Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Launches Fourth Global Digital Art Competition
Masdar's annual sustainability summit invites international digital artists to envision a resilient future through creative expression, with submissions open until November and winners announced during ADSW 2027.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, hosted by Masdar, has announced the launch of its fourth Global Digital Art Competition, extending an invitation to digital artists across the world to explore the profound intersection of creativity and environmental stewardship. The competition seeks to harness the imaginative power of artistic expression in envisioning a more resilient and prosperous future for communities everywhere.
Artists aged 18 and above are invited to submit original digital artworks, with the submission deadline set for 16th November 2026. Recognition will be bestowed upon one winner and two finalists, whose works will be celebrated during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2027 on 13th January, when their creations will be displayed to an international audience.
The competition embodies the central theme of ADSW 2027: ‘Securing Systems. Sustaining Growth.’ This framework encourages artists to contemplate how creativity, technological innovation and human imagination can collaboratively forge a future characterised by greater resilience and prosperity. The initiative forms a distinguished component of ADSW’s comprehensive Arts and Culture programme, demonstrating the institution’s commitment to engaging diverse forms of creative expression in dialogue with urgent global challenges.
Participants are encouraged to respond to one or more of ADSW’s five thematic pillars: Future Energy Systems, Advanced Technology and AI, Water, Food and Resource Security, Investment and Infrastructure, and Human Development and Prosperity. The competition welcomes an expansive range of artistic approaches, including static and moving-image works, interactive and generative art, immersive experiences and web-based pieces. Artists must transparently identify any AI, generative or creative-coding tools employed and articulate how these technologies have contributed to their artistic vision.
A distinguished panel of leading figures from the international arts community will assess submissions according to rigorous criteria encompassing concept and artistic vision, originality, impact, representation and accessibility. The judging panel comprises Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Frieze Abu Dhabi; Kawthar Bin Sulayem, Founder and CEO of District1795; Hamad Al Shamsi, Artist; Anna Magritskaya, Managing Director of Theatre of Digital Art; Khawla Abou Saleh, Visual Artist and Creative Director; and Diaa Allam, Calligraphy Artist.
The competition is organised in partnership with District1795, the Middle East and North Africa’s pioneering technology ecosystem dedicated to advancing arts and culture, which builds the digital infrastructure supporting the region’s flourishing creative economy.
Source: WAM