The newsstand at the Mott Haven Library. Photo: NYPL.

Mott Haven Library was the grand prize winner in a citywide competition for the best book display.

The competition was organized by Culture Pass, a library-based program created in 2018 to make quality arts and culture programming accessible and free of charge to New Yorkers with a library card.

As its grand prize, Mott Haven will receive $1,000 to use for branch programming and resources.

Libraries around the city participated in the book display competition. The theme for this year’s display was 400 Years of New York City Culture. It was chosen to mark the Big Apple’s quadricentennial. New York City’s role as a center for art, music, theater, fashion, innovation, and experimentation was featured across many competitive displays.

Nearly 4,000 votes were cast by members of the public, with top vote-getters going up for review to a panel of three expert judges: Stephanie Dockery, Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Team; Monxo López, Curator Community Histories, Museum of City of New York and co-founder of South Bronx Unite; and Stephanie Pacheco, Inaugural New York State Youth Poet Laureate and 2023 New York City Youth Poet Laureate.

Mott Haven’s  winning display featured an iconic New York City newsstand complete with bags of snacks, newspapers, postcards and more all paying homage to the Bronx, to the city, and to the cultural resources across the five boroughs. It will be on display through April.   

Since its launch five years ago, Culture Pass has provided over 300,000 passes to library cardholders allowing them to access over 90 museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions for free.

To learn more about the Culture Pass Program and how you can use your library card to get free admission to 90 cultural institutions, click here.

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