Under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award, presented by New York University Abu Dhabi and in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) has been established to nurture artistic talent in the United Arab Emirates. It is an annual award produced in collaboration with The NYUAD Art Gallery.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude made monumental works on a huge scale for over half a century, including the wrapping of The Reichstag in Berlin and The Gates in Central Park, New York. Their drawings are held by most major museums, galleries, and collections around the world, including Guggenheim New York, Tate London, and the Centre Pompidou Paris. The work is also held by many major corporate collections including Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital, Daimler, and Toyota.

The Award is given for the proposal and creation of an artwork that, in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work, can be publicly exhibited and enjoyed.

Applicants are invited to propose an artwork that can be exhibited outside at Abu Dhabi Art, New York University Abu Dhabi and Um El Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi. It can be any media that allows the piece to be publically enjoyed, whether photography, film, land art, sculpture, multimedia etc.

To apply, all entrants need to complete an application form, which includes a proposed budget.

The winning work will be exhibited in Abu Dhabi, in November 2026.
The winning artist will directly receive $10,000 to enable the production of the new work.
To learn more about the work and practice of Christo and Jeanne-Claude we invite you to visit their website at: christojeanneclaude.net