Tate call for entries for IK Prize 2016
Tate is calling for entries to IK Prize 2016, an annual competition which celebrates digital creativity in all its forms. In partnership with Microsoft for the first time, the IK Prize is awarded for an idea that proposes an innovative application of digital technology to enable the public to experience British art from the Tate collection in exciting new ways.
Applicants have from 8 January to 7 February 2016 to submit entries that respond to the brief of using artificial intelligence to explore art. The final project must create a new way for the public to experience, understand and enjoy British art on display at Tate Britain and/or on Tate’s website. The winning entry will be chosen from a shortlist, compiled by a panel of experts from the technology and arts industries, and the winning individual, team or company will receive a £15,000 prize plus a further £90,000 to turn their idea into a reality.
The prize is open to anyone working creatively with digital technology. This includes artists, designers and technologists, as well as teams or companies. Entrants are asked to demonstrate expertise and previous experience relevant to their proposed project, such as the skills or ability – both creatively and technologically – to deliver the project, should they win, to the highest standards.
In 2014, the inaugural IK Prize was awarded to The Workers for After Dark (aka the Robots), and in 2015 it went to Flying Object for Tate Sensorium.
Kerstin Mogull, Managing Director, Tate said: ‘Every year we look forward to the creativity and innovation displayed in the entries for the IK Prize. It is one of the highlights of the digital calendar for Tate. We are delighted Microsoft is partnering with us on this now well-established prize for the first time, taking it into a new era.’
‘We are incredibly honoured and excited to partner with a globally relevant and influential institution such as Tate on their IK Prize,’ said Jeff Hansen, General Manager at Microsoft. ‘Microsoft is a leader in this year’s theme of artificial intelligence and we cannot wait to see how AI technology will help empower people to experience and enjoy Tate’s collections further.’
The IK Prize was named in memory of the philanthropist Irene Kreitman and celebrates creative talent in the digital industry. In partnership with Microsoft, the Prize is presented by Tate to a team, company or individual for an original idea that uses the power of digital technology to connect Tate’s collection of 500 years of British Art to a wider audience. The Prize is open to creative practitioners around the world with expertise in some form of digital technology, whether animation, gaming, digital product and experience design or otherwise, and involving anything from coding and software development to computer science and robotics.
To find out more and to enter visit tate.org.uk/ikprize
For further press information contact Ruth Findlay, Tate Press Office +44(0)20 7887 8730 • pressoffice@tate.org.uk • tate.org.uk/press
Notes to Editors
Tate is delighted to be working with Microsoft to present IK Prize 2016. In addition to their generous support of the prize, Microsoft will offer consultancy and technical support to the nominees and the winner during the development of their project.
Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
The full terms and conditions of entry to the IK Prize 2016, including a timeline of key dates and commitments, are available here tate.org.uk/ikprize.
Previous IK Prize winners
IK Prize 2014
The inaugural IK Prize culminated in After Dark, a robotic take-over of the gallery watched by thousands online, the Prize’s first winning project by London design studio The Workers.
IK Prize 2015
The second IK Prize was awarded to Flying Object for Tate Sensorium, an immersive installation featuring four paintings from the Tate collection that were experienced through sound, smell, taste and touch.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence exhibited by machines or software. It is also the name of the academic field of study which researches how to create computers and computer software that are capable of intelligent behaviour, and what the use of this capability could be for mankind.