GRAND RAPIDS -- Artists from around the world are expected to descend on Grand Rapids this fall to compete for votes and the world's largest prize for art during a two-week event announced by Amway heir Rick DeVos this morning.

The nearly $500,000 ArtPrize competition is designed to draw worldwide attention to Grand Rapids through its integration of technology, a diverse group of venues and the creations of hundreds of competitors working in virtually any medium.

Saying the comparison to "American Idol" is "inevitable," DeVos said prizes will be awarded based on public votes cast via text messages, the Web and special applications developed for devices such as the iPhone.

DeVos said he sees the democratic and technological aspects of the event as a way to "reboot the conversation between artists and the public."

The competition begins Sept. 23. Ten top vote recipients will be chosen after the first week to compete in a second round of public voting for the $250,000, $100,000 and $50,000 first, second and third place prizes to be awarded Oct. 8. Each finalist will receive at least $7,000.

The announcement ended more than a week of speculation that began when DeVos sent invitations to an event this morning where he planned to announce "a major initiative that will affect Grand Rapids for years to come."

A webcast of the public announcement of ArtPrize was available at the Internet broadcasting site Ustream.tv starting at 9 a.m.

Watch the ustream video:

And a promotional video:

The event draws on DeVos' experience with his company, Spout.com, an Internet community for film buffs, and thecommon.org, a Web site that matches the abilities of people in communities with organizations in need.

"A lot of my ideas are around using technology to connect people to each other or to art in new and interesting ways," said DeVos, 27, grandson of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos and son of former Amway chief executive and Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos. "Thinking about that, thinking about events, thinking about an overall love of art, I started to come up with questions like, 'What if we took a completely different approach to having an event in Grand Rapids?'

"What if the city itself was a gallery?"

DeVos said travels to international gatherings such as the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, helped him formulate ArtPrize.

The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has made a multi-year commitment to provide the prize money. Sponsorships are being sought for venues, artists and other facets of the event.

"Our family sees ArtPrize as a new and innovative way to engage and support the arts for the future," Betsy DeVos said in a statement. "Dick and I share our son's vision for encouraging everyone to explore the arts in a truly democratic way."

To avoid ballot-stuffing and other manipulations common with Internet voting, voters will need to register at ArtPrize venues to ensure they don't vote more than once during each component of the contest.

DeVos said how people react to the competition will be part of what makes ArtPrize a unique and engaging experience.

Hundreds of venues are expected to be part of the event, ranging from corporate lobbies and empty buildings to public parks.

Hear Press business reporter Chris Knape discuss ArtPrize this morning on WLHT:

DETAILS

Explaining ArtPrize

What: An international arts competition with nearly $500,000 in prizes awarded to artists whose works receive the most public votes

When: Sept. 23-Oct. 10

Where: Venues throughout downtown and surrounding neighborhoods

Cost: $50 entry fee for artists and a $100 registration fee for venues

Who are the artists? All professional and amateur artists 18 and older may participate

Where's the money coming from? The Dick & Betsy DeVos Foundation is providing prize money; corporate sponsors are being sought

More information: ArtPrize.org

The Web site ArtPrize.org will serve as "a dating site for artists and venues to meet each other" starting today, as they will need to work together to ensure an appropriate fit.

The former federal building, Huntington Bank's local headquarters, the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts and city parks and bridges are a few of the venues already committed to the project.

While DeVos said he didn't have any names of artists committed to the program, he has been working with artists around the world on developing the concept and generating interest.

"The call is going to go out to thousands and thousands of artists tomorrow to kick this off," he said during an interview Wednesday.

Entries will be accepted via the Web site until July 31.

The event will help harness and show off the creative energy and "cultural capital" Grand Rapids has developed over the years, said Joseph Becherer, director of exhibitions and curator of sculpture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

"This kind of gift tied to this kind of ingenuity can only mean something positive for Grand Rapids as it is now, but also helping to imagine Grand Rapids as it will be tomorrow," Becherer said.

Becherer said he sees pros and cons to the populist nature of the event. He noted the pop art movement of the 1950s and 60s had some similarities to ArtPrize.

"The idea of bringing artists together has, in some ways, a very American feel to it," he said.

Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Chicago-based urban development group CEOs for Cities, who helped DeVos develop the concept, called ArtPrize a "big idea" that will influence the way the world views Grand Rapids.

"I can't think of anything better for the city and its positioning as a city that's doing things that are cutting-edge," she said. "It's distinctive. It's never been done, and it's a very clever use of core resources. It just sort of hits on all cylinders."

Interactive ArtPrize Venue map

A map of the venues registered for ArtPrize, an international art competition being held in Grand Rapids, MI, Sept. 23 to Oct. 10.

View ArtPrize Venue map in a larger map

E-mail Chris Knape: cknape@grpress.com