Linz
Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica with 4 categories, including “New Animation Art” and “Interactive Art +”. In 2026, submissions ran from January to March92.
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Career 8 of 8 · Example Ars Electronica, Linz
Media art and fine art: showing your own works with technology
In media art you create your own works with technology: installations, projections, walk-in spaces or animation as art. Living from it usually means combining prizes, grants, commissions and exhibitions. In the USA, 58% of fine artists are self-employed24. In Linz, the Golden Nica of the Prix Ars Electronica comes with €10,00070.
Prizes and grantsno trade licence
Free, no sign-up, every detail with a source.
01 · What you live on
5 building blocks artists combine into an income
- Prizes: for example the Prix Ars Electronica with its category “New Animation Art” for works combining animation, art and technology70.
- Grants: the federal start grant, €9,000 for 6 months, also for media art88.
- Employment at art studios: teamLab in Tokyo hires people for walk-in digital art all year round55.
- Your own work: in Austria you do not need a trade licence for art, not even for multimedia art86.
- Social security: the Austrian artists’ social insurance fund (KSVF) contributes up to €158 a month towards pension insurance113.
Good to know
Most combine several building blocks. How to become self-employed as an artist and what it costs is on the page Freelance.
InstallationProjectionInteractionAnimationSound
02 · Who funds it
Who funds and shows media art: from Linz to Tokyo
Vienna
Federal start grants
€9,000 for 6 months, up to 90 grants in 9 fields, including media art, design and film88.
Tokyo
teamLab
Recruits all year round for art, computer graphics and technology, regardless of when you graduate55.
Linz
Creative Region
Free funding advice, coaching and portfolio reviews for young creatives71.
Austria
Artists’ social insurance fund
A subsidy if you earn at least €6,613.20 a year from art and no more than €35,821.50 in total113.
Worldwide
The value of human art
The same image is seen as more valuable when it is labelled as made by a person51.
03 · Submitting
How to submit: concept, documentation, deadlines
- Project concept: for the start grant you submit a concept. The deadline for 2026 was 31 January 202688.
- Documentation: a short video and good photos of your work, so that a jury understands it without visiting.
- Prix Ars Electronica: submissions in 2026 ran from 7 January to 9 March, extended92. Please check the dates for 2027 on the prize’s website.
- Advice first: the Creative Region in Linz reviews your portfolio free of charge71.
Portfolio, CV and dates are on the page Applying.
04 · Income
Prizes, grants and subsidies: what you can count on
| Source | What | Amount | Type of figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prix Ars Electronica | Golden Nica per category | €10,00070 | Call for entries |
| Federal government | Start grant, 6 months | €9,00088 | Call for entries |
| Artists’ social insurance fund | Pension insurance subsidy | up to €158 a month113 | Fact sheet of the artists’ association |
| USA | Fine artists and craft artists | median $55,290 a year24 | Official statistics |
Income from fine art fluctuates strongly. In Austria you can apply to spread artistic income over 3 years114. More on the page Freelance.
05 · Progression
How an artistic career grows: 4 stages
06 · Outlook