LUMEN Prize for Art and Technology 2020

2020 Coverage

An emotive depiction of feminist graffiti - sparked by protests against violence towards women and covering a Mexico City landmark - has won the 2020 Lumen Gold Award for outstanding art created with technology.

“Nuestra Victoria/Our Victory” by Julieta Gil, a Mexican artist, uses photogrammetry techniques to capture a timeline of protests concerning systemic violence towards women. The work creates a digital archive of the Ángel de la Independencia (Angel of Independence), a Mexico City monument, which was occupied by protestors in August 2019. Following the protest, government officials began immediate restoration of the monument.

"This is the first time in our nine-year history that a work rooted in protest has carried off the Lumen Prize Gold Award. Its selection by the Jury Panel reflects its haunting artistic beauty, the extraordinary use of photogrammetry techniques and its strong political impact,” comments Carla Rapoport, Executive Director of Lumen Art Projects, which runs the annual competition for art and technology. At Wednesday’s virtual awards ceremony, the Lumen Prize handed out a total of nine awards worth $11,500. The list of winners includes artists from Germany, the United States, Uruguay, Mexico, the UK, Denmark, and La Réunion, a French Island in the Indian Ocean. 
New Awards for 2020

Lumen increased the global reach of its applicants by introducing two new awards: the Global South Award, for art created by an artist or collective from Africa, Latin America, or the developing economies of Asia and the Middle East; and the Nordic Award, offered in partnership with Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU) in Southern Norway, for art created by an artist or collective from Nordic countries.

Mexican artist Tupac Matir took home the Global South Award for his work “The Cosmos Within Us”, a VR and live performance hybrid created in collaboration with Satore Studios that explores the experience of loss through the lens of a man suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.

Danish artist Søren Krag was awarded the Nordic Award for “Deux Mille Fleurs/Two Thousand Flowers”, a medieval- and renaissance-inspired tapestry created by digitally weaving 2,000 unique algorithmically generated flowers.

• Full List of winners

Call For entries (Archive)

The coveted Lumen Prize will open it’s 9th Call for Entries on 13th February with a prize fund of US$11,500. There are 9 awards to be won – including two new awards this year:

• Gold Award $4000
  The Gold Award goes to the artist whose work is judged to be exceptional across all categories.
• Moving Image Award $1000 : For excellence in time-based artwork, including animation, CGI, generative or video art; narrative or non-narrative works.
• Still Image Award $1000: For outstanding work using digital processes in its creation, including photo-manipulation, 3D renders, or drawings created on phones, tablets or PCs using digital software.
• 3D/Interactive Award $1000 : For excellence in engaging with audiences through sound, touch or movement, including games, installations, websites or 3D sculptures.
• XR Award $1000: For excellence in Virtual, Augmented or Mixed Reality art.
• BCS A.I. Award $1000: For excellence in the use of artificial intelligence to produce an outstanding piece of art. Click here for more details. Sponsored by the BCS – Chartered Institute for IT.
• Global South Award $1000: For excellence in art created with technology by an artist or collective from Africa, Latin America or the developing economies of Asia and the Middle East. Click here for more information.
• Photomonitor Student Award $500: For excellence in Still or Moving Image created by a student currently enrolled in a degree programme in the arts.
• Nordic Award $1000: For excellence in art created with technology by an artist or collective from Nordic Countries sponsored by Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU), Norway. Click here for more information.

Jury panel

The judging of the Lumen Prize is done in two stages. The longlist is determined by our International Selectors Committee of curators, artists and academics. This longlist is then reviewed by the Jury Panel, who select the finalists and winners.

Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator, Digital Art, Whitney Museum
Ben Vickers CTO, the Serpentine Galleries, London
Melanie Lenz, Digital Curator, V&A Museum
Nathan Ladd, Assistant Curator, Tate Britain
Foteini Aravani, Digital Curator at the Museum of London

• FAQ Page
• Entry Form via the official website
• Fees:  There is an administration fee of US$48 to enter which covers two entries. Any additional artwork is US$24. As a not-for-profit based in the UK, all entry fees go directly towards the prizes and events programme.
• Deadline: 8 May 15 June 2020

About Lumen Prize:

The Lumen Prize and Lumen Arts Projects were founded by Carla Rapoport, a financial journalist who moved into arts management in 2010. Carla’s goal is to widen the enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of art created with technology while widening the opportunities for artists working in this field globally.

• 2019 Lumen Prize award winners