Since 1990 the Roland Prize for Public Art is awarded every three years by the foundation Bremen Sculptor Prize. The prize is named in imitation of the Roland statue that has been erected on the marketplace in Bremen in 1404. This statue is Bremen’s first free-standing sculpture in public space.
The Roland Prize is worth 15,000 Euro. It is awarded to artists whose works for art in public space are opening new thinking and action fields for public art. The conception of the prize and its awarding are closely linked to the Bremen Program of Public Art. Prizewinners so far are Jochen Gerz, Maria Nordman, Christian Boltanski, Thomas Hirschhorn, Stephan Huber, Hans Haacke, Monica Bonvicini, Michaela Melián and the Gruppe raumlaborberlin.
The Prize involves the request to the prizewinners to develop an artistic project for the public space in Bremen. Some of the artists have created a work in the city of Bremen in subsequent years: See award winners.