Competitions > Juried Arts Festival
The Artists Forum proudly announces its 2025 Juried Arts Festival Award Winners. Links to Finalists and Winners works from our Spoken Word and Choreography Competitions highlighting our 2025 Theme: ACCESS are showcased below.
In total, this year’s festival featured 20 works from 5 countries: Canada, China, Finland, Germany, and the United States.
Congratulations to all our outstanding artists!
SPOKEN WORD AWARDS
2025 SPOKEN WORD WINNERS
BEST ENHANCED PERFORMANCE: Patient (Cassandra Rachel Myers & Sofia Auza, Canada)
BEST EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE: The Simultaneity of Breathing (Mersolis Schöne & Thomas Ballhausen, Germany)
BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE: What Latino Looks Like (Carlos Andrés Gómez, US)
CHOREOGRAPHY AWARDS
2025 CHOREOGRAPHY WINNERS
BEST FOLKLORE (LIVE PUBLIC PERFORMANCE): Taoist (Lu Yu, China)
BEST FOLKLORE (RAW TAKE): The Silent Dialogues (Muhua Li & Sizhen Lv, China)
BEST FOLKLORE (RAW TAKE) – STUDENT: Dragon in the Clouds (Yifan He & Yiheng Chen, China)
BEST INTERPRETIVE DANCE (ENHANCED): Kielo (Janina Rajakangas & Sinem Kayacan, Finland)
BEST MODERN DANCE (LIVE PUBLIC PERFORMANCE) – tie!:
Chasing Horizons (Yimeng Li & Langhuize Liu, China)
Fullmoon (Qiaoyi Chen & Hanbing Zou, China)
BEST MODERN DANCE (LIVE PUBLIC PERFORMANCE) – STUDENT:
Echoes in the Land of Isolation (Yiwen Liu, China)
MODERN DANCE (RAW TAKE) – STUDENT –tie!:
The Forgotten Sorrow (Yan Yujing, China)
Cleanse · Silence · Realm (Wenbo Ma & Yingjie Wang, China)
THIS YEAR’S THEME:
Our 2025 Competition Theme is ACCESS*
THE ARTISTS FORUM invites artists to showcase interpretations for the word: Access.
This theme explores the systems of power that shape inclusion and exclusion in society. By examining the barriers, opportunities, and struggles for equity, autonomy, and belonging, artists are encouraged to question who gains access, who is excluded, and what the consequences are.
Through this lens, the theme highlights how historical and systemic legacies of power continue to impact individuals and communities. We seek works that challenge inequities, envision pathways to inclusion, and reflect on the transformative possibilities of expanding access in a rapidly evolving world.
*While submissions aligned with our theme are preferred, we also accept non-theme related works.
MANY THANKS:
2025 Spoken Word Competition Jury: Ron P. Bremner, Patricia Carragon, Billy Lamont, Megha Sood, Amos White V, Baron Wright
2025 Choreography Competition Jury: Todd Ford, Matthew Westerby, Amos White V
ABOUT OUR JURIED ARTS OPPORTUNITIES
THE ARTISTS FORUM, now in its 26th year, is a New York City based non-profit arts service organization specializing in events, juried competitions, and media for artists.
Its JURIED ARTS FESTIVAL provides an accessible platform for artists of multiple genres to share their latest, most innovative, and influential works with diverse audiences through juried competition. Participant and Winner benefits include public acknowledgement of exceptional projects and career advancement opportunities for both the artists and their collaborators.
On-going opportunities include competitions in music, photography, spoken word, and choreography, with additional genres forthcoming. We encourage artists and members of the arts community to participate by submitting their strongest work for consideration.
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