ArtPrize

ArtPrize 2023 – the 13^th year of the international art competition – takes place September 14-October 1, 2023.

ArtPrize extends for 18 days to give visitors the opportunity to see as many of the hundreds of artworks on display as possible.

The ArtPrize District spans nearly four square miles of downtown Grand Rapids. Art is displayed in and around museums, parks, universities, retail shops, office spaces, restaurants, breweries, churches and any other space within the district that wants to participate. The greatest concentration of art can be found in the Downtown Convention Neighborhood.

Yes, it is FREE – there is no charge to see any of the art, wherever it is located.

You do! Public voting determines who wins first place (and earns a $125,000 prize), second place ($50,000) and third place ($25,000). Stay tuned for details on how to vote.

There will also be a juror competition: a hand-picked committee will recognize artists who exemplify excellence in 2-D, 3-D, time-based, installation and digital categories. Each category winner will receive $20,000 and a second artist in each category will be recognized with an honorable mention.

New this year, Visibility Awards will award prizes of $15,000 each to recognize contemporary Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian and LGBTQIA+ artists.

This is on top of $200,000 in grant money that is available to help artists produce their work in the first place.

The ArtPrize ClubHouse is a great place to start. Located at 2 Fulton St. W. in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, it’s a central gathering place for visitors and artists. Stop at The Concierge for friendly customer service, merchandise and credentials. View the curated industrial-design showcase of The Haworth Design Gallery @ ArtPrize. Attend presentations and panel discussion exploring trends in the world of art and design downstairs in The Theatre. Take the elevator up to the fourth and fifth floors to visit Club Seen, a gallery and flex space featuring a series of performances, events and activations alongside stunning ArtPrize-curated competition entries.

The ArtPrize ClubHouse is also home to the Cultivate and ArtPrize Education Station.

Register at the ArtPrize website to receive instructions on how to vote as soon as they are available. ArtPrize has a new account platform, so If you’ve registered an account before, please go ahead and register as a new user.

You’ll be able to vote online or in person at The ArtPrize ClubHouse.

With more than 600 works of art to see, it makes sense to stay in Grand Rapids for at least a few days and pace yourself. You can find hotels here – a downtown hotel will give you walk-out-the-front-door access to ArtPrize while suburban hotels are just a 10-20 minute ride from all the festivities.

ArtPrize takes place over a four-square mile area of downtown Grand Rapids. It’s an easy (and eye-popping) walk between exhibits. Much of ArtPrize is included in the Downtown Refreshment Area, so you can enjoy an alcoholic beverage (purchased from an approved vendor) as you stroll.

You can also take the free, accessible DASH bus just about anywhere you want to go downtown. E-scooters and e-bikes can be rented, as well – download the Lime app to set up your session.

If you’re driving into downtown, check out this map of parking lots. You can also take the RAPID bus into downtown from many other areas of the city – visit the Rapid website for maps, schedules and fees.

Festivals, performances, workshops, walking tours and more. By partnering with Cultivate, ArtPrize is also investing heavily in education by creating opportunities for students throughout the region to experience and engage with art. All events will be listed here on the Experience Grand Rapids website as they are scheduled.

There are also all sorts of fun festivals and events happening in Grand Rapids during ArtPrize. For example:

• AQS QuiltWeek, Sep. 13-16
• GR African American Art & Music Festival, Sep. 15-16
• Art of Food Festival, Sep. 15-17
• Tech Week Grand Rapids, Sep. 18-23
• Broadway GR presents Funny Girl, Sep. 19-24
• Confluence Art, Music, Science & Tech Fest, Sep. 22-23
• Merchants & Makers Artisan Market, Sep. 23-24
• Brickworld LEGO® Fan Expo, Sep. 22-24
• Oktoberfest GR, Sep. 29-30
• “Brews at the Calder” Beer Festival, Sep. 30

Scroll down for a full list of local events happening Sep. 14-Oct. 1. If you’re extending your Grand Rapids visit before or after ArtPrize, visit our Calendar of Events to find things to do on the dates of your getaway.

Bookmark this page, follow ArtPrize on social (Facebook, Instagram) and create a profile on the ArtPrize website. Note that the official ArtPrize Facebook page was hacked and it is listed as Accounts Disabled (ArtPrize) until August 11 (at the latest).

Having grown the event into an international sensation over the course of little more than a decade, the founding organization behind ArtPrize donated the name and brand to the city of Grand Rapids, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design in 2022. The three partners are committed to moving ArtPrize forward into dazzling new directions.

More than 500,000 visitors typically attend ArtPrize in any given year. That makes it the world’s most attended public art event, according to The Art Newspaper.

“Creation, Destruction, Reflection,” a 3D art piece by Brad and Bryan Caviness won the Artist to Artist prize with a purse of $12,500. This was last year’s biggest single award. “In My Eyes,” a hand-painted portrait by Florence Clement de Grandprey, was the visitor favorite in two categories – 2-D and Artist Latina – earning $15,000 total.

Click here for a roundup of all 2022 winners.