Announcing the 2023 Digital Culture Awards Longlist

We received hundreds of brilliant entries, and our first round Judges had an almost impossible task narrowing down which entries to take through to the next round.

We want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who entered this year. The brilliance of your entries was no surprise to us here at the Digital Culture Network, where we see first-hand your dedication to embracing digital tools, technology, and skills development in endlessly impactful and innovative ways.

We’re thrilled to introduce the Longlist for the 2023 Digital Culture Awards!

Being Social

• Crab Museum – Creating a Radical and Unhinged Social Media Strategy for a Very Real Museum
• FACT Liverpool – Advancing FACT’s digital video content to inform and create a strategy to launch a TikTok channel
• London Philharmonic Orchestra – London Philharmonic Orchestra on TikTok
• Motionhouse – Motionhouse launch TikTok
• National Theatre – Engaging TheatreTok Fandoms at the National Theatre
• National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Empowering Young People to Takeover – New Social Strategy at National Youth Theatre
• Opera North – Orpheus: Using TikTok to build an audience
• Oxford University Museum of Natural History – TikTok, EDI, and a brief encounter with Hall & Oates
• Shakespeare North Playhouse – The new theatre in town needs an audience. We built and connected with audiences by putting their queries and wants at the heart of our content
• Vagina Museum – The Vagina Museum enters the fediverse

Content Creator

• Christopher Cundy – Archaeology of the Ear (Season 2)
• Durty Beanz – Durty Beanz: Instagram as an experimental space for the display and creation of contemporary art practice
• Kerryn Wise – Touring Facades: finding new audiences through a virtual reality (VR) dance artwork
• Rachel Parry – MALPER: neurodivergent storytelling via interactive chatbot
• Lucy Hammond – Monoliths – Transporting the atmosphere of outdoor performance into virtual reality
• Roland Lane – Presenting ‘SONZAI’ – A groundbreaking mixed reality art installation at the V&A in London
• Rose Collis – How I taught myself to create my first free-to-access digital film for diverse international audiences
• Sam Bartle – ‘What Was Here’ heritage tourism app (for transforming how we access and use archives)
• Zoe Williams – Microblogging content distribution with limited resources

Digital Ambassador

• Alec Ward – Alec’s digital support for the sector
• David Cotton – Website Manager. Henry Moore Foundation (HMF)
• Joe Strickland – Theatre Maker, Digital Producer and Creative Technologist
• Jonny Goode – Transforming Blast Theory’s approach to comms by embedding new, data-driven tools and processes
• Julie Nicholson – DigitalMe Disability Hate Crime
• Nazma Noor – Empowering and Upskilling Colleagues and Peers
• Nick Corston – Bringing creative community events to life online through collaboration, connection and the creative use of cardboard and code
• Sam Bartle – ‘What Was Here?’ heritage tourism app (for transforming how we access and use archives)
• Sian Powell – Created and run a successful tiktok account for my museum

Digital Content

• Art UK – Art UK’s Sculpture Digitisation Project
• Coventry Library Service – Digital Spaces in Coventry Libraries
• Dante or Die – Odds On
• East Riding Archives and Museums (East Riding of Yorkshire Council) – ‘What Was Here?’ heritage tourism app (for transforming how we access and use archives)
• Fred Deakin and Company Limited (FANDCO) – The Galaxicle Implosions: an animated sci-fi series performed live in VR and co-created with its real-world and on-line audiences
• Gecko – ‘Still’- exploring the extraordinary potential within the everyday lives of the residents of Lime Court care home
• Limbic Cinema – Rewild – Portsmouth
• London Sinfonietta – London Sinfonietta’s Digital Channel
• Queen’s Hall Arts – Unsung Heroes
• Walk the Plank – Green Space Dark Skies produced by Walk the Plank – large-scale outdoor arts events

Digital Inclusion

• Beacon Films CIC – Virtual Visionaries
• Hospital Rooms – Hospital Rooms Digital Art School
• Jason Wilsher-Mills LTD – Jason & his Argonauts Take Flight
• Norfolk Music Hub – Norfolk Music Hub’s Virtual Pantomime
• Nottingham Playhouse – Virtual Reality Headsets to Improve Accessibility at Theatre Performances and Touch Tours
• Oily Cart – Sound Symphony At Home
• Vital Xposure Ltd and Dervish Productions – Innovative integration of creative access in the dramaturgy and presentation of Quiet Rebels (Tour 2022)
• Sense Charity – Moving Portraits: a dancefilm accessible for everyone.
• The Bluecoat – The Invisible Blue Island
• Walk the Plank – Green Space Dark Skies

Digital Transformation

• Arts Marketing Association with project partners Heritage Digital Consortium and University of Leeds, and funders The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) – Answering the heritage sector’s digital questions with Digital Heritage Hub
• Blast Theory – Blast Theory’s journey to an interactive data dashboard and more engaged audience.
• City of London Sinfonia (CLS) – SOUND YOUNG MINDS – WORK IN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL SCHOOLS
• DaDa – DaDa Holograms R&D
• East Riding Archives and Museums (East Riding of Yorkshire Council) – ‘What Was Here’ heritage tourism app (for transforming how we access and use archives)
• Gloucestershire Libraries – Oakley Digital Storytelling Centre
• Henry Moore Foundation – The Henry Moore Foundation: new website and organisation-wide digital overhaul
• North Lincolnshire Museum – A New Website for North Lincolnshire Museum
• STEAM Co. – Aiming Higher Than High – Engaging whole school communities in hybrid creativity events
• The Cultural Spring – The Cultural Spring – Our New Website

Income Generation

• Brunel Museum – Art of Engineering – Crowdfunding over £22,000 for a new display
• Brunel Museum – Brunel Museum Online Shop
• Duggie Dundas – Dundas Digital
• We The Curious – Launching an online shop to generate income for We The Curious’ charitable aims

Using Data

• Blast Theory – Analysis of Meta ads data to increase the number and quality of new Blast Theory newsletter subscribers.
• Chronic Insanity – Puncture The Screen
• Durham Music Service (lead partner in the Darlington and Durham Music Education Hub) – Creating data dashboards to engage more young people and schools
• Henry Moore Foundation – The Henry Moore Foundation: new website and organisation-wide digital overhaul
• LEEDS 2023 and Open Innovation – LEEDS 2023 Data Microsite
• Punchdrunk Enrichment – Punchdrunk Enrichment: A data-driven exploration of our online audiences
• Rich Mix – Designing a smarter Google Ad Grant at Rich Mix
• Royal Academy of Arts – Royal Academy of Arts 25 & Under ticket scheme
• Watershed Arts Trust – Balance & Belonging
• ZU-UK – RADIO GHOST

Tech Champions’ Choice

Please note that the Longlist of this category were nominated by our team of Tech Champions.

• Aakash Odedra Company – Their ongoing dedication to organisational digital development.
• Blast Theory – Their bold approach to organisation-wide digital development.
• Bristol Old Vic – Their commitment to digital investment and innovation.
• Coldharbour Mill – Their dedication to embracing technology to develop a sustainable future.
• Contact – Their data and mission-led approach to an innovative new ticketing scheme.
• Josie Whitehead – Their commitment to digital skills development to preserve her legacy and connect with her target audience.
• LeftCoast – Their agile approach to utilising digital technology to share their mission.
• Maddie Spear, The Association of Festival Organisers – Her consistent commitment to using digital tools to support and engage their members.
• Northern Print – Their data-minded approach to streamlining their digital processes.
• Surrey Libraries – Their proactive and committed approach to unifying their social media output.
• The Customs House – Their future-focused approach to growing their website audience through PPC advertising.

You’re invited!

We’ll be announcing the Shortlist at the beginning of March, and the Winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 29 March – we’d love for you to join us for the livestream, hosted by BBC Radio 1’s Emma-Louise Amanshia and featuring our esteemed Judges.