Philly has award winning down to a fine art.
Today, the 2023 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards officially announced that Philadelphia has been named the Best City for Street Art in America.
Experts nominated Philly for the accolade and the country responded, voting for the City of Brotherly Love over an impressive list of nominees including Miami, Houston and Atlanta.
The Past Supporting the Future (承前啓後) by Eurhi Jones, Chenlin Cai and Yvonne Lung
— Photo by Visit Philadelphia
The award recognizes the more than 4,000 vibrant murals, sculptures, installations and other public art displays that make Philadelphia one of the largest outdoor public art galleries in the country.
Much of Philadelphia’s street art scene can be credited to Mural Arts Philadelphia, which has worked to earn Philly international recognition as the “Mural Capital of the World,” and the Association for Public Art (APA), which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022. (Want to learn more? Mural Arts offers guided tours, while the APA has compiled a robust selection of self-guided tours.)
We The Youth by Keith Haring
— Photo by A. Ricketts for Visit Philadelphia
32 Essential Pieces of Public Art in Philly
Philly’s public art scene is overflowing with both icons (Rocky Statue, LOVE sculpture) and hidden gems (Electric Street, Water Under the Bridge).
Click the button below to read our guide to just some of Philly’s most essential pieces of public art.
Recent Accolades
Philadelphia’s public art and mural scene has been garnering national (and international) attention for a while.
Travel + Leisure’s 2022 article charted a growing interest in street art and profiled 11 significant cities around the world, including Philadelphia, underscoring Philly’s commitment to public art and sculpture.
And National Geographic profiled the decades of work of Jane Golden, Mural Arts’ founder, and the organization’s long-term impact on the city and its neighborhoods.
Weaver’s Knot: Sheet Bend by Ball-Nogues Studio
— Photo by Visit Philadelphia
But the arts aren’t the only thing earning Philly the national spotlight.
Today’s accolade is Philadelphia’s second 10Best Readers’ Choice win of 2023 — the first being Philly’s Most Walkable City in the U.S. award — and it joins a staggering list of recent awards and accolades.
Earlier this year, The New York Times published 36 Hours in Philadelphia, an intimate itinerary highlighting Philly culture, notable landmarks and oft-hidden charms. And the Philly food scene cleaned up at the 2023 James Beard Awards, with four huge wins including Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon of Kalaya taking home the crown in the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category and Friday Saturday Sunday winning the Outstanding Restaurant award in its first nomination ever.
