If you were to ask someone what they thought Grand Rapids is most known for, everyone would probably say beer (Beer City, USA. Duh) and ArtPrize, the city-wide art competition that turns most of the city into one massive venue. People from around the world have discovered ArtPrize and enter it every year.

Since it started in 2009, it has been a staple way to end the summer by walking around the city and checking out all the incredible entries. ArtPrize 2024 ended last week and we officially know who won. So as we wrap up this year, let's look back at every Grand Prize winner since the start of ArtPrize till now.

Laura Hardy
Laura Hardy
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2024 ArtPrize Winner

Before we look back at where things started, let's look at this year's competition. This year's competition was won by John Katerberg, a Purple Heart veteran from Jenison who submitted a "bright and colorful oil and acrylic painting of a Lake Michigan sunset" he dubbed "Dynamic Sunset". The piece is absolutely stunning, and under the right light, really appears to be glowing.

Katerberg walked away with the $125,000 prize winnings. While Katerberg won the public voting prize, a different entry won the $50,000 Juried Grand Prize award. This award was decided on by expert jurors who placed their own votes for what they deemed the best. They chose "The Trauma Project", which you can read about here. 

Trauma Project via Artprize
Trauma Project via Artprize
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Now, let's see who won each year of ArtPrize so far.

All ArtPrize Winners from 2009 to 2024

In its 15th year, ArtPrize continues to draw hundreds of thousands of people to Downtown Grand Rapids each year to explore the art and venues dispersed throughout the city. While there are many winners each year, there is only ONE Grand Prize winner determined by the public via voting. Here is each winner from 2009 to now. All photos are courtesy of ArtPrize.

Gallery Credit: Tommy McNeill

 

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