S+T+ARTS Prize Competition 2026

📖 About S+T+ARTS Prize Competition

The STARTS yearly competition is back to award the most pioneering collaborations and results in the field of creativity and innovation at the intersections of science, technology, and the arts.

🎁 Benefits of S+T+ARTS Prize Competition

• Two Grand Prizes, each with €20,000 prize money, are offered to honor innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts.
• Winners will be prominently featured at the Ars Electronica Festival and other events hosted by consortium partners, including:
  • INOVA+
  • French Tech Grand Provence
  • Media Solutions Center Baden-Württemberg
  • HLRS High Performance Computer Center Stuttgart
  • Salzburg Festival
  • Sonar
  • T6Ecosystems
  • Kustodie at TUD Dresden University of Technology

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Open to artists/creative professionals or researchers/companies from around the world; STARTS is not limited to citizens of EU-member states.
• Seeking groundbreaking collaborations and projects driven by both technology and the arts. Purely artistic or technologically driven projects are not the focus of this competition.
• Accepts all forms of artistic works and practices with a strong link to innovation in technology, business, and/or society. STARTS is not restricted to specific genres such as media art or digital art.
• Welcomes technological and scientific research and development inspired by art or involving artists as catalysts for novel thinking.
• Submissions from a broad variety of fields and disciplines are encouraged, including:
  • New media applications
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Machine learning
  • Biotechnology
  • Art & science
  • Green technologies
  • Material research
  • Smart cities and citizen empowerment
  • Robotics
  • Quantum technology, and more.

📋 Selection Criteria

The jury will evaluate submissions based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the artistic research and its potential influence on technology.
• Quality and success of the collaboration between art and technology.
• Connection to innovation, education, social inclusion, or sustainability.
• 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.

📅 Application Date and Process

• Application Deadline: 04 March, 2026
• Visit the S+T+ARTS Prize Competition Portal for more details.
• Apply directly via the S+T+ARTS Prize Application Portal.

🌐 Contact Information

For further inquiries or assistance, please visit the official S+T+ARTS Prize Competition website.

Make sure to submit your application before the deadline and showcase your innovative project at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts!

• Two Grand Prizes, each with €20,000 prize money, are offered to honor innovative projects at the intersection of science, technology and the arts.
• Winners will be prominently featured at the Ars Electronica Festival and other events of the consortium partners INOVA+, French Tech Grand Provence, Media Solutions Center Baden-Württemberg, HLRS High Performance Computer Center Stuttgart, Salzburg Festival, Sonar, T6Ecosystems, and Kustodie at TUD Dresden University of Technology.