Michelle Maynard in the New York Times spreads the word:

Ran Ortner, a painter from Brooklyn, was named the grand prize winner Thursday night in the ArtPrize, a public competition in Grand Rapids, Mich. He will receive $250,000, which organizers of the ArtPrize said was the largest cash prize ever awarded in an art competition. […] Mr. Ortner’s work, “Open Water No. 24,” received the highest number of votes among 10 finalists on display across Grand Rapids, a city of 200,000.

Brooklyn Painter Wins Popular Vote in Michigan Art Contest (New York Times)