Glad to hear there's more than just first prize, but that still doesn't address the inherent problems with democracy.

It would be better to choose the great works of art, completely undemocratically, rather than let the mob decide.  Anyone who has suffered through a student government election can tell you that the will of the public is not exactly... discerning.

If you were a great artist, and you are most likely near poverty if not living off food stamps, would you invest a half year of your life to make a statue for Grand Rapids that's going to be voted upon by the public a la American Idol?  If you were a great artist would you roll the dice with your food budget on this competition to potentially come up empty or would you try to find a paying client without the chance?

A better way to spend 250k would to identify 5 great artists, or maybe just three really great sculptors, and pay them to produce the great work rather than have a public competition, that's what I'm saying.

And well, maybe there is a downside.  And that would be that you end up with Tony the Tiger saying Grand Rapids is greaaat or a huge statue of Obama saying HOPE! Change!