by Jennifer Henderson

The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership and Van Alen Institute have joined forces for the first competition to design the annual holiday display featured in front of the Flatiron Building. The Flatiron Plaza Holiday Design Competition has invited seven artists and architecture firms to participate in the challenge to create the winning entry, which will be on display at the intersections of Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, from its unveiling in November throughout the remainder of this year’s holiday season, according to a recent release issued by the Flatiron Partnership and Van Alen.

In recent years, The Flatiron Partnership’s “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” included a pop-up holiday card display that towered over its visitors.

“Our inspiration for this idea came from the partnership between Van Alen and our friends at the Times Square Alliance for the Valentines Day competition,” said Flatiron Partnership Executive Director Jennifer Brown in a statement emailed to Commercial Observer. “With Van Alen being located in the BID, our public space being so vibrant and iconic, and given the success over the past two years of the BID’s holiday program, we thought partnering up for a competition would create a creative, buzz-worthy, high quality installation for those who live in, work in, and visit Flatiron to enjoy during the holiday season.” Artists and architecture firms invited to participate in the competition include EFGH Architectural

Studio, e+i studio, INABA, Chris Jordan/Moey, RSVP Architecture Studio, SCAPE/ Landscape Architecture and Stereotank, according to the release.