group of people stand in front of the Sphere

2024 Sphere XO Student Design Challenge Winners Announced

Students receive scholarships while their artwork is run in rotation throughout the summer on the world's largest LED screen.

Sphere Entertainment Co. recently announced the winners of the inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge, which invited more than 100,000 students in the Clark County School District to create art for the Exosphere – the LED exterior of Sphere in Las Vegas. (UNLV)

On July 5, Sphere Entertainment Co. announced the winners of the inaugural Sphere XO Student Design Challenge, which invited more than 100,000 Clark County-based students to create art for the Exosphere – the LED exterior of Sphere in Las Vegas.

Eight Clark County-based students ranging from elementary school to graduate school won the opportunity to have their Fourth of July themed artwork displayed on the Exosphere – the world’s largest LED screen – as part of Sphere’s celebration of Independence Day.

older man and young female student holding onto check for $10,000
UNLV graduate math student Linjie Ying, left, won $10,000 after submitting winning artwork to the Sphere XO Student Design Challenge. Ling's design will appear on the Exosphere. (UNLV)

The debut of the students’ artwork also marked the first time that members of the general public had their creations displayed on the venue’s iconic exterior. The contest represented a first-of-its-kind community collaboration between Sphere, the CCSD, and UNLV; the students’ artwork will now run in rotation on Sphere throughout the summer.  

UNLV winners are graduate math student Linjie Ying and architecture senior student Raul Montez. In addition to having their work displayed on the Exosphere, the winning students received a $10,000 educational scholarship from Sphere.

Honorable mentions are UNLV art student Ryan Vellinga and theatre student Timothy Simon, who will receive $3,000 each from the Office of the President in support of this special student event.

older man and male student holding large check for $10,000
UNLV architecture student Raul Montez, left, was one of the students selected to have their design on the Exosphere as part of the Sphere XO Student Design Challenge. (UNLV)

The Sphere Fourth of July Celebration also marked the launch of two new features of the Exosphere experience moving forward: “XO Stream” presented by Verizon – an official livestream of the Exosphere that is now available  24/7 on thesphere.com, and “XO Audio” – custom audio synced to content on the Exosphere that is audible both onsite within Sphere’s property and online via “XO Stream.” 

Since the Exosphere was first illuminated on July 4, 2023, it has captured worldwide attention for its extraordinary visuals. The largest LED screen on Earth at 580,000 square feet, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode  capable of displaying more than 1 billion different colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline. 

About the UNLV College of Fine Arts

The College of Fine Arts educates, empowers, and engages creative people to become visionary change-makers in the arts through acts of imagination. At UNLV we believe the arts are an essential good for society. We make education relevant and accessible through our programs and outreach. We create new knowledge in the arts. We celebrate independent thought and the power of bringing people together to foster creativity.

Topics:

Las Vegas,  community partnerships,  awards,  students,  student success

Campus Units:

Department of Mathematical Sciences,  College of Fine Arts,  Department of Theatre,  School of Architecture,  Department of Art,  Performing Arts Center,  Office of the President

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