The two special mentions go to Donald Martiny represented by Madison Gallery in recognition of the inventive and innovative work that respects and establishes a dialogue with academic art masters of the past; and Ariela Wertheimer for the sensitivity and capacity of connecting the landscape to the body, the physical to the spiritual, and memories to reality.

The two special mentions go to Albert Scopin whose work investigates the use of a very unconventional material, that is asphalt, to create impressive installations. His works reflect upon major issues such as pollution, loss of habitats and global warming. And a special and warm mention to the work of Chandragupta Thenuara whose work titled Covert invited all of us to get lost in his unique and universal vortex of symbols. His work raises awareness on the social contemporary issues of Sri Lanka in comparison to the global panorama.

The two special mentions go to Sandra Cattaneo Adorno for the extraordinary capacity of capturing the intense beauty of everyday life through the harmony of the human bodies with a talented and sensible sight, and Elizabeth Heyert for presenting records of people who have been encouraged to examine their essential self, either by going deeply inward or, freed by hypnosis, accessing a hidden, subconscious world. Her projects Metamorphosis and Bound delve beneath the constructed facades we all present to the world and propose another level of self-reflection.

A special mention for Carrie Able and her multidisciplinary project Dall’Anima, which goes beyond the classical fine art practice and extends the souls of the artworks through the use of Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality. And to Superchief Gallery who has dedicated themselves to presenting digital Art to a large audience worldwide. Superchief Gallery defends a new form of cultural exchange and especially presents artists whose works are not limited to traditional art forms.

The two special go to Geraldine Ondrizek & Reed College in recognition of the care in selecting artists' books of immense value and quality making possible for the public to see a rare and unique collection. Furthermore, the award has been assigned for the foresight in investing energies and resources on talented and young students; and to the University of Applied Arts Vienna for having completed the installation with a rich and stimulating program of initiatives, events and inspiring discussions that have enriched the participants with knowledge and inspiration.