The STARTS Prize is an annual European prize for innovative projects at the interface of Science, Technology, and the ARTS. This article reflects on the most striking outcomes of a study that was conducted in the spring of 2020, to evaluate the first three STARTS Prize editions. The STARTS Prize aims to promote art as a catalyst for change and innovation in the fields of technology, science and the social sphere. It has mobilized an impressive number of artists, designers and engineers and built a strong brand in recent years.
Reseacher Anne Nigten was tasked with conducting a study to reflect upon the results of the STARTS Prize so far, as the prize’s first five years are coming to an end.
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Biography
Anne Nigten, Ph.D., (NL) is the initiator and director of The Patching Zone, a transdisciplinary non-profit media laboratory for innovation in Rotterdam (NL). Over the last years she was guest researcher and research professor at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, Rotterdam University of Applied Science and Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Prior to her current positions she was director of V2_Lab, the aRt&D department of V2_, Institute for the Unstable Media in Rotterdam and chair of the Dutch Media Art Association, in the Netherlands. She is lecturing on research and development in the transdisciplinary field from a creatively engaged perspective. She is board member of ISEA international, an international non-profit organisation fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse in art, science and technology. She is advisor for several cultural organisations in the Netherlands and abroad. Anne Nigten completed her PhD at Smartlab, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (UK), and frequently publishes papers on (social) innovation as the outcome from collaboration between art, design, engineering and science. She is a guest professor at Linz Art University, Department of Media, Interface Culture Master Program.
