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Ars Electronica Blog
(Linz/Brussels, 11 January, 2021) As of today, scientists, technologists, artists, institutions, labs and companies are invited once again to submit their best projects for the STARTS Prize 2021 of the European Commission. Entries should be ground-breaking works at the intersection of science, technology and art that contribute to scientific and societal innovation. In addition to the coveted STARTS Trophies, winners can look forward to monetary awards of 20,000 euros each and appearances at the Ars Electronica Festival next September in Linz, BOZAR in Brussels, Waag in Amsterdam and various other events held by partner institutions. There is no fee to enter the competition. Submissions will be accepted until 3 March at starts-prize.aec.at. The STARTS Prize 2021 is promoted and carried out by Ars Electronica, BOZAR, Waag and, for the first time, La French Tech Grande Provence, INOVA+, T6 Ecosystems SRL and the Frankfurt Book Fair. The competition is part of the STARTS Initiative of the European Commission.
Science, Technology, and the ARTS: STARTS
The STARTS Prize, which comes with two generous awards of 20,000 euros each, is part of the STARTS initiative of the European Union. The annual competition showcases innovative projects at the intersection of art, technology and science with the potential to contribute to economic and societal innovation. Both prizes emphasize creative use of technologies and the search for unique cooperative partnerships in STARTS-related fields.
From a controller for smart home systems to a 3D-printed steel bridge
The projects that have won awards since 2016 demonstrate the wide variety of work submitted to the STARTS Prize: from a 3D-printed steel bridge in Amsterdam, to a controller for smart home devices, to decomposition products integrated into design processes. Previous winners of the STARTS Prize include the Artificial Skins and Bones Group, Iris van Herpen, Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich and the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT, Etsuko Yakushimaru, MX3D & Joris Laarman Lab, Giulia Tomasello, 300.000 Km/s, Bjørn Karmann and Tore Knudsen, and Andrea Ling and Olga Kisseleva.
The STARTS Initiative of the European Commission
Europe depends on innovation to survive in a globally competitive market and to shape society in a positive, sustainable way. By offering alternative research methods and critical viewpoints on technology, artists can make decisive contributions to innovation and technologies that are human-centred and prosocial. The arts can act as a catalyst for the implementation of scientific and technological knowledge around new products, services and approaches for society, research and business. In order to fully involve artists at the crossroads of science, technology and art in European innovation processes, the European Commission launched the STARTS initiative.
New partners this year
Until now, the STARTS prize has been managed by Ars Electronica, BOZAR and Waag, but new partners are on board for 2021: La French Tech Grande Provence, a French tech regional hub from Avignon; INOVA+, a leading Portuguese company for promotion, management, innovation, research and technological development; the consulting and research company T6 Ecosystems SRL, and the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Photo:
STARTS Prize Trophy by Nick Ervinck (BE) / Fotocredit: Peter Verplancke / Printversion
Video STARTS Prize 2021
