2025 3Arts Awards Celebration
November 10th, 2025
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the creativity, resilience, and impact of Chicago-area artists. This year’s 3Arts Awards Celebration, our most ambitious investment in artists since the height of the pandemic, will honor 63 extraordinary awardees, including artists from both the Chicago metropolitan and Carbondale areas.
Monday, November 10
The Harris Theater for Music & Dance
205 E. Randolph
5:30 Welcome Reception
6:30 Awards Celebration & Performances
7:30 After Party
About the 3Arts Awards
The 3Arts Awards express our gratitude to Chicago’s artists for their indisputable contributions to the health and vibrancy of our city. Every year, ten artists who live and work in the six-county metropolitan area receive unrestricted $30,000 awards in dance, music, teaching arts, theater, and visual arts. Artists may use the award in any way that makes a difference to their lives and careers, including paying off debt, purchasing equipment, hiring collaborators, producing new work, and saving for the future.
We invite you to read two reports that compile reflections from artists who have received a 3Arts Award:
We thank our Award Partners and Community Award donors for their generosity in helping 3Arts support and advocate for local artists.
Selection Process
3Arts awardees are selected through a nomination and jury process. More than 100 artists are nominated annually by at least 35 anonymous local nominators--artists, curators, presenters, and advocates--who are acutely knowledgeable about the breadth of artists working in neighborhoods across the metropolitan area.
After the nominees have completed our online application process, five national, discipline-specific panels of jurors convene to select ten awardees from the applicant pool. 3Arts requires panelists to disclose conflicts of interest as part of the selection process. If a strong personal or professional relationship exists between a panelist and a nominated artist that might be an impediment to the integrity of the process, a full recusal from the discussion and vote is implemented.
In honor of the time and energy it takes to apply, all artists who submit an application will receive a $100 honorarium.
We express our gratitude to the most recent jury panelists.
Profiles of all 3Arts Awards recipients are accessible further below on this page, or download an awardee list in PDF here.
