The Ballarat International Foto Biennale will once again serve as the stage for one of the most talked-about intersections of art and technology: the return of the Prompted Peculiar – International AI Prize in 2025.
Launched in 2023, this groundbreaking international competition explores the creative frontier of artificial intelligence through text-to-image generation. With AI increasingly embedded in visual culture, Prompted Peculiar offers a timely platform for artists, designers, and thinkers to reflect on its implications—not only for aesthetics, but for authorship, creativity, and the future of image-making.
Prompted Peculiar is not just a showcase of AI capabilities; it’s a deliberate provocation. What is the status of an AI-generated image in the context of contemporary art? Can a prompt be a creative act in itself? Or, as some critics argue, does it undermine the hand and intuition of the artist?
The term promptography—first propelled into public debate in 2023—sits at the heart of this contest. That same year, German artist Boris Eldagsen famously declined the Sony World Photography Award after revealing that his winning image had been generated using AI. His statement that AI images are “not photography” ignited a global conversation that Prompted Peculiar now continues to foster.
Swedish artist Annika Nordenskiöld took home the inaugural prize in 2023 with her hauntingly surreal image, Twin Sisters in Love. The piece, created through a text-based AI generator, stood out for its eerie tenderness and richly layered narrative—a testament to the emotional potential of prompt-driven art. The judges praised its originality and the way it blurred the lines between algorithm and artist.
Submissions for the 2025 edition are now open. Finalists will be featured in an official exhibition at the 11th Ballarat International Foto Biennale, running from 23 August to 19 October 2025. In addition to the main jury prize, a People’s Choice Award will give festival attendees a chance to weigh in on the future of AI art.
Key Dates:
- Submissions Open: 28 March 2025
- Deadline: 30 June 2025
- Finalists Notified: 18 July 2025
- People’s Choice Voting: 23 August – 29 September 2025
- Winners Announced: 4 October 2025
Prizes:
- Judges’ Prize: $2,000 AUD
- People’s Choice Award: $1,000 AUD
For submission guidelines and entry conditions, visit the official Ballarat Foto website.
