Digital Culture Award Winners 2023

Arts Council England and the Digital Culture Network are delighted to share the winners of the 2023 Digital Culture Awards, celebrating digital innovation in creativity and culture.

The Digital Culture Awards recognise the best in digital transformation, digital engagement, and use of technology in creativity and culture. They received over 200 entries this year, from 166 organisations and individuals, coming from all corners of the country. Each entry highlighted the creativity, resilience and digital innovation which is embedded across the creative and cultural sector. The Winners – seven chosen by our expert Judges and two by public vote – are all setting benchmarks in how organisations and individuals can utilise the power of digital technology to transform, engage and grow.

We saw entries from museums prioritising their eCommerce offer for long-term sustainability and resilience, and from theatres taking their work direct from the stage to the people through innovative social media strategies. Organisations and individual creators shared their ground-breaking creative content and gave us an inside view of their digital transformation journeys. We learned that organisations are using data not only to inform their audience engagements plans, but also to understand their own staff better, leading to ground-breaking intersectional diversity and inclusion work.

So many of the entries – and Winners – had inclusive practices at the forefront of their work, using digital technology to make work with, and for, those who are typically excluded from experiencing creativity and culture. One used vibrational technology to produce dance films accessible to everyone, another used animation to give a voice to vulnerable groups, whilst another undertook a hologram research project which has the potential to revolutionise the way d/Deaf audiences experience creative work.

This year’s Digital Culture Award winners show what can be achieved by creative and cultural organisations who harness the power of digital technology, particularly when it comes to making and distributing work for diverse and representative audiences. The high number of quality entries proved a challenge of the best possible kind for our Judges, and we’re thrilled to be able to share these stories of innovation and creativity as inspiration for the whole sector.

Sadie Abson, Digital Culture Network Senior Manager

We’re incredibly proud to present the 2023 Winners of the Digital Culture Awards and we guarantee you will be inspired by each of their stories.

The Winners

Using Data

Watershed – Balance & Belonging

Income Generation

We The Curious – Launching an online shop to generate income for We The Curious’ charitable aims

Digital Transformation

DaDa – DaDa Holograms research & development

Digital Ambassador

Julie Nicholson – DigitalMe: Tell your story. Change the World

Digital Content

Dante or Die – Odds On – an interactive short film about online gambling

Content Creator

Roland Lane – SONZAI – A groundbreaking mixed reality art installation at the V&A in London

Being Social – People’s Choice

Crab Museum – Creating a Radical and Unhinged Social Media Strategy for a Very Real Museum

Digital Inclusion – People’s Choice

Sense – Moving Portraits – a dancefilm accessible for everyone

Tech Champions’ Choice

LeftCoast – Their agile approach to utilising digital technology to share their mission

The Shortlist

The Winners were chosen from a Shortlist full of incredible entries. You can still explore their entries and we think you should check them out!

Feeling inspired to reach your digital ambitions?

The Digital Culture Network can help! Our Tech Champions provide free 1-2-1 support to all individuals and organisations who are in receipt of, or eligible for, Arts Council England funding. If you want to learn more, please get in touch.

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