UNESCO Digital Arts Award 2003 at IAMAS – deadline July12th

Dear friends and collegues,

We are happy to announce the

Digital Pluralism – UNESCO Digital Arts Award 2003 at IAMAS


Please find our website and instructions for submissions in 10 languages
at:

http://www.iamas.ac.jp/unesco_award

1.) AWARD:

The award is organized in collaboration between IAMAS
Gifu, Japan and the UNESCO Digi-Arts Portal
, Paris.
The award consists of a 10.000 USD money award & a 6-month
artist-in-residence stay at the IAMAS ,
Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences and the International
Academy of Media Arts and Sciences in Ogaki, Gifu Japan.

a) Award Money:

The total money award of USD10,000 is provided by the Higashiyama Fund
set-up and managed by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in
Japan (NFUAJ) and given by the Director-General of UNESCO.

In addition, IAMAS provides a 6-months salary for the 1st price winner
who will be invited as artist-in-residence to IAMAS. This salary is
around 2,100,000 yen (~ 18.000.- USD) for 6 months (the exact amount
will depend on the number of years' professional experience that the
artist has had, for example, an artist with 2-6 years' experience will
receive 350,000 yen per month, totalling 2,100,000 yen for 6 months).

The components of the Award are:

1st prize: USD 5,000 & 6 months artist-in-residency at IAMAS
2nd prize: USD 3,000
3rd prize: USD 2,000

b) 6-month Artist-in-Residency at IAMAS

IAMAS will welcome the main
award winner as artist-in-residence
for 6 months. This is intended
to give the young artist the chance to work in a very well equipped,
high-tech environment where he/she can realise the chosen project and
benefit from cultural exchange with IAMAS staff and students.

IAMAS will provide the artist with a monthly salary during this time
(depending on the numers of years' professional experience up to
2,100,000.- yen for 6 months) as well as travel expenses incurred when
joining and leaving IAMAS. Furthermore, IAMAS will rent an apartment for
the artist-in-residence. However, the artist is asked to pay for part of
the rent.

The artist-in-residence will be at IAMAS from October 2003 until March
2004. During this time, the artist will develop his/her work, based on
his/her award-winning project proposal. The final artwork will be
presented at the 5th World Forum for Media Art and Culture exhibition to
be held in Ogaki, Japan in March 2004. This is when the award winner and
his/her work will be introduced to the public

2.) HOW TO SUBMIT

Project proposals in the field of digital art (including web art,
interactive art, media installation, digital music, performance or other
media art forms) are accepted.

1. One project proposal per artist is accepted. The official language
for all submissions is English.
2. The proposed project must not be an already finished artwork.
3. Total length of the project proposal: 5-7 pages, A4 format.
4. The project proposal must include: title, 500-word abstract, concept
of the work, project description, technical description, drawings and
set-up plan as well as a timetable for carrying out the work during the
6 months as artist-in-residence at IAMAS.
5. A short biography (2-3 pages, A4) including education, career,
exhibition list and list of activities as well as contact address
(including telephone number and email address) and 2 passport photos are
required.
6. All submissions must reach IAMAS by postal mail by 12 July 2003.
7. Download and sign the entry form
and send it
along with your submission by postal mail to IAMAS:

IAMAS
Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences
International Academy of Media Arts and Sciences
3-95 Ryoke-cho Ogaki City Gifu 503-0014 Japan
Phone. +81(0)584 75 6600 Fax. +81(0)584 75 6637
unesco_award@iamas.ac.jp

3.) SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

á The award focuses on supporting young, talented people involved in
media art.

á The age limit for submitting artists is 35 years.

á The award will be given to project proposals, not to finished artworks.

á Project proposals should relate to the theme of the award.

á The main award winner's project proposal will be carried out at IAMAS
during a special artist-in-residence period provided by IAMAS.

á We especially encourage submissions by artists from developing countries.

4.) OBJECTIVES OF THE AWARD

In our increasingly diverse societies, it is essential to ensure
harmonious interaction among people and groups with plural, varied and
dynamic cultural identities as well as their willingness to live
together” (UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2
November 2001)

But how does technology shape cultural identity and how has it changed
the way we live together? Can digital technology promote dialogue
between people from different cultures, creating a better, fairer and
more peaceful world where cultural diversity and tolerance prevail? And
how can an artist's vision and sensibility reflect and contribute to
cultural diversity and digital pluralism?

These are the questions we want to address through the “Digital
Pluralism – UNESCO Digital Arts Award 2003 at IAMAS”. We encourage
artists to reflect on the theme of cultural diversity, digital pluralism
and social interaction, and to send project proposals for a media
artwork that considers these topics and that can be realised during a
6-month artist-in-residence period at the Institute of Advanced Media
Arts and Sciences (IAMAS) in Gifu, Japan.

5.) JURY

An expert jury, representing the 5 cultural regions as well as UNESCO
and IAMAS has been assembled.
The jury members are:

Africa:
Ibrahima Ndiaye [Multimedia critic, Professor of Universite Cheikh Anta
Diop de Dakar, Senegal]

Asia/Pacific:
Eliane Ng [Independent curator specialized in contemporary and new media
art, China]

Latin America/Caribbean:
Diana Domingues [Professor and Researcher at the University of Caxias do
Sul/ CNPq, Brazil]

Europe/North America:
Gerfried Stocker [Director of Ars Electronica, Austria]

Arab States:
Azza El-Hassan [Independent filmmaker, Palestine]

IAMAS:
Itsuo Sakane [Founding President of IAMAS]
Hiroshi Yoshioka [Professor of IAMAS]

NFUAJ:
Shigeru Okada [Secretary General of the National Federation ofUNESCO
Associations in Japan]

UNESCO:
Tereza Wagner [Deputy team leader for the Digi-Arts Project, Paris
Headquarters]

External supervisor of the jury:
Christa Sommerer [Associate Professor of IAMAS]

We are looking forward to receive your project proposals and to welcome
you at IAMAS !
Best regards

Dr. Christa SOMMERER
UNESCO Digital Arts Award 2003 at IAMAS
Organizing and Program Committee