The world’s first AI-prompted photo prize has been awarded to Annika Nordenskiöld for her imageNordenskiöld lives and works in Sweden. She is best known for her paintings, but also produces sculptures and other works in a variety of materials.“None of the places, people or creatures in my prompts exist in the physical realm,” she says.
“They were conjured from the sum of human experience in our deep collective well, as seen from my dreamboat with its flickering light. It is the dream of a dreamer to bring home some proof of the journey; to become an oneironaut – a lucid dreamer, collecting notes and images, even objects, from the world within.”
Nordenskiöld beat 100 other entries in the Ballarat International Foto Biennale Prompted Peculiar International AI Prize 2023 from local and international artists to win the $2000 prize.The People’s Choice Prize went to Victorian artist Hanna Silver for her work“My prompt to Midjourney v5.1 was: ‘Old photograph from 1895. Melbourne Australia. Flinders Street. A robot from the future is getting married to a tram. Wedding ceremony in the middle of the street. Robot and tram love each other.
“So, Midjourney didn’t quite fulfil my idea, but that’s the fun of AI, you never know what you’re going to get. I love that Midjourney can make representations of Melbourne, my home town. Plus it’s an old Melbourne, old timey robot wearing a skirt... there’s a lot I find charming about this image. And love is love.”The 20 finalist images can be seen at