Engadget Announces First Ever Alternate Reality Artist Grants to Debut at Engadget Experience

• About: Engadget is announcing an alternate reality grant program. A board of technology and art tastemakers will reward 5 grants of up to $100K a piece toward the production of ongoing or original works to be debuted at The Engadget Experience, a one-day event, on November 16, 2017 at the United Artists theater at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

• The Engadget Experience: During a one-day event in Los Angeles, Engadget will bring together the greatest minds in art, entertainment and technology to explore the unique challenges facing today’s creative pioneers. Though talks, interviews, screenings and installations, the program will attempt to bridge the gap between these often disparate worlds. The grant projects will be showcased at this event to show the potential of new alternative mediums and provide audiences with the change to engage with the art and the people making it.

Process

• Nominations: While the grant program will be publicly announced for applications, nominations will also be submitted by a small group of nominators invited by the Engadget editorial team. These might include schools, industry luminaries, artists and organizations with expertise to “alternate reality” projects.

• Entries: Entries will be received, collated, checked for completeness, compiled and distributed to the judges by Engadget. All grantees must be present at the November 16 event.

• Review: Entries will be reviewed by a judging committee of 3 to 5 experts appointed by the Engadget Editorial team. Each judge will review the entries independently and rank their top 1 – 5 projects. The final decision as to the projects to receive grants and the amount granted will be made by Engadget.

• Grantee Administration: Engadget will assign a project manager to track progress of each grantee, ensure each project adheres to a timeline and is materializing as promised, and serve as the interface between grantees and Engadget. That project manager will guide the delivery process through the close of the November 16 event.

• Re-use/Reporting/Repurposing of Projects: Each project is required to identify itself as an Engadget Alternate Realities Artist Grantee when prompted or re-used by the grantee in other contexts. While the project remains the property of the artist, Engadget will have unlimited rights to use the finished project as it sees fit. Engadget will capture video and audio of each artists at various stages of production for use in creating mini-documentaries that will be featured at The Engadget Experience, and potentially online.

Criteria

• Project must be a new or existing work that has not yet debuted in its current form

• Project must address the theme of Alternate Realities

• Projects must incorporate AR/VR/MR/AI or other technologies to create an immersive experience

• Grantees are responsible for technology, travel expenses, shipping and installation

• Grantees must provide an artist’s statement that addresses the theme of alternate realities, a portfolio of previous works, a detailed budget, and a detailed description of the work and the underlying technologies