Deadline: 30-Nov-26
The Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art is a biennial award recognizing permanent and temporary public art projects that have created a transformative impact on communities across the Near East and North Africa (NENA). The prize is open to emerging and established artists, architects, designers, and studios, with eligible projects completed between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2025.
What Is the Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art?
The Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art is a biennial award designed to recognize outstanding public art projects across the Near East and North Africa.
The prize focuses on public artworks that go beyond artistic expression to create meaningful changes within their communities and surrounding environments.
It aims to promote a stronger culture of excellence in public art while giving regional artists and creative professionals greater international visibility.
What Are the Objectives of the Prize?
The award seeks to strengthen public art across the Near East and North Africa by:
- Recognizing transformative public artworks.
- Supporting emerging and young creative professionals.
- Giving established regional artists greater international exposure.
- Encouraging high standards of public art practice.
- Promoting dialogue between artists, designers, architects, communities, and authorities.
- Supporting research and documentation of public art.
- Encouraging educational resources in Arabic and English.
- Connecting regional public art practices with international standards.
The programme also aims to encourage local authorities and cultural stakeholders to recognize the social and cultural value of high-quality public art.
What Types of Public Art Projects Are Eligible?
The prize accepts a broad range of permanent and temporary public art projects.
Eligible forms can include:
- Murals.
- Sculptures.
- Monuments.
- Public installations.
- Public spaces.
- Graffiti.
- Architecture.
- Urban planning projects.
- Other forms of public artistic intervention.
The project must be accessible within a public space and demonstrate a meaningful relationship with the surrounding environment or community.
Can Temporary Public Art Projects Apply?
Yes. Both permanent and temporary public art projects can be considered.
However, the project must have created a demonstrable impact and meet the programme’s other eligibility requirements.
Are Gallery Exhibitions Eligible?
Conventional gallery exhibitions and projects belonging to private collections are generally not eligible.
A project may be considered where a gallery-based or similar artistic intervention forms part of a broader public intervention.
The key distinction is that the submitted work must function as public art rather than simply as a conventional gallery exhibition.
What Is the Eligible Project Period?
Projects must have been completed between:
1 January 2019 and 31 December 2025.
Projects completed outside this period do not meet the stated project timeframe.
What Does “Transformative Impact” Mean?
The prize places strong emphasis on the impact of public art on communities and their environments.
A transformative project may demonstrate:
- Positive changes to a public space.
- Increased community engagement.
- Greater cultural participation.
- Stronger local identity.
- Improved relationships between communities and their environments.
- New opportunities for public interaction.
- Increased awareness of cultural or social issues.
- Meaningful dialogue between artists and communities.
Applicants should therefore demonstrate not only what the artwork is, but also what changed because the artwork was created.
Who Is Eligible?
The prize is intended for creative professionals involved in the development and delivery of public art projects.
Eligible applicants or project participants can include:
- Emerging artists.
- Established artists.
- Architects.
- Designers.
- Creative studios.
- Teams working collaboratively on public art projects.
The award particularly seeks to empower young and emerging artists, architects, designers, and studios while also recognizing established practitioners from the region.
What Geographic Region Does the Prize Cover?
The prize focuses on public art in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.
Projects should demonstrate relevance to the communities and public environments in the region and their transformative impact within those contexts.
What Does the Winner Receive?
The winner of the Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art receives:
- A statue designed by Dia al-Azzawi.
- A medal designed by Dia al-Azzawi.
- Travel and flight expenses to attend the annual award ceremony.
If the winning project is submitted by a team:
- Each team member receives a medal.
- The team receives one statue.
- Travel support is provided for the winner or a designated team representative to attend the ceremony.
Why Does the Prize Matter?
Public art can influence how communities interact with shared spaces, cultural heritage, identity, and one another.
The Dia al-Azzawi Prize seeks to strengthen this role by recognizing projects that demonstrate genuine community and environmental impact.
The programme also creates opportunities for regional artists to reach broader audiences and encourages greater documentation and academic research around public art practices in the Near East and North Africa.
Educational and Research Component
An important feature of the prize is its interest in creating educational materials based on submitted projects.
The initiative encourages the development of resources in:
- Arabic
- English
These materials can be informed by academic review and research of submitted public art projects.
This approach can help preserve knowledge about regional public art while making research and educational resources more accessible to wider audiences.
How to Prepare a Strong Submission
Step 1: Confirm the Project Date
Verify that the project was completed between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2025.
Step 2: Confirm That the Work Is Public Art
Make sure the project is accessible in a public space and is not simply a conventional gallery exhibition or privately held artwork.
Step 3: Explain the Artistic Concept
Describe the project’s artistic purpose, design, context, and creative approach.
Step 4: Demonstrate Community Impact
Clearly explain how the project affected the surrounding community.
Useful evidence may include:
- Community participation.
- Audience engagement.
- Changes to public space.
- Local partnerships.
- Community feedback.
- Educational activities.
- Cultural or social outcomes.
Step 5: Explain Environmental or Spatial Impact
Describe how the artwork changed, activated, improved, or interacted with its surrounding environment.
Step 6: Highlight Collaboration
If the project involved architects, designers, local communities, government authorities, cultural organisations, or other partners, explain their roles.
Step 7: Document the Project
Provide strong documentation showing the completed work and its public context.
Photographs, project records, community evidence, and other relevant documentation can help demonstrate the project’s significance and impact.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid:
- Submitting work completed outside the eligible date range.
- Submitting a conventional gallery exhibition without a wider public intervention.
- Failing to establish that the artwork is located in a public space.
- Describing the artwork without explaining its community impact.
- Providing insufficient evidence of the project’s completion.
- Focusing only on artistic quality while ignoring social or environmental impact.
- Failing to explain how the project transformed or contributed to its surrounding environment.
Tips for a Strong Application
Focus on Impact, Not Only Appearance
A visually impressive artwork is not necessarily transformative public art. Explain what the project changed for people and place.
Provide Evidence
Where possible, support claims about community impact with concrete examples, participation information, partnerships, feedback, or documented outcomes.
Explain the Public Context
Show how the artwork interacts with its location and why that particular public environment matters.
Demonstrate Long-Term Value
If the project created lasting cultural, social, educational, or environmental benefits, make these outcomes clear.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Award: Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art
- Frequency: Biennial
- Geographic focus: Near East and North Africa
- Eligible applicants: Emerging and established artists, architects, designers, and studios
- Eligible projects: Permanent and temporary public art
- Examples: Murals, sculptures, monuments, installations, public spaces, graffiti, architecture, and planning
- Eligible completion period: 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2025
- Core requirement: Demonstrable transformative impact on the surrounding community and environment
- Prize: Statue and medal designed by Dia al-Azzawi
- Travel support: Flight and travel expenses for the winner or designated team representative to attend the annual ceremony
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art?
It is a biennial award recognizing transformative public art projects in the Near East and North Africa. The prize supports excellence in public art and provides greater visibility to regional artists and creative professionals.
Who can be recognized by the prize?
The prize is open to emerging and established artists, architects, designers, and studios involved in eligible public art projects.
What types of projects can be submitted?
Eligible projects can include murals, sculptures, monuments, installations, public spaces, graffiti, architecture, and planning, as well as other permanent or temporary public interventions.
What project completion dates are eligible?
Projects must have been completed between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2025.
Can a project displayed in a gallery qualify?
A conventional gallery exhibition or privately held artwork is generally not eligible. However, a project connected to a gallery may qualify if it forms part of a broader public intervention.
What does the winner receive?
The winner receives a statue and medal designed by Dia al-Azzawi, together with travel and flight expenses to attend the annual ceremony. For a winning team, each member receives a medal and the team receives one statue.
What is the most important factor in the selection?
A central consideration is the project’s transformative impact on its surrounding community and environment. Applicants should demonstrate both artistic quality and meaningful public impact.
Conclusion
The Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art provides an important platform for recognizing innovative and transformative public art across the Near East and North Africa. By combining artistic recognition with research, education, community dialogue, and international visibility, the biennial award seeks to strengthen the region’s public art ecosystem.
Artists, architects, designers, and studios with eligible projects completed between 2019 and 2025 should focus their submissions on demonstrating not only the artistic strength of their work but also its lasting impact on communities, public spaces, and the surrounding environment.
For more information, visit Tamayouz Excellence Award.