Hosted in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ArtPrize is the world’s largest art competition and contains thousands of entries – and the viewers are also the voters:  public vote determines the winner of a $200,000 prize.

There are also large juried awards – —$360,000 to be exact!  Dave MacKenzie, founder and president of LiveWall, LLC and LiveRoof, LLC, is entering a 11′ x  130′ living mural called “Back to Eden.”

“The entry of “Back to Eden” is a living entry that ties the bonds between art, architecture and nature.  As ArtPrize is attended by hundreds of thousands of visitors, the living wall entry raises awareness of sustainable building practices and the unlimited potential for creativity in designing them.” ~ Dave MacKenzie

His VOTING code is:  54712

Tens of thousands attend ArtPrize, so this is a very high profile event for the entire living architecture industry. The competition opens today, September 18 and runs through October 6, 2013.

“Two rounds of voting will whittle down the field of 1,524 entries to 10 finalists.

Round one begins today and continues for the next 10 days. Each and every registered voter can cast a ballot for as many of the 1,524 entries as they like.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, ArtPrize’s website will begin posting the artists currently in the Top 100, Top 50 and Top 25 in the popular vote. The rankings will go up sometime after noon on that day.

Over the next four days, the standings will fluctuate in real time until the close of first-round voting at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Voting in the second round begins shortly after the Top 10 are unveiled. Registered voters get just one vote over the next four days until second-round voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013.

ArtPrize offers several ways to vote and participate in the radically open, urban exhibition founded by social media entrepreneur Rick DeVos.

You can vote online at each entry’s page on ArtPrize’s web site. You also can vote by text message by texting each artists’ unique, 5-digit voting code to 808080.

Finally, you can vote by mobile apps for both the iPhone and Android platforms.” ~ Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, MLive

About ArtPrize

When: Sept. 18-Oct. 6, 2013
Voting for Top 10 to be eligible for prizes: Sept. 18-28, 2013
How to Vote for “Back to Eden”:  VOTING code is:  54712.  Only people who register via phone app within the ArtPrize area or register at one of the hubs in downtown Grand Rapids can vote (so you actually have to be there to help determine the winner).  Find out more at: http://www.artprize.org/visit/visitors/details#visitor-how-to-vote
Where: 168 venues within a 3-square mile district downtown between Leonard Street and Wealthy Street, north to south; and between Straight/Alpine Avenue and College Avenue, west to east; and Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave. NE.
Venue Hours: Minimum hours for all venues are 5-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday from Sept. 18 through Oct. 6. Venues may be open for additional hours.
Venue Hours: Exhibition Centers and Showcase Venue hours: Noon-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sundays from Sept. 18 through Oct. 6.
Admission: Free admission to all ArtPrize venues during ArtPrize hours.

Time Magazine named ArtPrize one of Top Five Favorite Festivals – see here.

What a great way to highlight beautiful public art and bring people downtown in a fun, family atmosphere!  If you’re in the Grand Rapids area and attend ArtPrize, please vote for “Back to Eden” by our colleague Dave MacKenzie, VOTING code:  54712.

Learn more about ArtPrize: http://www.artprize.org/about

Happy greening!

~ Linda V.