BOSS introduced the BOSS AWARD for Outstanding Achievement during the debut Art Basel Awards Medalist Reception at Kunstmuseum Basel. This new award, created in collaboration with Art Basel Awards, forms part of the broader annual Art Basel Awards cycle and acknowledges a single recent work that has reshaped the cultural conversation.
ART
The initiative looks beyond traditional art boundaries and centers on a work produced within the last 18 months that has created visible, purpose-driven impact. The prize focuses on contributions that extend into mass culture, crossing into fashion, commerce, identity, and technological experimentation. With this award, BOSS signals an intention to elevate artistic practices that reach audiences across multiple cultural spaces.
The name of the award emphasizes achievement, but the criteria demand more than personal success. BOSS and Art Basel seek work that reflects ambition, responsibility, and personal authenticity, values closely tied to the brand’s identity. The winning project must engage with contemporary themes and have influence beyond traditional gallery settings.
Each year, a dedicated jury appointed by BOSS and Art Basel will select the recipient from a shortlist of nominees, including those previously named Art Basel Awards Medalists. The selection committee includes voices from across the art industry, as well as Marco Falcioni, Senior Vice President of Creative Direction at HUGO BOSS. The prize welcomes submissions from artists working in any medium, whether visual, digital, installation-based, or cross-disciplinary.
The total prize value stands at $100,000. Half of that amount will support a cause or community selected by the award recipient, allowing the artist to extend the reach of their work beyond their own practice. The other $50,000 will fund a new project, cultural initiative, or commission developed together with BOSS.
The award aligns with the Art Basel Awards’ broader platform, which honors figures shaping the future of the art industry. Launched earlier this year, Art Basel Awards recognizes contributors across nine sectors, including artists, curators, institutions, media, and behind-the-scenes allies. This structure places value on practice, momentum, and influence, not just reputation or market success.
Later in 2025, current Medalists will take part in a peer-led voting process to select 12 Gold Medalists. These recipients will represent the highest honor granted through Art Basel Awards and will be recognized alongside the BOSS AWARD winner in December at the official awards event in Miami Beach, Florida.
Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director of Art Basel Fairs, described the BOSS AWARD as a timely addition to the program. He emphasized its focus on works that have already broken into cultural consciousness and shaped social dialogue. The award responds to work that remains active, still unfolding, and deeply present in the public conversation.
BOSS’s role as presenting partner of Art Basel Awards marks an expansion of its longstanding relationship with the arts. Over the last three decades, the HUGO BOSS Group has supported numerous art-focused projects, and this new initiative builds on that history with a sharper focus on visibility and cultural relevance.
According to Marco Falcioni, the collaboration allows BOSS to connect with audiences beyond fashion. It reflects a broader vision to support creativity that resonates globally and contributes to present-day discourse. By linking its brand with figures who drive both aesthetic and societal momentum, BOSS continues to strengthen its position across creative industries.
With the launch of the BOSS AWARD for Outstanding Achievement, BOSS and Art Basel signal a shared commitment to artists working on the edge of form and influence, those who push art into daily life and create impact through ideas as much as through objects. The inaugural award will be announced alongside the Art Basel Awards Gold Medalists at the Official Night of the Art Basel Awards in December 2025.
