Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Competition

The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Commission has identified the southwest plaza of Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park as the site for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial.

An 85‐acre sustainable waterfront park, Brooklyn Bridge Park stretches 1.3 miles along Brooklyn’s East River shoreline.

Pier 1 is 9.5 acres, making it the largest of the park piers. When it comes to panoramic views of lower Manhattan, Pier 1 is the place to be. It includes large lawns, a playground at the north edge, a waterfront promenade and a series of tree-lined pathways that provide a varied waterfront experience.

The chosen site offers a backdrop of the old Pier 1 piles and a spectacular view of New York Harbor, making it unique thanks to its many vantage points. A ferry dock is located to the north of Pier 1 at Fulton Ferry Landing and services the East River Route and South Brooklyn Route. Pier 1 is also accessible by the B25 bus, which stops at Fulton Ferry Landing and multiple subway lines, including the 2, 3, A, C, and F trains.

Respondents are strongly encouraged to visit Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park, or at a minimum thoroughly use virtual resources, to develop a full understanding of the site and neighborhood context.

The southwest plaza is roughly 1000 square feet and has a load capacity of 250 PSF.

Site Considerations:

All submissions must conform to the following minimum criteria:

• The Site is located within a public park. All designs must be consistent with public access and must align with the uses that surround the site.
• All designs must take maintenance into account and should be designed in a way to minimize future maintenance expenses.
• Designs should also consider the four-season nature of the New York City climate to permit meaningful year-round visitation.
• All plantings proposed must be consistent and congruous with the existing planting palette in the Park.

The budget for the memorial will be made up of a combination of state funds and private donations. The state has committed $1 million to the project to cover capital costs, and a final budget of $1 million to $2 million dollars (inclusive of state funds and private donations) is anticipated.

The final budget will cover the total cost of designing, fabricating, and installing the artwork, in addition to landscaping costs; and as a condition of an award, an agreement will be executed to assure design, fabrication, and installation is consistent with the selected design proposal and in coordination with Brooklyn Bridge Park where the artwork will be located.

The “Call for Artists” encompasses a two-phase process to identify a team and design for the Memorial, which will include:

• Phase One: A request for proposals to identify broad concepts and information outlining the intent and major features of the memorial; and
• Phase Two: A request for finalized design concepts from a qualifying list of 3-5 individuals or teams, which would require a more detailed design sketch including a site plan, professional cost estimate, and a detailed project schedule. There will be a prospective artist fee offered for the phase two submissions.

Phase One Application Deadline: All materials must be submitted by February 2, 2026, 11:59pm ET. (Please see “Competition Schedule” for a full list of relevant dates).

1. ­­­­Contact Information (1 Page maximum)

Up-to-date contact information for all team members including:

• Full Name (First and Last)
• Organization (If applicable)
• Phone Number
• Mailing Address (Address, apartment, city, state, country, zip code)
• Email Address
• For team submissions, indicate a lead point of contact

2. Bio/CV (1 page maximum) and Statement of Qualifications (2 pages maximum)

Artists (including artists, architects, designers, and others) must provide a bio/CV that demonstrates the following:

• Evidence of previous experience in public art or privately commissioned work on a monumental scale, with site-responsive design, project management, fabrication, and construction administration.
• While not required, it is strongly preferred that artists have examples of previous experience with large-scale outdoor original sculpture or sculptural installation projects with fabrication budgets over $400,000 each. Artists are strongly encouraged to apply as part of a team that includes a fabrication firm or foundry. Bidders must be 18 years of age or older.

The statement of qualifications should also address the following:

• Demonstrated capacity and availability to undertake the project’s scope and schedule.
• Ability to attend meetings with stakeholders to discuss the project.
• Confirmation of availability to design, fabricate, and install the piece between November 2026 and March 2028.
• Reference(s): Contact information for one reference for the artist or artist team who can speak to the artist’s/artist team’s experience in the design of public art, preparation of construction and fabrication documentation, and its ability to manage the fabrication and installation of the artwork. If invited to continue to Phase Two, please be prepared to provide a minimum of two additional references. References may be called upon to answer questions. References should be for relevant experience in the past five years. Artist reference(s) should be related to public art experience or art of a monumental nature. Artists without the requisite experience may submit as part of a team with a member who meets these qualifications.

Certain Contract Requirements: Please be advised that the selected Artist(s) will be required to complete a NYS Standard Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire and will need to meet all State and Brooklyn Bridge Park contracting and insurance requirements. Please see APPENDIX A in this PDF for indemnification and insurance requirements.

3. Statement of Intent (1 page maximum)

A summary statement of their proposal’s artistic intent, addressing:

• Justice Ginsburg’s contributions and commitment to equality and justice for all.
• How the work conveys the themes articulated in the “Objectives of the Artwork” section above.
• How the memorial will engage and educate visitors, providing context for Justice Ginsburg’s legacy and a call to action to future generations.
• How the tribute complements the selected site.

4. Preliminary Concept (3 pages maximum)

Artists and/or artist teams must provide sketch-level graphic descriptions of their concept design that provides a broad vision for the memorial site. Artists invited to submit a proposal for Phase Two of the competition will be required to create more in-depth scaled drawings and may be asked to make changes to their original concept designs.

5. Anticipated Costs (1 page maximum)

Artists and/or artist teams should outline a broad description of anticipated costs. Artists invited to submit a proposal for Phase Two of the competition will be expected to go into further detail, including preparing an estimate for schematic and final phases of design that includes design fees, fabrication, installation, and site work.

Please email the below documents to [email protected] by February 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

• Contact Information (1 page maximum)
• Bio/CV (1 page maximum)
• Statement of Qualifications (2 pages maximum)
• Statement of Intent (1 page maximum)
• Preliminary Concept (3 pages maximum)
• Anticipated Costs (1 page maximum)

Submission Format: Submissions are to be formatted to fit 8 ½ x 11 and in PDF format. Materials will be printed for review on 8 ½ x 11 paper so they must be legible at that size.

Maximum file size: 10MB

Applications for the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Competition must be submitted by February 2, 2026 before 11:59 pm EST. Any application that does not comply with the guidelines, file size restrictions, and maximum number of pages will not be considered.

A selection panel comprised of representatives of the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Commission, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and New York State, in collaboration with advisory design professionals, will review and select 3-5 finalists from the submitted artist proposals. Finalists will be invited to come back for Phase Two.

The selection panel will carefully review proposals and make selections based on the following criteria:

• Interpretation/Clarity of Theme
• Strength of the artistic impact
• Artist (including Architect, Designer, etc.) Qualifications
• Creativity & Originality of Depicted Theme
• Quality of Artistic Composition
• Clear expression of the monument
• Site Compatibility
• Constructability
• Sustainability/Maintenance & Operations
• Budgetary Compliance

Selected artist(s) may be asked to refine or alter their original proposal to produce a final design.

Following the issuance of this Phase One Request for Proposals on September 29, 2025, the following is an estimated project schedule:

November 17, 2025: Deadline for questions.

December 19, 2025: Responses to questions posted.

February 2, 2026: Phase One artist submissions deadline.

April 6, 2026: Vetting of Phase One submissions and selection of 3-5 finalists announced. Phase Two artist application announced.

August 24, 2026: Phase Two finalist submissions due.

September 2026 – October 2026: All finalists will be required to make a virtual presentation of their proposals to the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Commission and should be prepared to answer any questions about their designs.

October 26, 2026: Final artist selected by Commission and recommended to Governor Hochul.

November 2, 2026: Winning artist announced.

November 2026 – March 2028: Fabrication and installation of artwork.

March 2028: Unveiling of artwork.

Artist(s) will be required to grant and assign an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, assignable, fully paid, royalty-free license to the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Commission, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the State of New York, and their respective agents (collectively, the “Licensees”), to display, copy, reproduce, or otherwise use the Work without restrictions, in whole or in part, including the right to make derivative works, in any media whether now known or hereafter devised, for any Licensee purposes, including without limitation, commercial, archival, educational, exhibition, promotional, publication, marketing, social media, and on a Licensee's website.

Prospective artists may submit written questions and requests for clarifications by November 17, 2025 to [email protected]. Responses will be posted on this website by December 19, 2025.