Artprize is an annual contest that takes place in Grand Rapids, MI. The contest is open to anyone in the world who has a venue to display their work, and a venue can be created by anyone with permission to do so in the downtown area. The contest is decided by votes and anyone who visits the festival can cast a vote if they wish to do so.http://www.artprize.org/

There is a total of $449,000.00 awarded to the top ten artists; the first place entry receives $250,000.00. Any artist can submit one entry a year, and the venues pick which artists they want to display.http://www.artprize.org/about The contest is held from September 22 through October 10, and registration for artists is between March 15 and April 15.http://www.artprize.org/about/faq

Voting for the number one entry is decided completely by public votes, and the system to decide is set up in two separate votes. The first is a vote on all artist entries and the second is to decide on the top ten choices decided by the first massive vote. For the initial vote, individuals are allowed to cast one vote for multiple artists. In the second vote, only one vote can be cast by any member of the community.http://www.artprize.org/about/how

In the second year of Artprize, there were a wide variety of different paintings and art pieces entered into the competition. The top prize in 2010 was awarded to Chris LaPorte for his sketch titled Cavalry, American Officers 1921. This is a life sized sketch that is completed in painstaking detail. After winning the $250,000 prize, LaPorte said "It's been quite a blur," and "I'm still trying to piece it together."http://www.wzzm13.com/life/community/artprize/story.aspx?storyid=135084&catid=226

The second place prize was awarded to artist Mia Tavonatti for her piece titled Svelata. The piece is made entirely of tiny cut of stained glass and allegedly took the artist 2,700 hours to complete.http://www.artprize.org/artists/public-profile/49426<ref> Third place prize went to Beili Liu for her piece called Lure/Wave, which is made up entirely of red thread and sewing needles. The project was inspired by the Chinese legend that invisible red threads connect children to the ones they are fated to be with.<ref>http://www.artprize.org/artists/public-profile/50566

During the 2010 Artprize, there were also a wide variety of side awards, given to pieces in specific areas such as 3-D design, or sculptures. The list of all these awards and the top 50 overall candidates are available on the official Artprize website.http://www.artprize.org/

The winner of the first place prize in 2009 was Ran Ortner for his painting Open Water 24. This painting is currently located at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and was displayed for the contest in the "Old Federal Building" venue.http://blog.artprize.org/2010/04/21/what-happened-to-the-winner-of-artprize-2009/ Second place was awarded to Tracy Van Duinen. Tracy is a muralist and won $100,000.00 for her large scale mosaic on the Childrens Art Museum venue.http://www.artprize.org/about/history

Other specific awards were donated by sponsors in 2009. Last year, the awards were given for use of urban space, best time-based work best two-dimensional work, and best three-dimensional work. Sponsors must award a minimum of $5,000.00 in order for the prize to be considered officially eligible, and the sponsor can increase the prize if they desire.http://www.artprize.org/about/awards