Voting begins for artwork from Las Vegas students to be shown on Sphere

Voting begins Wednesday for the first round of consideration for artwork by Las Vegas students that will be displayed July 4 on the Sphere.

The Sphere XO Student Design Challenge will mark the first time the public will have a say in the imagery that will appear on the building’s exosphere. It’s also the first time a design from the public will be placed on the building that was first illuminated July 4, 2023.

The challenge, which will have a Fourth of July theme, is a collaboration between the Sphere, the Clark County School District and UNLV. People worldwide can now vote through June 5 at 11:59 p.m. via

thesphere.com/xo-student-design-challenge. Winning students’ artwork will debut on the exosphere on July 4.

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 — 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 attraction in the fall.

“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 of Sphere business operations for 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 4.”

Sphere technicians digitized all entries and offered renderings of what the displayed art could look like on the building.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.