Living Dead — On the Trail of a Female / Laura Deborah Cinti (IT/ZA) Credit: C-LAB

S+T+ARTS Prize Africa FAQ

Before Submission
Submission Process
After Submission
Contact

+ Before Submission

I would like to participate. Where can I find more information about the S+T+ARTS Prize Africa?  
You can learn more about the conditions of the STARTS Prize Africa here.  

When and where can I submit my application?  
The 2024 submission phase for the STARTS Prize Africa will take place from January 9 to March 11, 2024, 23:59 CET (deadline has been extended).
You can submit your project online.

Is there a participation fee? 
There is no fee to enter the competition. 

Can I submit the unfinished project?  
Every submitted project must be, at the time of its submission, either totally completed or far enough along for the Jury to be able to assess its quality and the likelihood of it being successfully implemented. No consideration will be given to entries that are purely concepts or proposals. 

How recent should the project be to qualify for submission? 
Projects should not be older than two years or must show a significant update or further development within the last two years. 

Can I submit several works? 
Yes, an applicant may submit more than one work. 

Can I participate in the Prix Ars Electronica and in the S+T+ARTS Prize Africa with the same project? 
Yes. Every submission to the Prix Ars Electronica can also be entered for the STARTS Prize Africa competition. To apply for both with one submission, at the end of the Prix Ars Electronica online submission, check the appropriate box and apply to one of the STARTS Prize Africa. Please note that the double submission only works from the Prix Ars Electronica submission platform. 

Can I submit the same project to the S+T+ARTS Prize and the S+T+ARTS Prize Africa?  
No, by filling the submission form you need to choose either the STARTS Prize or the STARTS Prize Africa.  

+ Submission Process

In which languages can the submission be made? 
Submissions must be made in English. Submissions in other languages will not be evaluated. 

Can I submit my entry by email or by regular mail? 
No. To participate in the STARTS Prize Africa, you must register and submit all mandatory information online. Once you fill in all mandatory fields, a green “Submit” button will appear. Press it and agree to the Rights and Conditions to finalize the submission. An entry confirmation will be sent out via e-mail. 
You can send in additional material pertaining to your submission via post. Please do not submit irreplaceable originals (the physically sent material can not be returned) and mail it by the submission deadline (date of postmark is determinative) to: 
 Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG 
Ars-Electronica-Straße 1 
4040 Linz, Austria 
Code: STARTS Prize Africa 

What are the recommended browsers?  
“Chrome” or “Firefox”. 

I have filled in all mandatory fields of the project, but the application status is still incomplete. 
Have you filled in the “Artist” field? On the “Edit” page you must enter the data for the “Artist” or “Artist Group”. When all required fields are filled in, the green “Submit” button will appear and your application will be ready for submission. 

I cannot see the uploaded video on the preview page. 
The uploaded video will be converted automatically, and it may take a few hours to appear on the “Preview” page. 

What file formats are supported?  
The recommended file formats are: .mp4, .mov, .jpg, .tiff, .png, .mp3, .pdf. 
Compressed files like .zip .lzh, are not acceptable. 
The recommended video formats are: video container: .mp4 with H264 Codec / audio: stereo with 16 Bit and 44.1 kHz 

Is there a limit on the amount of data? 
Basically, there is no limit to the amount of data, but staying within 2 GB is better for uploading. 

I am having trouble signing up or logging in (did not receive a confirmation email, forgot the password, etc.). 
Please send your request to startsprize@ars.electronica.art with your data (registered name and the e-mail address). 

I have already submitted my submission, but I would like to edit it again. How can I do that? 
Please send your request to startsprize@ars.electronica.art with your data (registered name and the e-mail address).
Making changes in the submission after the deadline is not allowed.  

+ After Submission

How are the winners selected?   
All entries will be judged by the Jury of experts selected by Ars Electronica. In addition to the works entered by participants, each Jury member may also nominate the works. These nominated projects will be contacted by the organizers and asked to submit via the submission platform. The Jury will judge all submitted eligible projects and determine the prize-winning projects during the Jury Session on April 25 – 28, 2024. The Jury decision is final. 

How and when will I know the outcome? 
Ars Electronica only sends out notifications if the project is selected for a prize. Winners will be notified by mid-June 2024 at the latest. In the interest of all entrants, we request that the entrant (or a representative) be available during the period when the winners will be notified via the contact specified in the entry form. 
We provide information about the selected award winners in the press release, on this website, through our newsletter, and via social media. 
If your entry is awarded a prize, your material will be used for the catalogue and the STARTS and Ars Electronica websites or any other communication purpose of Ars Electronica, consortium members or the European Union (see the Rights), so we kindly ask you to prepare your submission material carefully. 

How and when will I receive the prize money?  
The winners will receive prize money. This amount is to be paid by direct bank deposit, no later than after the Ars Electronica Festival 2024 and upon presentation of an invoice stating, “Prize Money STARTS Prize Africa 2024”. This is the only method by which Ars Electronica can transfer funds. The prize money can be paid as a net amount only if there is a double-taxation agreement between the respective country of residence and Austria, and Ars Electronica is provided with the original signed form ZS-QU1 (ZS-QU2 for legal entities); officially confirmed by the foreign tax authorities. Without this confirmation, Ars Electronica will be unable to pay the fee as a net amount and under international tax laws will have to retain 20% withholding tax (subject to any change in the rate of tax). 

How and when will the winners be exhibited?
If the submitted work is awarded with the Grand Prize by the Jury, the artist is committed to present the submitted work at the Ars Electronica Festival 2024.
If the submitted work is awarded by the Award of Distinction by the Jury, it can be selected to be further presented at Ars Electronica Festival 2024, those projects will be contacted by the Ars Electronica team by June 30th, 2024.
As every submitted project must be, at the time of its submission, either totally completed or far enough along for the Jury to be able to assess its quality and the likelihood of it being successfully implemented, no additional costs of producing an exhibition-ready version can be considered. Ars Electronica will only cover transportation and installation costs, as well as the artist exhibition fee according to Ars Electronica’s fair payment guideline.

+ Contact

For any further questions, you can always contact us at startsprize@ars.electronica.art

STARTS4AFRICA is funded by the European Union under the STARTS – Science, Technology and Arts initiative of DG CNECT (GA no. LC-01960720). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG CNECT. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.