Call for applications: STARTS Prize 2022

STARTS is an initiative of the European Commission designed to foster alliances of technology and artistic practice. As part of this initiative, the STARTS Prize awards the most pioneering collaborations and projects in the field of creativity and innovation at the crossings of science and technology with the arts.

Two prizes, each worth €20 000 (about $22 500), are offered to honour innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts: the emphasis of both prizes lies on the creative appropriation and employment of technologies as well as the search for unique constellations of collaboration from the STARTS fields.

The prizes are divided into two:

Grand Prize – Innovative Collaboration

Honours innovative collaboration between industry or technology and the artistic (and creative) sectors that open up new avenues for innovation.

Grand Prize – Artistic Exploration

Honours artistic research and works whose adoption by the arts has great potential to influence or change the use, application or perception of technology.

STARTS Prize 2022 priorities

In its new edition, the prestigious prize not only has an expanded consortium but also a thematic focus. The current spotlight lies on cross-sectoral projects investigating the disruptive powers of creative data and media innovation as well as on works exploring hybrid formats, ground-breaking technologies or initiatives of storytelling in next-generation media.

While all outstanding examples of innovative collaborations and artistic explorations in STARTS are highly encouraged to submit their works, the 2022 priorities lie on innovative projects:

• That show a novel artistic approach to data.
• That play with immersive technology, interactive media and related technological developments.
• That display a democratisation in the use and application of data, and content development and creation in the media landscape.
• That are involved in user-generated content or metadata, crowdsourcing and co-creation, or citizen involvement.
• That reveal the potentials as well as risks of the organisation of contemporary data systems and media interfaces.
• That manifest innovative ways in the unique creation, access and distribution of media content and platforms as well as personalised and non-linear storytelling that exhibits new, qualitative approaches as a result of disrupting traditional media.

What can be submitted?

• Ground-breaking collaborations and projects driven by both technology and the arts. Purely artistic or technologically driven projects are not the focus of this competition.
• All forms of artistic works and practices with a strong link to innovation in technology, business and/or society. Furthermore, STARTS is not restricted to a particular genre such as media art and digital art.
• All types of technological and scientific research and development that has been inspired by art or involves artists as catalysts of novel thinking.
• The jury is looking forward to receiving submissions from a broad variety of fields and disciplines. Among others, projects from the areas of new media applications, human computer interaction, machine learning, biotechnology, art and science, green technologies, material research, smart cities and citizen empowerment, robotics, quantum technology and many more are welcome to apply.

Who can enter?

Artists/creative professionals or the researchers/companies involved from throughout the world; STARTS is not limited to citizens of EU-member states.

Application deadline

The submission process for the STARTS Prize 2022 ends on 2 March. The submission platform can be accessed here.

Applicants should read about all rights and entry details before applying.

When and how does the jury reach its decision?

The jury convenes at the end of April. All STARTS Prize 2022 winners will be notified by mid-June 2022 at the latest.

According to which criteria are the entries judged?

• Quality of the artistic research and its potential influence on technology.
• Quality and success of the collaboration between art and technology.
• Quality and intensity of the connection to innovation, education, social inclusion or sustainability.
• Quality and implementation of the European Dimension of the submitted project.
• General criteria such as aesthetics, originality, convincing concept, innovation and the technique and quality of the presentation.

Where and when will the winning projects be presented?

At the Ars Electronica Festival in September in Linz, Austria, and at various exhibitions and events of the consortium partners worldwide.

View the original call here.