Best of 2025: Street Art Cities Gears Up for the Biggest Awards Yet
One week left and then we're starting our annual quest showcasing the best murals of 2025
The countdown has started, the hype is building, and the walls of 2025 are still buzzing with fresh paint. While we await the results of the ‘Best of December’ (you can still vote here until december 30th) and the final selections of our panels in between festivities, the awards page is slowly taking it’s final shape. But before the nominees drop, it’s worth taking a moment to look behind the curtain of the Street Art Cities Best of 2025 Awards, to understand what they measure, why they matter, and how they reflect the heartbeat of a global movement.
This follow‑up dives deeper into the story behind the awards, the evolution of the categories, and the cultural weight carried by this year’s newest addition.
Why These Awards Matter More Each Year
Street art has always been a living, breathing conversation between artists and the streets they claim. The awards exist to honor that conversation, not just the murals themselves, but the energy that fuels them, the communities that protect them, and the artists who risk, innovate, and redefine public space.
As the platform grows, so does the responsibility: to archive, to celebrate, and to amplify. The Street Art Cities Best of 2025 Awards are part celebration, part documentation, part love letter to a culture that refuses to stand still.
A Closer Look at the Returning Categories
These categories have become annual traditions, each capturing a different facet of the street art ecosystem.
Best of 2025: A curated fusion of monthly top murals, standout runner‑ups, and selections from partner cities, distilled into a 50‑piece hotlist that reflects the year’s creative pulse.
Expert Choice Award: A jury of curators, critics, and scene specialists, this year expanded with a unique invite‑only circle of experts, spotlighting technique, originality, and cultural relevance.
This year’s panel of experts consists of some familiar faces and new friend we met over the course of the years:
Daniel - All Caps Rotterdam | Giacomo Marinaro - Gulia Urbana, IT | Daniel & Tor - Artscape SE | Juddy Roller - AUS | Gaz Mac - Yardworks Glasgow | Mouarf - Notorious Brand, FR | Marlene & Jakob - Calle Libre Vienna, AUT | Besik Maziashvili - Tbilisi Mural Fest, GEO | Olivier Landes - FR | Hannah Judah - street art photographer & author UK | Stuart - Inspiring City Blog - UK | Marie Dufour - Streep Blog, FR | Lino Lombardi - Stornara, IT | Hugo Nóbrega - Lisboa, PT | Dani Alonghi - Sperone167, IT | Jonatan Carranza - ES
Artist Choice Award: A peer‑driven honor where artists celebrate artists. No algorithms, no public voting, just creators recognizing the work that moved them.
We pulled together a creative force so deep and dynamic it would make the Avengers look one‑dimensional.
Jacqueline de Montagne, PT | Vera Bugatti - IT | Yessiow - IND | Megan Oldhues - CAN | Nico Cathcart - US | Aylo Nomad - UK | Melanie Caple - AUS | Sophi Odling - AUS | Mariane Santos - PT | Zmaja - SRB | Cristobal Persona - CHL | Belin - ES | Dulk - ES | Nychos - AUT | Nuno Viegas - PT | Pijanista - SRB | Bublegum - ES | Studio Giftig - NL | Fabio Petani - IT
Together, these categories form a balanced ecosystem: community voice, expert insight, and artistic respect.
The Newcomer: Street Art City of 2025
This year’s biggest shift is the introduction of a brand‑new category: Street Art City of 2025.
It’s powered by the platform’s five‑dimensional Popularity Index, a model that goes far beyond counting murals. It measures:
Activity: How alive the scene is day‑to‑day.
Heritage: The depth and longevity of a city’s street art culture.
Engagement: How communities interact with the art.
Collective energy: The intangible spark that makes a city’s scene feel electric.
Platform presence: How strongly the city resonates across Street Art Cities.
This award shifts the spotlight from individual walls to entire ecosystems, from single masterpieces to the cities that nurture them. Whether a global heavyweight or a rising underdog, every city has a real shot at the shortlist of 25. Andwe can already share the nominees here:
Amman – JOR | Antwerp – BE | Athens – GR | Bergen – NOR | Berlin – DE | Boulogne‑sur‑Mer – FR | Bremen – DE | Cologne – DE | Copenhagen – DK | Eindhoven – NL | Ghent – BE | Hasselt – BE | Lisbon – PT | London – UK | Los Angeles – USA | Madrid – ES | Melbourne – AUS | New York City – USA | Paris – FR | Porto – PT | Prague – CSZ | Quintanar de la Orden – ES | Rotterdam – NL | Tilburg – NL | Valencia – ES.
What Happens Next
Over the coming weeks, the platform will roll out:
Nominee announcements
Artist stories
City spotlights
Behind‑the‑scenes insights
Expect grit. Expect color. Expect voices that refuse to be ignored.
The countdown has begun, but the real story is just starting to unfold.
GET READY FOR THE STREET ART CITIES BEST OF 2025 AWARDS! VOTING STARTS JAN 1st
Keep an eye out on our awards page