At a time when the notion of life is once again located in an uncertain domain, a wide range of artistic initiatives come together to illustrate and investigate this phenomenon; they examine the impact on the collective conscience and the way it is manifested in cultural, technological and social thought.

Over the last decade, in the same formal space, VIDA has been bringing together inter-disciplinary projects that respond to this situation. By means of formal strategies that defy the boundaries between existing practices, these projects offer new ways of reflecting on what we understand by life and artificial life.

Fundación Telefónica announces the VIDA 13.0 Art & Artificial Life International Competition, which for the last twelve years has awarded prizes for artistic projects using technological mediums offering innovative approaches to research into artificial life.

The projects may be based on systems which emulate, imitate or speculate on the notion of life through current research and technology. These systems may involve attributes of agency and autonomy which display specific behaviour, are dynamic, react to their surroundings and evolve, and which question the frontiers between what is alive and what is not, between synthetic and organic life.

As in previous years there are two categories to the competition:

FINISHED PROJECTS
In this category VIDA 13.0 will award prizes to artistic ALife projects developed after 2008. The sum of 40,000 Euros will be shared between the projects selected by the jury: First Prize: 18,000 Euros, Second Prize: 14,000 Euros, and Third Prize: 8,000 Euros. In addition seven honourable mentions will be awarded.

ARTISTIC PRODUCTION INCENTIVES IN IBEROAMERICA, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
In this category VIDA 13.0 helps to fund artistic ALife projects that have not yet been produced. This is aimed at citizens or residents of countries comprising Latin America, Spain and Portugal. The sum of 40,000 Euros will be shared between the selected projects.

The winning projects will be subsequently exhibited at the VIDA Gallery, http://www.fundacion.telefonica.com/arteytecnologia/galeriavida/ and may be presented in exhibitions related to art and new technologies organised by Fundación Telefónica or in which it takes part.

DATES
Period for submission of projects: from July 19th to November 7th 2010.

JURY
The works submitted will be examined by an international panel composed of José-Carlos Mariátegui (Peru), Mónica Bello Bugallo (Spain), Nell Tenhaaf (Canada) Rodrigo Alonso (Argentina), Simon Penny (USA/Australia), Zhang Ga (USA/China) and Francisco Serrano (General Director of Fundación Telefónica).

ENQUIRIES
Queries may be addressed to the FAQs section of the website, by e-mail to vida@telefonica.es or by calling (0034) 91 584 23 00.