Bioart & Design Award

The Bioart & Design Award is a Netherlands-based bioart competition that focusses on interdisciplinary thinking and art-based research. Dutch and international participants are judged by an international jury, with winners receiving 25.000€ each to further realise their bioart research projects. The most recent edition of the annual award to date took place in 2024.

WWW badaward.nl

Overview

The first bioart and design competition took place in 2010 under the name Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Award '''' which it kept until 2013. Since then the award has collaborated with various Dutch art and cultural research institutions, including the Netherlands Genomics Initiative, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Centre for Society & Genomics, ZonMw, NWO, Mu Hybrid Art House, Waag Futurelab, Bio Art Laboratories, and other educational partners.
The award matches recent art and design graduates with researchers to create bioart projects that can then be entered and exhibited as part of the competition. After participating in a matchmaking event, teams consisting of both artists and researchers propose their projects to an international jury. The three winning teams receive the price money of 25.000€ and have six months to create their bioart pieces, which are then exhibited at the end of the year.

Science communication and impact study

In 2017, an impact study was conducted on the science communication potential and influence on the artistic and research creations by participants of the award. It uses a mixed methods approach consisting of a survey and interviews with everyone involved in setting up, judging and participating in the competition. The study revealed that participating in the competition as a researcher made them re-evaluate their own approaches to scientific thinking towards a more art-based, interdisciplinary way. Additionally, the collaboration between recently graduated design and art students and life sciences researchers fostered a development of new scientific tools and research methodologies. The study was published again in a book about the award in 2022 by design writer William Myers.