Anna Ridler and Sofia Crespo have won the Artist of the Year award at the ABS Digital Art Prize 2025, recognizing their collaborative work combining analog photography and AI to explore nature and technology. The Emerging Artist of the Year category, introduced this year, was awarded to Cezar Mocan for his artwork "World Upstream," a real-time simulation that intersects contemporary art, game design, and media theory. The prize, established by Arab Bank Switzerland, received over 120 applications from 38 countries for the emerging category, and winners receive networking opportunities and a solo show or exhibition at a cultural institution within 12 months.
The ABS Digital Art Prize is the first of its kind dedicated to digital artists, signaling the growing institutional and financial recognition of digital art as a major force in the contemporary art world. The prize's all-star jury, including leading curators and academics, and the bank's commitment to building a digital art collection underscore the sector's rapid evolution and increasing legitimacy. This award highlights how digital art is moving from niche to mainstream, attracting younger collectors and prompting traditional art institutions to engage with AI-generated and tech-driven works.