SXSW, and Re:publica.

Category:Arts awards Category:Digital art