Discussion about winners

Artificial intelligence leads to the winning poster

The winning poster, 100 percent AI-generated and yet retro.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Fred Kendlbacher and Dominik Sobota (right) award the prize together with the city, province and ORF.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

DomQuartier won the special format category this year.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

The Salzburg Cultural Poster Awards were presented today, October 9: Artificial intelligence played a major role here - because for the first time, an AI-generated poster won. This was not well received everywhere. 

The Saalfelden Jazz Festival used artificial intelligence to generate its poster, which won the 2024 Salzburg Culture Poster Award. The image shows a radio from the 1960s in the middle of a mountain backdrop. And it was chosen as the winner. "AI is not a reason for exclusion", said the jury. Critics saw the winning poster as a threat to the advertising industry - the image certainly caused a heated debate. Probably for the last time: from next year, AI-generated posters will be labeled as such. 

The other prizes: The DomQuartier won in the special format category, with "The Colors of the Serenissima": the unusual whole column was loosely pasted with square sheets of color. 

Fred Kendlbacher and Dominik Sobota from Progress Werbung awarded the prizes together with the City and Province of Salzburg and the ORF regional studio. This cultural initiative to promote art and cultural posters in public spaces has been organized for 18 years.