Computer Animation

Win the Prix Ars Electronica’s Golden Nica, up to 10,000 euros and a prominent appearance at the Ars Electronica Festival with your computer animation!

Projects in this category can be submitted for the Prix Ars Electronica starting in January 2023.

The “Computer Animation” category has been part of the Prix Ars Electronica since its very inception, and its development continues to display strength and vitality. It recognizes excellence in independent work in the arts and sciences as well as in high-end commercial productions in the film, advertising and entertainment industries. In this category, artistic originality counts just as much as masterful technical achievement.

In recent years, computer animation has become a driving force for many new areas that go beyond screens, both artistically and technically. To recognize this important role, the category’s jurors are once again eagerly looking forward to encountering exciting experiments and promising directions based on broadened interpretations of computer animation.

What can you win?

1	Golden Nica	statuette, 10.000 Euro prize money, Award certificate
2	Awards of Distinctions	Award certificate
up to 12	Honorary Mentions	Award certificate

What should you enter?

Works of 2D or 3D computer animation, digital short films and narratives, character animation, abstract CG animation, scientific visualizations, commercials, music videos, visual effects, CG for the creative manipulation or enhancement of live action scenes, real-time CG, game cutscenes, machinima, generative visuals, VR, projection mapping, game, Installation focused on new visualization/animation, theater projects, opera project etc.

Who can submit an entry?

• The work entered must have been created, realized or significantly updated within the last two years.
• Participants may be individuals, groups, institutions, companies etc.

Submission Details

• Submissions must be made by the artist(s) predominantly responsible for the work.
• All works must be submitted on uploads online.
• The full entry will be judged as a singular, linear-time work.

Entries can be of any length, however, if the entry is longer than 30 minutes, you have the following choices:

• Enter a 10-minute excerpt. If selected, only this excerpt will be shown, not the complete work. The excerpt can be created from selected portions of the longer work, but must stand alone.
• Enter the entire work, but select 10 minutes for Jury consideration. The 10-minute selection must be entered on a separate video file. Both the 10-minute selection and the complete work must be submitted at the same time and clearly marked. If the 10-minute selection makes it into the final rounds, the Jury may view the entire work before making its final decision. If selected, the entire version may be shown.
• Enter the entire work without a 10-minute selection. In this case, the Jury will view and consider the first 10 minutes of the submitted media. If, based on the first 10 minutes, the selection makes it into the final rounds, the Jury may view the entire work before making its final decision. If selected, the entire version may be shown.

Each submission will be judged on its own merit, and should stand alone. There are no requirements as to theatrical release. Thus, for example, Visual Effects submissions need not be actual shots from released motion pictures.

Checklist

The following materials are needed for the submission

• Entire work or 10min-excerpt (or both) via upload
• Images of the work (JPG, TIF, BMP, PNG at maximum quality. Compressed file (like .zip .lzh file) is not acceptable.)
• Detailed description of the work, artistic concept
• A portrait photo and biography of the artist(s)
• optional: additional material (stills/synopsis/ …)

Jury

All entries will be judged by a Jury of experts in the order of their arrival. In addition to the works entered by participants, each jury may also nominate other works.

The Golden Nicas of “Computer Animation” since 1987