Art Prize is Back in 2021

Grand Rapids is betting the pandemic will be manageable by September to bring back one of the city's signature events: Art Prize.

After a year of nearly everything being cancelled or postponed, it is exciting to have something on the calendar. Art Prize shared the good news on their Facebook page December 31st.

ArtPrize is Back! Mark your calendars for Sept 16-Oct 3, 2021. Artist and venue registration dates are coming soon. Cheers to the New Year, we can’t wait for what 2021 will bring.

The nearly 3-week event is an international art competition that has truly become a world-class event. Proving art is not just for a certain type or class of people, projects are created in many varying mediums and media and displayed throughout the city- even in the Grand River at times. The public votes on their favorites a $200,000 award is the grand prize.

On the tenth anniversary of Art Prize in 2018, organizers made a major change, limiting the full-scale competition to every other year, with special projects in "off" years. And then, 2020. In a year that was supposed to be a major show, nothing happened. Now, in a teaser video, the message is "everything is happening right here." Bring on 2021 and creativity once again as Art Prize returns to Grand Rapids.