If you make screen-based audiovisual work and haven’t heard of the VH AWARD, its seventh open call is worth knowing about before it closes on July 21 at 11:59pm KST. Initiated in 2016 by Hyundai Motor Group, it’s built specifically to support media artists whose work engages with the context of Asia — open to individuals and collectives of Asian descent, based in Asia, or part of the Asian diaspora, working in video art, motion graphics, animation, games, film, or newer hybrid forms.
What finalists actually get
Five finalists are selected, each receiving a production grant to make a new commissioned work — not a prize for something already finished. This year adds a new Honorary Mention category specifically to widen the pool of recognized artists beyond the five funded finalists. In June 2027, an international jury picks one Grand Prix winner from among the finalists for an additional $30,000.
The part that’s new this year
The finalists’ residency has been rebuilt in partnership with Ars Electronica — an expanded online program built around masterclasses and workshops, headlined this cycle by sessions with Hito Steyerl and Daito Manabe. That’s a meaningfully different kind of support than a check and a deadline: it puts finalists in direct working contact with two of the more significant figures in film-essay/media-art and generative live-performance work, respectively, during the actual production window rather than after the fact.
Where the work actually gets seen
Commissioned pieces aren’t just shown once. They’re slated to travel across Hyundai Motor Group’s own Vision Hall in Yongin, Korea; HEK (House of Electronic Arts) in Basel; the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz; and Singapore Art Week 2028 — a genuinely international exhibition circuit for a five-person cohort, funded by a source (a car manufacturer’s corporate arts arm) that’s easy to overlook if you’re only tracking the usual foundation and museum grant channels.
The practical takeaway
If this describes your practice, the deadline is close but not gone — July 21 is eleven days out from today. If it’s not a fit for you directly, it’s still a useful reminder to check corporate-backed arts programs alongside the more visible residency and grant listings; some of the better-funded opportunities in media art aren’t coming from where you’d expect to look first.