Prix Ars Electronica
Competition and trend barometer of media art
Photo: vog.photo
The Prix Ars Electronica is the most traditional media art competition in the world.
The winners will receive the coveted Golden Nicas, prize money of up to 10,000 euros per category and a performance at the renowned Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria.
Categories and Prices
| New Animation Art | 1 Golden Nica + 10,000 euros, 2 distinctions, up to 12 honorary mentions |
| Interactive Art +* | 1 Golden Nica + 10,000 euros, 2 distinctions, up to 12 honorary mentions |
| Digital Communities* | 1 Golden Nica + 10,000 euros, 2 distinctions, up to 12 honorary mentions |
| Digital Musics & Sound Art* | 1 Golden Nica + 10,000 euros, 2 distinctions, up to 12 honorary mentions |
| Artificial Intelligence & Life Art* | 1 Golden Nica + 10,000 euros, 2 distinctions, up to 12 honorary mentions |
| u19 – create your world | 1 Golden Nica + 3.000 euros, Young Creatives (0-14 years): 10 distinctions and prizes up to 2.000 euros; Young Professionals (14-19 years): 14 distinctions and prizes up to 2.000 Euro |
| Visionary Pioneers of Media Art | 1 Golden Nica |
* The prizes in the categories “Interactive Art”, “Digital Communities”, “Digital Musics & Sound Art” and “Artificial Intelligence & Life Art” are not awarded annually but alternately every two years.
The Prix at the Festival
Ars Electronica Awards Ceremony
During the Ars Electronica Festival in September, the Golden Nicas, Distinctions and Honorary Mentions will be ceremoniously presented to the prize winners in Linz, Austria.
Prix Forums
The winners of the Golden Nicas and the distinctions are also invited to present their projects and perspectives to the international festival audience at the Prix Ars Electronica Forums.
Prix Community
In addition, during the Ars Electronica Festival, the award winners will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with one another at joint events, to network, to advance their ideas for future work and to find potential team partners.
Prix Ars Electronica Exhibition
One of the Ars Electronica Festival’s main exhibitions is the Prix Ars Electronica Exhibition, which presents a selection of the year’s best media artworks.
Ars Electronica Animation Festival
The award-winning works in the New Animation Art category will be presented as Electronic Theatre at the Ars Electronica Animation Festival.
Performances and Concerts
Part of the concerts and opening performances at the Ars Electronica Festival will be given by the prizewinners in the Digital Musics & Sound Art category.
create your world
The young winners of the u19 – create your world category are also invited to present their ideas and concepts at the create your world festival.
Fotocredits: vog.photo, tom mesic; Projekte: Perfect Sleep / Tega Brain, Sam Lavigne; Being / Rashaad Newsome; Robots, Bass, and Hot Algorithms! / Portrait XO, Moritz Simon Geist
The Golden Nica
The statuette is based on the winged goddess Nike of Samothrace and was chosen as a trophy of the electronic and digital arts in 1986/1987 by Hannes Leopoldseder and Christine Schöpf together with the graphic artist Johann Schorn.
The last syllable of “Ars Electronica” – NICA – and the name of the goddess of victory – NIKE – put the finishing touches on the Golden Nica.
The 39-centimeter statuette itself was initially made of steel, but now each trophy is hand-carved from wood by artist Michael Lauss. The base is engraved, the statue is covered with gold paint.
Credits
The Prix Ars Electronica, organized by Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & CoKG, is made possible by the support of the City of Linz. Special thanks for additional support go to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the TOMITA Information Hub, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the OeAD.
The Golden Nicas are awarded annually during the Ars Electronica Festival, in early September. The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important awards for creativity and pioneering spirit in the digital media field.
Idea: Hannes Leopoldseder,
Concept: Christine Schöpf and Gerfried Stocker,
Managing Director: Veronika Liebl,
Head of Prix Ars Electronica: Emiko Ogawa, prix@ars.electronica.art, +43 732 7272 781