Awareness is Key
As a festival dedicated to art and digital culture, Ars Electronica Festival strives to create a safe and inclusive environment for our diverse community of international artists, researchers, activists, and thinkers. We hold a responsibility towards our communities and are committed to providing a positive festival experience for everyone. To ensure this, we have established the following Code of Conduct:
I. Respect and Inclusion
Treat everyone with respect and care, recognizing and valuing their individual boundaries.
Embrace and appreciate diversity, regardless of personal attributes such as gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, religion, socio-economic status, background, or birthplace.
Treat everyone inclusively and respectfully, without any distinction based on race, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, religion, age, physical appearance and body size, language spoken, culture, education, immigration or economic status.
Avoid the use of derogatory language and any form of harassment, racism, sexism, transphobia, ableism, queerphobia, classism, and other forms of discrimination or oppressive behavior.
Act respectfully towards moderators, artists, staff and audience members by refraining from sustained disruption of screenings, sessions, talks, or other events.
We explicitly state that as a cultural institution we have a zero-tolerance policy in regard to discrimination or racism of any kind, including antisemitism or anti-Muslim racism.
II. Determination of Boundaries
Understand that what qualifies as harassment, discrimination, or oppressive behavior is determined by the person whose boundaries were crossed.
III. Protection of Artistic Work and Privacy
Respect the work of artists and the privacy of festival participants by refraining from unauthorized recordings or screenshots of images or video. Unauthorized infringement may be subject to legal prosecution by the rights holders.
IV. Appreciation of the Community
Show appreciation for the Ars Electronica community and foster a positive atmosphere throughout the festival.
V. Applicability
These rules apply to all participants in the Ars Electronica Festival, including guests, speakers, performers, service providers and staff.
This Code of Conduct does not replace any applicable legal rules.
VI. Reporting and Assistance
If you experience or witness harassment, abusive behavior, or feel uncomfortable addressing an issue yourself, please contact our team at festival@ars.electronica.art for assistance or visit the INFO DESK in POSTCITY and ask for Xenia Kentz.
All reports will be taken seriously and promptly responded to; all correspondence will be confidential. No decisions regarding how to handle the incident will be made without the consent of the affected person.
We will enforce this policy throughout the festival and expect cooperation from all participants to ensure a safe environment for everyone at all festival venues and festival-related events.
Individuals who are asked to cease any inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately. Ars Electronica reserves the right to (permanently) exclude anyone violating this Code of Conduct without any right to a refund.
While we strive to create safer spaces throughout the festival, we acknowledge that mistakes and human errors can occur. We actively work within our team to learn from incidents and mistakes, ensuring they are not repeated. We greatly appreciate your feedback at festival@ars.electronica.art.