The Berlin Art Prize is an independent award for contemporary art and a subversive cover version of existing art prizes. Despite being formally based on the many existing awards, the Berlin Art Prize is an alternative structure in which this city's art is valued, interpreted, and made public. The art historians Alicia Reuter and Sophie Jung, the artist Zoë Claire Miller and the painter Ulrich Wulff created the Berlin Art Prize 2013. From the beginning, their goal was to create an award for the community beyond the art world's economy. The concept is simple yet rarely used: it is open to everyone, names and careers do not count, only the art should count.

A selected jury of five people from the Berlin art scene awards the prize annually in an anonymous process. All nominees will be presented to a broad audience in an exhibition. The exhibition is accompanied by a public supporting program with readings, performances, discussions, and workshops. Finally, three of the nominees receive the Berlin Art Prize: an invitation to a residency, prize money and a trophy designed exclusively by Berlin artists for the winners.

The BAP had a two-year break due to the pandemic and is now returning in 2022.