Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Lumen Prize celebrates the very best art created with technology through a global competition. Since its launch in 2012, it has awarded more than $150,000 in prize money and created opportunities worldwide for the artists selected as finalists or winners. As a non-profit organization, we fundraise year round to cover prize awards and operating expenses.

  • The 2026 prize pool totals $30,000, distributed as follows:

    Three category prizes: $5,000 each ($15,000 total)

    Gold Award: $15,000 - awarded to the highest-scoring artwork across all categories based on combined ISC and Jury scores.

  • Entries open on January 26th, 2026. The entry fee is $45 per artwork.

    Early Bird discount
    Submit between January 26 – February 17 for a reduced fee of $35 per artwork.

  • The Lumen Prize welcomes submissions from creators across disciplines:

    • Individual Artists

    • Artist Collectives

    • Creative Studios/Practitioners

    • Artist-Designers

    • Academic Researchers/Creative Teams

  • The Lumen Prize recognizes that groundbreaking creative work often emerges from commercial environments. We welcome innovative work developed within commercial contexts, provided it meets these criteria:

    Must Be:

    • Created by identified individual artists/designers/collectives

    • Conceptually driven rather than marketing-focused

    • Experimental or groundbreaking in approach

    • Independent of direct commercial objectives

    Eligible Examples:

    • Creative technology experiments

    • Research & development projects

    • Brand-commissioned artworks (with named creators)

    • Innovative design prototypes

    • Experimental fashion collections

    • Architectural concepts/speculative designs

    Not Eligible:

    • Standard advertising campaigns

    • Corporate marketing materials

    • Regular product designs

    • Company-attributed work without named creators

    • Standard commercial services


  • Yes, you may submit works in progress or conceptual works, provided you accurately represent the current state of development in your submission.

  • There are three categories you may enter, each with a $5,000 prize fund.

    • Legacy Futures ($5,000)
      For works engaging time as a material - past, present, and future - to examine technology, memory, culture, and possibility.

    • Systems & Structures ($5,000)
      For works that examine, build, or critique systems - technological, ecological, cultural, or social.

    • Experiential Innovation ($5,000)
      For works that prioritise how art is encountered - through presence, participation, sensation, or activation.

  • Yes, each entry must be submitted to one of the three categories.

  • Yes, if the work meets each category's parameters.

  • Yes, you can submit multiple works to the same category, so long as each work meets the parameters of the category.

  • No, there is no time restriction on when the work was created.

    • Artistic concept description (250 words max)

    • Technical details including equipment/software used

    • Dimensions/specifications if applicable

    • Supporting documentation

    • Primary image or video that best represents your work

    • Up to three additional supporting images

    • Videos must be hosted on YouTube or Vimeo

    • Additional documentation as needed for interactive/experiential works

    1. International Selectors Committee (ISC) reviews all entries and makes their finalist selections

    2. Jury Panel selects category winners and Gold Award winner from finalists

    3. Winners announced between October/November 2026.

  • Evaluation Criteria:

    The Lumen Prize recognises that artistic excellence can take many forms. Works will be evaluated in relation to their own aims, contexts, and methods, rather than against a single standard of technical complexity, scale, or production resources. Judges are encouraged to remain attentive to diverse cultural perspectives, practices, and access to technology when assessing merit.

    Please consider these four key areas when scoring each work

    1. Category Alignment

    • Does the work clearly fit within the stated category?

      • See category-specific questions below

    • Does it demonstrate understanding of the category's focus and intent?

    • Is this category appropriate for this work?

    Note: Works may cross categories in spirit. Judges should focus on fit and relevance, not exclusivity.

    1. Technical Merit

    • Does the work show a high level of innovation and execution in its use of digital technology or media?

    • Is the use of technology, data, or digital process integral to the work’s meaning or operation?

    Note: Works should not be penalised for minimal or subtle technological use if this aligns with their artistic intent.

    1. Artistic Merit 

    • Does the work demonstrate a clear artistic vision?

    • Is the work compelling, engaging, or resonant in its presentation?

    1. Conceptual Strength

    • Is the concept clearly articulated?

    • Does it offer original perspectives or meaningful reflection?

    Additional considerations when scoring Category Alignment 

    Note: These prompts are intended to support — not restrict — interpretation.

    Legacy Futures: Works engaging with time, memory, history, and future possibility in relation to technology and culture. 

    • Does the work meaningfully engage with past, present, and/or future?

    • Does it reflect on memory, archives, storytelling, or technological histories?

    • Does it speculate, reframe, or critically examine how technology shapes time and society?

    Systems & Structures: Works that examine, construct, or critically engage with cultural, ecological, technological, or social systems.

    • Does it reveal, critique, or reconfigure how systems operate?

    • Does it offer insight into how systems shape behaviour, environments, or power?

    • Are systems or structural processes integral to how the work is formed or organised?


    Experiential Innovation: Works prioritizing experience, participation, presence, and activation.

    • Is experience, interaction, embodiment, spatial design, presence, or real-time processes central to the work?

    • Does it effectively engage the senses, body, or environment?

    • Would the work lose meaning without the experiential element?

    • Finalists announced in the fall.

    • Winners announced towards the end of the year.