Sphere Entertainment has announced that public voting is now open in the Sphere XO Student Design Challenge.
This marks two noteworthy firsts for the venue – both the first time the general public will have a say in what appears on the Exosphere, and the first time members of the general public have created art for the exterior of the venue, which, as part of the Challenge, is inspired by the 4th of July. The Challenge is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Sphere, the Clark County School District (CCSD) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). People worldwide can vote now through Wednesday, June 5 at 11:59pm PT via thesphere.com/xo-student-design-challenge. Winning students’ artwork will debut on the Exosphere on July 4, 2024.
“The talent and creativity of all of the local students who participated in the Sphere XO Student Design Challenge is remarkable,” said Jennifer Koester, President, Sphere Business Operations, Sphere Entertainment. “This Challenge brings together artistic expression and technology in a way that uniquely captures how the Exosphere has become an engaging platform for public art, and we’re pleased the public will now play a significant role in choosing the art appearing on Sphere on July 4th.”
More than 100,000 Clark County-based students were invited to create art themed around the 4th of July for the Exosphere. Members of the public can now view submissions from the more than 100 finalists – from elementary school, middle school, high school, and college – and vote for one entry from each of the four student groups. Four winners – one from each student group – will be chosen by public voting, and four winners – one from each student group – will be selected by professional artists who have previously designed for the Exosphere, including Refik Anadol and Michela Picchi.
In addition to seeing their work displayed on the Exosphere, winning high school and UNLV students will receive a $10,000 educational scholarship from Sphere, while winning elementary and middle school students will earn a $10,000 donation from Sphere for their school’s art program to further art education in public schools along with tickets for their entire school to attend The Sphere Experience this Fall.
Since the Exosphere was first illuminated on July 4, 2023, it has captured worldwide attention for its impactful visuals. The largest LED screen on Earth at 580,000 square feet, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying more than 1 billion different colours – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.
