Future Scenario on the Moon: Media Art Award 2025 for a 3D film project

The Media Art Award 2025 has been conferred on Merlin Stadler, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts Munich. The award, which is endowed with 5,000 euros, supports the realization of the artist’s planned 3D animated short film, Stilled Life, the film’s working title, and includes its presentation at the AkademieGalerie in September 2025.

Stadler’s film project was inspired by an actual event; in 2019, the Beresheet moonlander crashed on its approach to the moon. In addition to human DNA, several thousand frozen tardigrades—microscopically small, extremely resistant organisms—were also on board. Stadler uses this event as the starting point for his speculative story about the possible colonization of the moon.

The artist’s project entry prevailed over numerous promising applications. The prize was awarded by a jury made up of members of the Sammlung Goetz, the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, the Ingvild and Stephan Goetz Art Foundation and independent art experts. 

The Media Art Award is a cooperation between the Sammlung Goetz, the Academy of Fine Arts Munich and the Ingvild and Stephan Goetz Art Foundation. It is awarded annually to support emerging artists in the field of media art, enabling them to create new works and strengthen their public recognition.