Japanese creators won various awards at Austria's international media arts award, the Prix Ars Electronica.
In the "DIGITAL MUSICS AND SOUND ART" category, "SjQ (short for "Samurai Jazz Quintet")++," a project consisting of five members and artificial life, won the second prize, the "Award of Distinction." Their live electronics performance featured projected images onto the performers and a screen behind them. Honorary Mentions were awarded to "Typingmonkeys," a unit consisting of Norimichi Hirakawa and Kumiko Noguchi, experimental artist Suguru Goto, and sound artist Yuri Suzuki.
In the "INTERACTIVE ART" category, media artist Masaki Fujihata won the Excellence Award. "Voice of Aliveness," which films people shouting their inner thoughts while riding bicycles and then virtually recreates them, was recognized. "necomimi neurowear," wearable cat ears that move in sync with emotions, and "Perfume Global Site Project" by Daito Manabe and others, which won the Grand Prize at the 16th Japan Media Arts Festival, were selected for the Honorary Award. In the "HYBRID ART" category, the Japanese-British artist "Sputniko!" won the Honorary Award. In the "DIGITAL COMMUNITIES" category, the Honorary Award went to "Niconico Gakkai Beta," a conference by Koichiro Edo where anyone can freely present their research, and "Great East Japan Earthquake Archive," by Hidenori Watanabe, which uses the globe software Google Earth to publish testimonies from disaster victims.

The Prix Ars Electronica is an international media art competition founded in 1987. A total of 51,613 works were submitted. The award ceremony is held at the Ars Electronica Festival, held in September in Linz, Austria. The winners of the Golden Nica Award, the highest prize, and the Excellence Awards will be invited to present their winning works at the Prix Ars Electronica Forum, which runs over several days.