Untitled Art Houston, which launched last year, will expand the range of prizes available for exhibitors and their artists at the fair’s second edition in October. With the existing prizes from its debut edition, the monetary value of the prizes combined at this year’s edition could be as high as $113,200. The fair, which will return to George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston from 2 to 4 October, has announced new prizes with a range of local sponsors.
One of those Houston partners is the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the top-ranked cancer hospital in the United States, which will commit at least $20,000 for its inaugural acquisition prize. The prize will support MD Anderson’s Art Experience Program, which facilitates the display of contemporary art in hospital facilities. Public Art of the University of Houston System will also launch a new acquisition prize, pledging $25,000 to purchase work from exhibitors at the fair. Founded in 1969, the programme oversees a collection of more than 800 works across five campuses in the university system.
Hotel Daphne, a boutique hotel in Houston's The Heights neighbourhood, announced it will spend between $30,000 and $50,000 at the fair to acquire up to three works for its permanent collection to display at the hotel. The fourth new prize is sponsored by the Houston Grand Opera, which will award between $7,500 and $10,000 to an artist participating in the fair, as well as commissioning a new work and providing a residency with the opera during the upcoming rehearsal season.
“The evolution of our prize partnership programme reflects a broader commitment to artists that doesn’t end when the fair closes,” Michael Slenske, director of the Houston fair, said in a statement. “These partnerships create tangible pathways, whether through acquisition, institutional support or residency opportunities, for artists to deepen their practices and engage new audiences.”
Two residency prizes introduced for the fair’s inaugural edition will also continue: the PAC Art Residency Prize will offer a four-week residency in Houston tied to the fair’s 2027 edition, while the Casa Santa Ana Residency Prize will send an artist to Panama City for a six-week residency and exhibition. Last year’s prize winners were Teresa Serrano presented by Barbara Davis Gallery, and Ana Villagomez presented by Nino Mier, respectively.
Two additional prizes were given at Untitled Art Houston last year: the Hotel Lucine Artist Retreat Prize, which went to Shuling Guo, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Commission Prize, which was awarded to Estefania Puerta.
