Sphere Entertainment has announced the return of the Sphere XO Student Design Challenge and this year’s theme: Earth Day. In its second year, more than 100,000 Clark County-based students will again be invited to create art to be displayed on the Exosphere, in Las Vegas, as part of the collaboration between Sphere, the Clark County School District (CCSD) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The winning students’ art will debut on the Exosphere on Earth Day – April 22, 2025.
The Second Annual Design Challenge comes on the heels of the inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge, which was centred on the Fourth of July and culminated with a community event to unveil the winning students’ art. The Earth Day theme for this year’s challenge will encourage students to think creatively about the intersection of art, technology, and planet Earth.
Winners will be selected by a combination of public voting and a panel of judges, and their work unveiled on April 22, 2025 in celebration of Earth Day. Additionally, winning CCSD high school and UNLV students will receive a $10,000 educational scholarship from Sphere.
Winning CCSD elementary and middle school students will earn a $10,000 donation from Sphere for their school’s art programme to further art education in public schools, along with tickets for their entire school to attend The Sphere Experience.
Rich Constable, executive vice president global head of government affairs & social impact, MSG Entertainment, said: “We are proud of this collaboration with the Clark County School District and UNLV which encourages students in our community to push the boundaries on their artistic expression, and elevates student art to the biggest canvas in the world. We were so inspired by what last year’s winners created for the Exosphere, and look forward to another remarkable showcase, this time on Earth Day.”
Dr Bradley Keating, assistant superintendent of community partnerships and government relations, Clark County School District, added: “Our schools are once again looking forward to participating in the Student Design Challenge. It was inspiring to see how last year’s contest engaged students across the district, and the donation from Sphere to the winning schools’ art programmes continues to benefit art education in our classrooms. We’re proud to be part of this initiative and its continued positive impact on Las Vegas’ youngest artists.”
Warren D. Cobb, associate dean, UNLV College of Fine Arts, commented:“The Student Design Challenge gives our students hands-on experience at the cutting-edge of art and technology. This type of learning is invaluable in preparing for future careers in the arts. We’re grateful that Sphere continues to partner with the local community to provide our students with access to one-of-a-kind opportunities right here in Las Vegas.”
About the Second Annual Sphere XO Student Design Challenge:
•Elementary and middle school students will create their artwork on a 2D drawing of Sphere
•Select high school and UNLV students will be provided with a VR headset and custom design tools developed by the Sphere team to aid in the creation of their art
◦They will also receive hands-on tutorials from Sphere designers on how to create art specifically for the Exosphere
•For the final judging and public voting, CCSD administrators will select 90 students (30 each from elementary, middle and high school) to represent the district; all 30 UNLV participants’ artwork will be submitted
◦The 120 final digitised submissions will be viewable on thesphere.com for public voting.
◦Additional information about the voting process will be announced at a later date
•Earth Day – April 22, 2025: Winners revealed
◦Four winners, one each from elementary school, middle school, high school, and UNLV, will be chosen by the general public
◦Four winners, one each from elementary school, middle school, high school, and UNLV, will be chosen by a panel of judges
The inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge recognised winners from six different schools across the county: Mackey Elementary School, McCaw Elementary School, Anthony Saville Middle School, Kathleen and Tim Harney Middle School, Liberty High School, and Legacy High School, as well as two students from UNLV. The winning students, who ranged from grades 5 through UNLV Graduate School created art inspired by the Fourth of July.
The Exosphere was first illuminated on July 4, 2023. The largest LED screen on Earth at 580,000sqft, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2m LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying more than 1bn different colours.
