Syndicate: Prix Ars Electronica 98

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

Welcome to the Prix Ars Electronica 98

http://prixars.orf.at/english/dotation-e.htm

Now for the twelfth time, the Austrian Broadcasting Company, Upper
Austrian Regional Studio, as the organizer of the Prix Ars Electronica
1998, invites artists, scientists and developers to participate in this
year's competition.

Three money prizes will be awarded in each of the categories .net,
Interactive Art and Computer Music; four money prizes will be awarded in
the category Computer Animation/Visual Effects. Up to twelve Honorary
Mentions will be selected in each category.


In keeping with the rapid changes in the area of digital media, the Prix
Ars Electronica has presented itself in an altered overall format each
year since it was established in 1987. The Prix Ars Electronica was
initiated in 1987 by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, Upper
Austrian Regional Studio, as an international competition within the
framework of the Ars Electronica Festival. The categories at that time
were graphics, animation and music. Throughout the years, in keeping
with the dynamics of the computer branch, the Prix Ars Electronica has
opened up new competition categories such as interactive art and was the
first major international competition to introduce the Net category.
Both the categories and the entry regulations have been continuously ad
apted to meet changing conditions.

Within a decade, the Prix Ars Electronica has developed into the number
1 competition among the competitions for creative work with digital
media, with a total of 8000 participants from 60 countries around the
world with about 1200 entries.

In 1998 the changes in the Prix Ars Electronica competition branch out
in three directions:

An expansion of the computer animation category, a first-time
cooperation between the Prix Ars Electronica and the UNESCO in awarding
a UNESCO Web Prize, and the establishment of a new competition category
for young people, although this is initially restricted to Austria.

The 1998 computer animation category presents itself in a new form. In
no other area is the explosive development of digital media as clearly
evident as in visual design, which has led to new and vigorous branches
of business in the film and advertising industry. Due to the very
different conditions of production, there is hardly a common basis for
judgment left. For this reason, the previous category of computer
animation will be broadened into the sections "Visual Effects" and
"Computer Animation" with two Golden Nicas and a total of four awards of
distinction as prizes.

All of the Prix Ars Electronica categories, with a Golden Nica and two
awards of distinction each and prize money amounting to a total of ATS
1,350,000 are open to participants all over the world.

By far the most rapid developments are currently taking place on the
Internet. For this reason, we are pleased to be able to offer not only
the Prix Ars Electronica Net category, but also to call attention to a
new Net initiative. The UNESCO recently announced the UNESCO Web Prize,
as part of its prize for the promotion of culture and as a response to
current tendencies in culture, art and technology. This new prize, which
will be awarded in conjunction with the Prix Ars Electronica, is geared
toward the conception of Web sites relating to the fields of UNESCO's
work (education, science, culture and communication) and especially
addresses young artists, Web designers and programmers. The UNESCO calls
for the conception of Web sites in the two following areas:

Category I:
Web sites on a freely chosen theme, but one which should relate to
international cooperation in education, science, culture and
communication. An express invitation is given to treat one of UNESCO's
focal points (women, youth, underdeveloped countries), as well as
multilingualism and multicultural aspects.

Category II:
Web sites on the theme of Egypt's cultural heritage. Basic documentation
(texts, images, sound and image platforms) will be made available to the
competition participants.

The UNESCO Web Prize, endowed with $ 10,000, will be awarded annually to
two award winners. All entries will be judged by an international jury
of experts. The preliminary deadline for participation applications is
April 30, 1998; the deadline for entering the projects is July 31, 1998.
The prizes will be awarded in conjunction with the 1998 Prix Ars
Electronica Gala.

The Prix Ars Electronica 1998 will also launch an additional initiative
as a pilot project for Austria: Prix Ars Electronica Cybergeneration/U19
- Freestyle Computing.

Since its inception, the Prix Ars Electronica has primarily addressed
professionals from art, science and the entertainment industry. This new
initiative addresses the generation of young people, who are the first
to grow up with the computer - the cybergeneration. To provide these
young people with a free space, in which, most of all, creativity and
unconventional uses of the computer are called for, the Prix Ars
Electronica is opening a separate competition category that is open to
young people in Austria under the age of 19. This new Prix Ars
Electronica category will be conducted in Austria in cooperation with
the PSK (Austrian postal savings office) as sponsor and the Austrian
Culture Service as partner. This category is open to all entries
demonstrating skill and ability in dealing with the computer -
regardless of whether the entry involves Internet applications or
creations on the computer. Anything goes - in other words, Freestyle
Computing! Entries for this category will be judged by a separate jury,
and one Golden Nica and two Awards of Distinction will be awarded. The
prizes are - in addition to the Golden Nica - an Internet connection for
a whole year, a multimedia notebook and a multimedia PC.

All of the prizes, including the Prix Ars Electronica Cybergeneration
and the UNESCO Web prize, will be awarded during the Prix Ars
Electronica Gala on 9 September 1998 at the ORF Upper Austrian Regional
Studio. The award winners will be presented in workshops open to the
public during the Ars Electronica Festival. In addition, all of the
award-winning works will be presented in the annually published book
(Springer Publications, Vienna/New York), "Cyberarts - Prix Ars
Electronica Edition 98".

We look forward to receiving your entries for the Prix Ars Electronica
98!

Dr. Hannes Leopoldseder
AUSTRIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION


DEADLINE: 30 April 1998 !


Please, check the website for all information and entry forms:

http://prixars.orf.at/english/dotation-e.htm


For additional information please contact:
Europaplatz 3
A-4010 Linz
Austria
ORF - Prix Ars Electronica
Fax: ++43(0)732-6900-270 or 200
E-mail: info@prixars.orf.at