Contemporary Arts and Culture Office Awards Art City Development Project Competition, Promoting Five Provinces as Art Cities

The Contemporary Arts and Culture Office (CACO) held an awards ceremony on May 22, 2025, for the Art City Development Project Proposal Competition. Culture Minister Sabeeda Thaisetr delegated Deputy Permanent Secretary of Culture Chotika Akkitsopha to preside over the ceremony and present awards at the Auditorium of the Rajdamnoen Contemporary Art Gallery in Bangkok.

The event featured a panel discussion titled "Project Proposals and Art City Development" led by two expert panelists: Lakkhana Kunawichayanan, a visual arts specialist, and Sirisak Khotchapathorn, a film expert. An exhibition of all submitted project proposals was also displayed, alongside performances from the "Phimai Inspire" community empowerment initiative.

CACO Director Kasetr Kamnertpetch stated that in 2025, the office recognized the importance of artist and cultural network participation in communities and opened calls for Art City Development Project proposals. A total of 56 projects were submitted from five provinces: Krabi (6 projects), Chiang Rai (18 projects), Nakhon Ratchasima (12 projects), Phrae (11 projects), and Ratchaburi (9 projects).

The evaluation committee, comprised of CACO executives, contemporary arts and culture experts across various disciplines, and provincial culture officers from all five provinces, reviewed proposals based on community participation, economic and social impact, implementation feasibility and budget, and sustainability and management. The winning projects were:

Grand Prize (1 award): "Banok: International Contemporary Art Festival in Rural Areas" (Phase One) from Ratchaburi Province, led by Pornpilay Mimailay, awarded a trophy and 20,000 baht prize money, plus 900,000 baht in project implementation support.

Excellence Awards (5 awards): Recipients receive trophies and 10,000 baht prize money, plus project implementation support of 500,000 baht each.