KP Prize and Audience Award

William Niels Møller Nielsen //
30 / Root note: cuckoo (the concert)
31 / Ectoplasm, Chewed paper
32 / Rehearsal
33 / Komposition 1 & 2
34 / Perron foyer (platform 1)
35 / Exercise II (wash drawing)

The prize winner has been selected by a jury consisting of visual artists Lasse Krog Møller, Lars Worm and Pia Möller-Light (chairperson of KP), and they justify the awarding with following words:

William Niels Møller Nielsen has created a body of works spanning installation, sculpture, and objects—on the floor and on the wall. It is a play with materials and expression, an expression that is playful and consistently distinctive.
At once, it is executed with both precision and imperfect, homemade solutions, which immediately arouse the viewer’s curiosity.
The viewer is compelled to move around. One must listen, get close, and even down on one’s knees to explore the details and discover small whimsical worlds hidden under the stage, under the platform, and on the ground floor of a white, guitar-droning apartment building with handles and on wheels.
It is certainly not without humor.

Congratulations to William Niels Møller Nielsen on winning the KP Prize 2026!
@willyniels

More about The KP Prize →

Niels Anton Kjems// Tag plads, oil on canvas, 113x190 cm
KP26
(A total of 1056 votes were cast, of which 118 went to Niels Anton Kjems)

Congratulations!

Niels Anton Kjems (født 2005) Bor og arbejder i Aarhus.
@kjemster

More about The Audience Award →

Marek Ranis // Like Shishmaref / video / 16:38 min
(Jury; Bodil Sohn, Jesper Rasmussen and Pia Möller-Light)

The jury justify the awarding with following words:

In the 16-minute-long video Like Shishmaref, Marek Ranis compiles footage from two American island communities, both of which have undergone drastic changes and are threatened by climate change: the human-deserted village of Shishmaref, located on an island in the Bering Strait in northern Alaska, and the overwhelmed resort area of the Outer Banks, consisting of a long chain of islands off the coast of North Carolina.
Although the two island communities are very different and are separated by over 7000 kilometers in entirely different climate zones, their environmental challenges and transformations are strikingly similar.
Marek Ranis demonstrates the uniform, climatic landscape changes by continuously juxtaposing footage from the two locations into a fascinating and visually striking video.
There are no words or spoken commentary, no explanations—only images that speak for themselves. Visual art in its own right.
There are also no moralistic finger-wagging or bombastic proclamations to steer the viewer in a particular direction or to standardize the experience; instead, it offers a poetic, sensual stream of images open to various interpretations and reflections, as is the case with all good art.
The disturbing and destructive circumstances brought about by the dramatic climate changes are thus portrayed in a very understated and discreet manner, making the video a powerful artistic experience.

Congratulations to Marek Ranis on winning the KP Prize 2025!

>> Marek Ranis's website

Kristine Baagland // Indgang K (Entrance K)
SPRING25
(A total of 1024 votes were cast, of which 96 went to Kristine Baagland)

Congratulations!

Kristine Baagland (born 2000) Lives and works in Aarhus.
In addition to visual art, Kristine Baagland also works with poetry and poetry readings and she is an active member of Unge Danske Digtere (Young Danish Poets).
@baagland.kunst

More about The Audience Award →

Marc Du // 'Mod en blødere verden' ('Towards a softer world') / painting / 120x100 cm
(Jury; Pernille Lærke Andersen, Peter Flejsborg and Charlotte Fogh)

The jury offered this motivation for their choice:

This is a persuasive work combining direct intent, conviction and clear technical ability. It invites the viewer into the past, with references to both Munch, Hammershøi and Pop art, while also depicting the present through an image of Nour Fog’s remarkable sculptural world. As you look deeper, the reality faced by the artist becomes more and more tangible. Through its lucid and meticulous connections to both past and present, the work expresses a mood that many artists often experience; one of uncertainty and a search for justification. Marc Du has previously exhibited at KP in 2022 and 2023, and if the evolution and distinct approach evidenced here continues, we believe there is much to look forward to.

Congratulation to Marc Du!

Peter Rolsted // 'Lyset er noget særligt' / acrylic on canvas, 118x68 cm, 'Nice 1999' / acrylic on canvas, 55x100 cm and 'Mads og Peter' / acrylic on canvas, 55x100 cm
(A total of 898 votes were cast, of which 93 went to Peter Rolsted)

Congratulations!

Peter Rolsted is a second-year student at the Jutland Art Academy.
@prolsted

More about The Audience Award →

Charlotte Skak // 'Æstetisk Redskab 2' ('Aesthetic Instrument 2') / video / 09:00 min.
(Jury; Pernille Lærke Andersen, Peter Flejsborg and Jesper Rasmussen)

The jury offered this motivation for their choice:

Charlotte Skak’s video “Æstetisk Redskab 2” (“Aesthetic Instrument 2”) is an example of the power of simplicity when the core substance is well-defined. Little happens in the piece: three elderly women in their underwear dance quietly and silently in a dark, indefinable space.
One could easily interpret the video as a straightforward body-political statement, where the three women represent an alternative physical ideal to the youthful, slim, well-trimmed appearance normally promoted by the media.
But that would merely be a banal political expression of opinion, one which is already familiar and integrated in the social debate.
So that’s not so interesting in itself.

No, the video’s strength lies in the fact that it is gracefully self-contained, and honest and faithful to both its subject and its actors. There’s no unnecessary staging, no distancing irony, just a steadfast belief that the dancing women are participating in their own right: they’re not representing anything other than themselves and their beautiful bodies.
They’re clearly enjoying it, their own presence, no matter what others might think.

Historically, art has always been obsessed with the concept of beauty. Here beauty unfolds with startling power: not least in the close-up shots of stomachs and thighs, where the shapes, colours and movements of the skin are pure, simple, and exquisite, like in a Renaissance painting.
As the title makes clear, an aesthetic instrument.

Annette Nielsen // '2 x Banan I' and '2 x Banan II' / paintings / -  'Whitewash' / video.
(A total of 643 votes were cast, of which 70 went to Annette Nielsen)

Congratulation!

Annette Nielsen
Lives and works in Aarhus
Free Artschool Helsinki, Aarhus Art Academy.
@1anniecho

More about The Audience Award →

Jonatan Wejnold // 'Dear Rock of the Real World' / video / 05:03 min.
(Jury; Pernille Lærke Andersen, Peter Flejsborg and Jesper Rasmussen)

The jury offered this motivation for their choice:

In his avatar video Dear Rock of the Real World, Jonatan Wejnold depicts a digital universe with an accomplished aesthetic and a strong poetic undertone.
You are led into a digital flower world of great, sensual beauty which is emphasized by music that is both simple and seductive.
But beauty has a downside, an inherent dystopia, where the ecological catastrophe threatens so that it all capsizes and perishes, and where glitch and flaws appear in the picture at intervals.
With its digital tools, the video is a convincing manifestation that points to an uncertain future.

Review (in danish)
Skønheden har en bagside: KP-prisen 2022 går til æstetisk og dystopisk værk / 13 April 2022 / Aarhus Stiftstidende / by Kirstine Lefevre Sckerl

Pia Skogberg and Mette Hegnhøj // å andra sidan / installation
(A total of 768 votes were cast, of which 49 went to å andra sidan)

More about The Audience Award →

Ditte Johanne Krogh Bertelsen // 'Untitled (kitschen)' / video
(Jury; Lisbeth Bachman, Jens Erik Sørensen and Jesper Rasmussen)

The jury offered this motivation for their choice:

The five minute long video consists of two simple views of a kitchen where a body, lying on the floor, moves in small jerks across the space.
The video is a performative registration and exploration of the space involving elements of sexual stereotypes, such as nudity, vulnerability, high-heeled shoes and a kitchen, and at the same time is completely enigmatic in its difference, which resembles nothing we have seen before. This in itself is a remarkable achievement!

Marie Kaarøe // Kilo(Cubic)Meter (100 x 100 x 100 cm - 1000 metres parashute line, steel)
I + I + I (220 x 200 x 30 cm - Pencil on paper, mdf)

Review (in danish)
Lykkelig prisvinder: Arkitekten vil helst være kunstner / 29. april 2021 / Aarhus Stiftstidende / Hans Petersen

David Ramirez Gomez // 'Inrejse' / video
(Jury; Lisbeth Bachman, Jens Erik Sørensen and Jesper Rasmussen)

A short video portrait of David Ramirz Gomez, awarded the KP Prize 2018 (08:22 min)
Producer: Lisbeth Bachman
Photo & editing: Jes Thomsen

Review (in danish)
Colombianer i Aarhus scorede KP-prisen_Århus Stiftstidende_2019-03-30_af Hans Petersen →

Johnny Schmidt Erbs // 'Poem Memories' / paintings

Review (in danish)
Vinder af Kunsthal Aarhus' Publikumspris: Erbs var deres suveræne favorit_Århus Stiftstidende_2019-04-24_af Hans Petersen →

Sine Vadstrup Brooker // 'For The Time Being' / video- and sound installation (in corporation with David Adler)
(Jury; Lisbeth Bachman, Bodil Sohn and Jesper Rasmussen)

A short video portrait of Sine Brooker, awarded the KP Prize 2018 (03:42 min)
Producer: Lisbeth Bachman
Photo & editing: Jes Thomsen

Review (in danish)
Det tager 18 minutter at se KP's bedste værk_Århus Stiftstidende_2018-03-18_af Hans Petersen →

Noelia Mora Solvez // 'BIRDS' / video installation

A short video portrait of Noelia Mora Solvez, awarded the Audience Award 2018 (05:25 min)
Producer: Lisbeth Bachman
Photo & editing: Jes Thomsen

Reviews (in danish)
Suveræn vinder af publikumspris: Fuglene tryllebandt publikum_Aarhus Stiftstidende_2018-04-11_af Hans Petersen →
De menneskelige fugle_Magasinet Kunst_2018-04-05_anmeldelse af Noelia Mora Solvez' 'BIRDS' ved Louise R. Christensen →

Pascal Mayet // 'Ellinikon' / drawings
(Jury; Mikkel Svane Kristensen, Bodil Sohn and Jesper Rasmussen)

A short video portrait of Pascal Mayet - awarded both KP Prize and Audience Award 2017  (12:46 min)
Producer: Lisbeth Bachman
Photo and editing: Jes Thomsen

Review (in danish)
KP-prisen. Årets vinder har en usædvanlig historie_Århus Stiftstidende_2017-04-01_af Ole Christensen →

Pascal Mayet // 'Ellinikon' / drawings

Review (in danish)
KP17 prisvinder var også publikums favorit_Århus Stiftstidende_2017-04-27_af Hans Petersen →

Jane Pedersen/Ulrik Lund // 'Darkness III' / 'Hidden Suppression Fragments of Control II' and 'Hidden Suppression Fragments of Control IIII' / Stereoskoper
(Jury; Mikkel Svane Kristensen, Bodil Sohn and Jesper Rasmussen)

Reviews (in danish)
>> Han har luret mange store kunstnere af_Århus Stiftstidende_2016-03-20_Hans Petersen

Kamilla Jørgensen // 'Salmer' / 'Pude' / objekter
Vibeke Jensen // 'Her lyser det stadig' / 'Her begyndte det' / paintings

A short video portrait of the awarded artists 2016 - Jane Pedersen/Ulrik Lund (KP Prize) and Kamilla Jørgensen and Vibeke Jensen (Audience Award) (10:10 min)
Producer: Lisbeth Bachman
Photo & editing: Jes Thomsen

Reviews (in danish)
>> To kunstnere deler Publikumsprisen 2016_Århus Stiftstidende, 2016-04-14, Hans Petersen

Maria Bang Espersen // 'Another layer' / Latex on floor
(Jury; Sanne Grauengaard, Bodil Sohn and Jesper Rasmussen)

Reviews (in danish)
>> Vi skaber vores egne sandheder_Om Maria Bang Espersen, modtager af KP-prisen 2015_Aarhus Stiftstidende_31-03-2015_Hans Petersen

Maja Malou Lyse // 'Womanliness can be assumed and worn as a mask' / 'Hang In There, Baby'/ Photo

Reviews (in danish)
>> Her er publikums favorit_omtale og interview med Maja Malou Lyse, modtager af Publikumsprisen 2015_Århus Stiftstidende_02-05-2015_Hans Petersen (pdf)

Katrine Hvid // 'Goldberg Revisited, triptych' / 'ENS UENS' / 'Ai-iro x-rays' / paintings
(Jury; Anne Katrine Graah Rasmussen, Jens Erik Sørensen and Jesper Rasmussen)

Reviews (in danish)
>> The KP-prize 2014_review in KOPENHAGEN.DK/magasin 15-04-2014_Anne Kristine Hvid Petersen
>> Vinderen tager et opgør med hurtigheden_omtale i Aarhus Stiftstidende 17-04-2014_Hans Petersen
>> Prisvinder får invitation til talentudstilling_Århus Stiftstidende_06-02-2015_Hans Petersen
>> Gensyn med en vinder med inspiration fra USA_Århus Stiftstidende_26-03-2015_Hans Petersen

Olga Benedicte Sandborg // 'Veni, Vidi Vici' / 'Nonverbal kommunikation - Mislykket samtale' / video and installation

Reviews (in danish)
>> Hun maler en nøgen mand grøn_omtale af Olga Benedicte Sandborgs deltagelse i KP14_JP Aarhus 09-04-2014_Louise Bull Nyvang (omtalen refererer ikke direkte til kunstpriserne, men Olga Benedicte Sandborg fik efterfølgende Publikumsprisen for de omtalte værker).

Stig Kaj Aunfelt // 'The Green Fairytale from Damascus 1-5' / tapestries
(Jury; Anne Katrine Graah Rasmussen, Jens Erik Sørensen and Jesper Rasmussen)

Reviews (in danish)
>> Stig Kaj Aunfelt vinder KP-prisen 2013_Kopenhagen.dk 3. april_Louise Stiewer

Herdis Jensen // 'Living Outside 3-4-5' / paintings

Reviews (in danish)
>> Sårbarheden findes overalt_Aarhus Stiftstidende 23. marts_Hans Petersen

Marija Griniuk // 'Factory' / 'Drums' / video
(Jury; Marianne Markvad, Jens Erik Sørensen and Jesper Rasmussen)

Reviews (in danish)
>> Godt initiativ for kunsten_Leder i Århus Stiftstidende d. 10. januar 2012 (pdf).
>> Priser skal trække flere kunstere til_Artikel i Århus Stiftstidende d. 10. januar 2012 (pdf).

Michael Würtz Overbeck // 'Deconstructing Reality' / installation

Reviews (in danish)
>> Om Publikumsprisen_Kopenhagen d. 25. april 2012
>> Interview med Michael Würtz Overbeck_v. Torben Zenth, Kopenhagen d. 4. maj 2012