Every year, the STARTS Prize rewards innovative projects at the nexus of science, technology and the arts, that tackle the social, ecological and economic challenges of contemporary European society. The two main STARTS Prizes reward works of art that either influence or change our perception of technology, or give rise to new collaborations between the private sector and the world of culture. In the Artistic Exploration category, the award goes to Oceans in Transformation by John Palmesino and Ann-Sofi Rönnskog (Territorial Agency), a work that aims to make visible the ecological changes taking place in our oceans, which need to be preserved. The Grand Prize in the Innovative Collaboration category goes to Anastasia Pistofidou, Marion Real and The Remixers at Fab Lab Barcelona, IaaC for Remix el Barrio, Food Waste Biomaterial Makers, an innovative collaboration to promote the circular economy in the catering industry. The winners will take part in the Ars Electronica Festival from 8 to 12 September, shortly before the STARTS Prize ’21 exhibition, to be held at Bozar from 3 December 2021 to 9 January 2022. This year’s exhibition focuses on speculative design in the areas of food waste and bio-design, the preservation of natural species, climate change and data pollution, and the new relationships emerging between humans and technology.

The STARTS Prize 2021 is supported by Ars Electronica, Bozar, Waag, and, for the first time, La French Tech Grande Provence, INOVA+, T6 Ecosystems, and the Frankfurt Book Fair.