For the twenty-second time, the Austrian Maecenas Sponsoring Prize was awarded on Thursday, 25 November 2010. The unendowed prize is awarded in three categories by the Economic Initiatives for Art (Initiativen Wirtschaft für Kunst = IWK) committee in collaboration with the Austrian ORF television station.
This year a total of 174 companies vied for the award in a total of 208 different projects. The Maecenas was awarded for best art sponsoring in the following categories:
voestalpine AG received the award in the long-term sponsoring endeavors category for their involvement in the Prix Ars Electronica.
The Prix Ars Electronica has been awarded annually since 1987 and represents an interdisciplinary platform for all those who use the computer as a universal medium of design in their artistic work at the interface between art, technology and society. Because of the company’s conviction that work at these interfaces promote future development, voestalpine supports the prize endowed with 117,500 euros for computer art. There have been a total of 42,245 applications to date. The award is presented annually by voestalpine and Ars Electronica along with [the next idea] voestalpine Art and Technology Grant, which honors inspiring, new and unusual ideas and their future development. Artistic and social innovations are just as important to the jury as technological and scientific applications, as long as further future development is at the heart of the innovation. The winner is awarded with a scholarship in the amount of 7,500 euros and is invited to complete a three-month course as an artist/scientist in residence at Ars Electronica in Linz. voestalpine AG also promotes the exchange between award winners and company employees. The winning project/strategy is presented in the CyberArts catalog of Ars Electronica and during each respective year’s Festival Ars Electronica.
The 2010 Maecenas art sponsoring prizes awarded to Lenikus, Knapp and voestalpine
In addition to the support for Prix Ars Electronica, including its own category, there is also constant cooperation with Ars Electronica, which has been consistently enriched over the past few years by small and large projects such as 80plus1, a part of Linz – European Capital City of Culture in 2009. It is also in the interest of voestalpine, to support the ongoing activities of Prix Ars Electronica with new ideas and to ensure that they are reported in the media. The jury praised the long-term exceptional sponsoring of prizes for young and innovative artists.
In addition to the support for Prix Ars Electronica, including its own category, there is also constant cooperation with Ars Electronica, which has been consistently enriched over the past few years by small and large projects such as 80plus1, a part of Linz – European Capital City of Culture in 2009. It is also in the interest of voestalpine, to support the ongoing activities of Prix Ars Electronica with new ideas and to ensure that they are reported in the media.
