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The 2016 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award Now Open for Submissions

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2015 was awarded to American University of Sharjah students Nada Al Mulla and Salwa Al Khudairi for their work, Keswa.

Press Release

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award, presented by NYU Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, and in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), is now open for 2016 submissions. Created to nurture artistic talent in the United Arab Emirates, the Award annually recognizes the creation of an artwork that, in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, can be publicly exhibited and enjoyed. 

The award is open for applications until November 30, 2015. Entrants may select any medium including, but not limited to, photography, sculpture, installation, land art, or video. The winning artist will receive USD 5,000 to enable the production of the new work. The artist will also be gifted USD 10,000 by Christo himself to fund future artistic projects, study and work experience. 

NYUAD’s Vice Provost for Intellectual and Cultural Outreach, Reindert Falkenburg says: “The work that has been created to date as a result of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award is a testament to the creativity and talent within the UAE, as well as the appetite for artistic expression within public spaces. We are delighted with the impact this award has had since its inception, and look forward to continuing to nurture creative ambition among aspiring young artists.” 

The winning artwork will be unveiled during ADMAF’s 2016 edition of the annual Abu Dhabi Festival in April and will be available for viewing at NYUAD throughout the month-long Festival. 

H.E. Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, says: “The unveiling of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award has become a highlight of the Abu Dhabi Festival. There is so much artistic talent grown and nurtured in the UAE and the quality of the submissions we have seen in the past has really been a credit to this. At ADMAF, we pride ourselves on giving this talent a platform on which to shine, and I am very excited to see what the Award, now in its fourth year, will bring to Abu Dhabi Festival 2016.” 

Christo comments “Creativity is the lifeblood of civilisation — and supporting creativity in the UAE is so important. The experience this Award offers young artists is tremendous. Good luck to all our applicants.”

The 2015 Award honoured third year Architecture students Nada Al Mulla and Salwa Al Khudairi, from the American University of Sharjah, for their creative sculpture, Keswa. Previous winners include Sheikha Maryam bint Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2013 and Erin Meekhof from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2014.

Established in 2012, the Award is designed to encourage the creation of new artwork in the UAE, act as a launch pad for visual artists across the Emirates, and offer the winner an insight into professional life as an artist from conception to exhibition. 

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 115 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.