Inspiring Taiwan's Artistic Creation: Taipei Arts Awards with a Prize of One Million NTD

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

Organized by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the annual highlight of the art world — the “2011 Taipei Arts Awards” — has now entered the final countdown for submissions. This year will continue the new format introduced in 2010, and for the first time, creators can apply as groups. The submission period runs from now until August 31, 2011. The grand prize winner will receive a cash award of NT$550,000 and can propose a solo exhibition plan within two years, which, upon approval, will be showcased at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

Since its inception, the “Taipei Arts Awards” has been positioned as an interdisciplinary competition exhibition and is recognized as one of Taiwan’s forward-looking awards in contemporary art. With ten years of development, the awards were restructured in 2010 to reduce the number of winners, increase prize money, and have the finalists compete for the top award through small-scale solo exhibitions. Winners will also gain the opportunity for future solo exhibitions at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. The aim is to further encourage and inspire a new generation of artists with maturity and growth potential, creating more platforms for dialogue and exchange in Taiwan’s contemporary art scene.

In addition to maintaining previous rules — that participants must be individuals with Republic of China nationality, with no age restrictions and no limitations on medium or size — the “2011 Taipei Arts Awards” will, for the first time, allow artistic groups to enter the competition. However, applicants may not register in both the individual and group categories. Any work that demonstrates a unique style and contemporary spirit, was created after 2009, and has not won any domestic public competition awards is eligible to apply. The “2011 Taipei Arts Awards” plans to select one grand prize winner, who will receive NT$550,000, and five “Honorable Mention” winners, each receiving NT$120,000.