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.ART Announces Five Finalists for 2025 Digital Innovation in Arts & Culture Award

The .ART domain registry, in collaboration with GP Bullhound Allstars, has announced the  five finalists for the 2025 Digital Innovation in Arts & Culture Award (DIAC). These outstanding companies were recognized for leading the way in shaping how technology transforms art, culture and heritage. 

GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to the world’s best entrepreneurs and founders. The firm has 13 offices spread across the United States and Europe. 

The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

Artcrush (Belgium) 
This company transforms public spaces into open-air galleries by turning city billboards into digital canvases - making art accessible to millions by bringing cultural experiences into everyday life. Artcrush CEO Mathieu France said, “Artcrush being named a finalist for the 2025 DIAC Award marks our first international recognition. In  just 3 years, we’ve deployed 15,000+ digital billboards across 15+ countries, showcasing outstanding art daily—a validation of both our global impact and the scalability of our model."  

Loupe Art (United States) 
The world’s first streaming platform for visual art, Loupe (loupe.art) turns screens into curated art environments across homes, hotels, hospitals, and public spaces, supporting artists through licensing and exposure. Loupe Art Curator Gabriella Silvagnoli said, "This recognition celebrates our mission of connecting global audiences with contemporary artists in new and meaningful ways. We're excited to continue pushing the boundaries of how art is experienced in homes, businesses, public spaces, and beyond."   

Peggy (Canada) 
A social art marketplace powered by AI authentication and resale royalties. Peggy (peggy.art) democratizes art collecting by ensuring transparency, equity, and accessibility for both artists and collectors worldwide. Peggy Co-founder & CEO Craig Follett said, "This is a profound honor that we share with our entire community. The recognition belongs to the incredible artists, galleries, and collectors on Peggy who are together building a more accessible and connected art world. Our technology and infrastructure exist for one reason: to empower this community and advance our shared vision of seeing art in every home. A heartfelt thank you to the Peggy team for their tireless work of the years, and to .ART for celebrating the community's collective achievements."  

SmartStamp (Switzerland) 
This ETH Zürich spin-off is developing a biometric authentication system for artworks. SmartStamp turns a smartphone into a tool for creating tamper-proof digital passports anchored in blockchain, ensuring secure provenance and compliance with EU standards. SmartStamp CCO Jonas Kastenhuber said, "This finalist nod is about turning provenance into something you can trust (in seconds). Less paperwork, more certainty and better art practice gives artworks a digital identity and intelligent archive to make admin of it easy and fun." 

WHATCLASS (United Kingdom) 
Revolutionizing music and cultural education by turning artists into teachers and fans into co-creators. Backed by ABRSM and major streaming partners, WHATCLASS blends AI-personalized learning with scalable cultural participation. WHATCLASS CEO Austen Smart noted, “WHATCLASS is creating the category-defining platform for arts education, where real human artists own their knowledge, earn from it, and fans learn directly from them. Being a DIAC finalist signals a new era of cultural accredited education, with a model designed to scale globally, just like streaming itself.”

Ulvi Kasimov, Founder of .ART Registry, said, “The five finalists represent the very best of how innovation can serve culture. Their projects prove that technology is not an end in itself, but a powerful means to make art more accessible, trusted, and alive in the world today." 

As part of its ongoing mission to support innovation in the cultural sector, .ART will award digital credits to all honorees—offering up to $10,000 in Get.art credits to empower them to strengthen their digital presence and expand their projects with .ART domain names. The winner will be revealed at the Allstars Gala in London on October 16, 2025, alongside influential innovators and investors that are competing for honors in their respective fields.

.ART Registry Founder Ulvi Kasimov

(Posted September 22, 2025)  

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