Two Korean artists honored by Ars Electronica

Korean media artists Woojoo+Lim Hee-young (Yoo Byung-jun and Lim Hee-young) and Lee Jung-woo have received Honorary Mentions at one of the world's most prestigious media art competitions.

The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture announced Friday that Woojoo+Lim Hee-young received an Honorary Mention for There Are No Birds, while Lee Jung-woo was recognized for Written Film, History Yet to Be Written at the Prix Ars Electronica 2026, whose winners were announced Sunday local time.

The awards were presented in the Interactive Art+ and New Animation Art categories, respectively. Both artists will showcase their works at the Ars Electronica Festival 2026, the world's largest media art festival, to be held in Linz, Austria, in September.

Organized by Austria's Ars Electronica since 1987, the Prix Ars Electronica is regarded as one of the field's premier international competitions. This year's edition attracted 4,329 submissions from 106 countries.

In 2023, Kim Ayoung won the competition's highest honor, the Golden Nica, while Sanghee received a special award. Last year, Hunida Kim earned an Honorary Mention. Woojoo+Lim Hee-young and Lee Jung-woo developed their award-winning works with support from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture's interdisciplinary arts grant program, which has backed experimental art projects since 2010.


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