Markus Jandl – författare

Towards a New Social Contract Ars Electronica 2023 is dedicated to the complex questions of truth and the concept of ownership in this digital age. In doing so, the festival navigates the central questions of our time. The focus is on how our perception of “authentic” and “original” is being transformed and whether truth can be owned, and how this relates to digitalization and the rapidly developing performance of artificial intelligence. How can the achievements of a tool that is so much based on the globally collective “raw material” of knowledge and creativity be made accessible to everyone and be harnessed to the benefit of all? This comprehensive volume brings together the works of artists, scientists, developers, designers, entrepreneurs and activists from around the world and delves deep into the themes of the festival, offering insights, perspectives, and thought-provoking content that reflect on the intersection of art, technology, and society.

The Prix Ars Electronica is the world’s longest-running media art competition. With the award-winning works of international artists as a trend barometer, it offers an inspiring, current and forward-looking insight into the interface between art, technology and society. 3,176 projects from 98 countries were submitted to the Prix Ars Electronica 2023. The competition included the new category “New Animation Art,” which focuses on forward-looking animations at the interface of new visualization techniques and new forms of communication, as well as the categories “Digital Musics & Sound Art,” “Artificial Intelligence & Life Art” and “u19 – create your world.

Intersection of art, technology, and societyWe have reached a point of no return. Despite all our fears, worries, and anger, it is important to acknowledge and face current problems and disasters. Hope can emerge from this collective unease as a unifying element. It drives us both as individuals and as a society, gives us the courage to rethink, act differently and fundamentally change our behavior—in short: to turn the tide. We have long had the ideas, technologies and tools to do so. Ars Electronica 2024 will put on show people whose ideas, projects and actions give us good reason to hope that we can still turn the corner. Hope lies in the common sense of the individual and the wisdom of the masses. Let’s turn the tide!

Intersection of art, technology, and societyThe Prix Ars Electronica is the world’s longest-running media art competition. With the award-winning works of international artists as a trend barometer, it offers an inspiring, current and forward-looking insight into the interface between art, technology, and society. With numerous images, texts and statements, this book shows the winners of 2024, who were selected from over 4,000 submissions from 100 countries in the categories New Animation Art, Interactive Art+ and u19-create your world. It also provides an insight into the winning project of the first Prix Ars Electronica 2024 AI in ART Award and the results of the S+T+ARTS-Prize, S+T+ARTSPrize Africa and Prize for Citizen Science, which were awarded on behalf of the European Commission.

Ars Electronica 2025 Panic is probably the best way to describe the current mood in the face of global crises and profound upheaval. We are in a state of shock as we watch the speed and ignorance with which our previously rule-based value system is being brought down. Instead of allowing ourselves to be paralyzed by fear and panic and retreating into the private sphere, it is precisely now that we need to take action, point out alternatives, and jointly develop a sustainable “social contract” in order to cope with the major technological and geopolitical changes. Europe's largest festival for art, technology, and society stands for open exchange and brings together international artists, scientists, developers, designers, entrepreneurs and activists to present their work and visions.

The Prix Ars Electronica The Prix Ars Electronica is the most internationally renowned competition for artistic works at the interface of science and technology. It has been held annually since 1987 and is now considered the most highly endowed competition, with around 4,000 entries from more than 100 countries each year, testifying to the dynamism of international media art. With many images, texts, and statements from the jury, the book brings together the works that were awarded in 2025 in the categories New Animation Art, Artificial Life & Intelligence, Digital Musics & Sound Art and u19-create your world. The book also includes a best-of from the S+T+ARTS-Prize and S+T+ARTS-Prize Africa, which were awarded on behalf of the European Commission. The focus of this highly endowed competition was on innovative projects at the interface of science, technology, and art (= Science, Technology and ARTS). The European Union Prize for Citizen Science, awarded for the third time on behalf of the European Commission, is also included in this catalogue and the award-winning projects are presented in detail together with a statement from the jury.

Culture Codes Democracy draws on the experience of some of Europe’s leading cultural organisations to advocate for the role of artistic and cultural critique in reimagining the ways in which society produces and is produced by new technologies. Emphasising the importance of cultural infrastructures in navigating emerging societal and political landscapes shaped by AI, the publication presents contributions the sector already makes towards more considerate approaches to technological innovation and brings forth a future vision of how the sector can become a key actor shaping Europe’s path towards digital sovereignty. The three sections - Mediated Realities, Speculative Governance and Hybrid Entities - use concrete examples of artistic and cultural research and practice to reveal the sometimes-invisible technological threads that weave the fabric of the democratic process. The goal is to make the case for art’s essential contribution to shaping policies and innovation models, thus rewriting the technological inscriptions left on modern democracies for the better.