Ridler and Crespo Win ABS Digital Art Prize 2025
By Darren Smith, Arts Reporter
June 1, 2026
In a landmark moment for the intersection of traditional artistry and cutting-edge technology, Anna Ridler and Sofia Crespo have been named joint winners of the Artist of the Year category in the 2025 Arab Bank Switzerland (ABS) Digital Art Prize. This prestigious recognition celebrates their groundbreaking collaborative practice, which masterfully blends analog photography with artificial intelligence to probe humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and machines.
The announcement, made in Geneva during events tied to Art Basel, underscores the maturing role of digital and on-chain art within established cultural institutions. Launched in 2023 as the world’s first major prize dedicated to NFT and digital artists, the ABS Digital Art Prize continues to bridge finance, technology, and creativity. Ridler and Crespo’s win highlights how thoughtful hybrid methodologies can produce work that resonates both aesthetically and philosophically.
Anna Ridler, a London-based British artist known for her meticulous work with datasets and machine learning, has long explored the biases and poetic potentials embedded in AI systems. Her practice often involves hand-curating datasets drawn from natural elements, transforming raw data into visually compelling narratives that question how technology mediates our perception of the world. Ridler’s installations have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Barbican Centre, and Ars Electronica.
Sofia Crespo, an Argentine artist based in Lisbon, delves into the convergence of biological systems and artificial intelligence. Her solo and collaborative works examine how neural networks mirror and reimagine organic life. Crespo’s contributions have earned recognition at venues including Art Basel, the V&A Museum, and MAC Lyon.
Their partnership, which began intensifying around 2023, represents a harmonious fusion of these visions. A standout piece, “Snapshots: Orchids” (2023), weaves Polaroid-style analog photography with AI-generated imagery to create a visual dialogue on how screens and lenses increasingly frame our encounters with the natural world. The work has been exhibited at Paris Photo 2023, Frieze London, and Verse.
“Their cohesive collaboration, the strength of their works, the theme represented, the expansion and connection of their practice, and its maturity pushed the jury members to select the two artists,” noted the ABS jury. The prize includes a 15,000 CHF award and promises significant visibility, including a future solo exhibition.
The jury, chaired by renowned curator Sébastien Montabonel and featuring experts like Alejandro Cartagena, Eleonora Brizi, and Marlène Corbun, praised the duo’s commitment to environmental themes and technological introspection. This year’s edition also introduced an Emerging Artist of the Year category, won by Cezar Mocan for his generative narrative “World Upstream.” Over 120 entries from 38 countries demonstrated the global vibrancy of digital art.
This award arrives at a pivotal time for Web3 art. While the NFT market has shifted from speculative frenzies toward sustainable infrastructure and meaningful utility, institutional validation like the ABS Prize signals broader acceptance. Ridler and Crespo’s win affirms that digital art can deepen our understanding of nature, time, and human creativity in an algorithmically influenced era.
Ridler’s emphasis on ethical data practices complements Crespo’s biological inspirations, creating works that feel both timeless and urgently contemporary. As Rani Jabban, Managing Director of Arab Bank Switzerland, has emphasized, digital art represents the future of artistic expression.
The prize builds on previous winners: Marjan Moghaddam (2023) and RVig (2024). Each edition reinforces Arab Bank Switzerland’s role as a patron bridging traditional finance with innovative cultural expressions.
Explore more of Anna Ridler’s work at annaridler.com and Sofia Crespo’s portfolio at sofiacrespo.com. Discover the full ABS Digital Art Prize details and 2025 winners here. For the latest in Web3 art, follow developments on nftnow.com.
What are your thoughts on this fusion of analog and AI in contemporary art? Share in the comments below and join the conversation on how digital prizes are shaping the future of creativity.
