An AI-generated image wins a Colorado State Fair prize

Jason Allen took first place in the emerging-artist digital-arts category of the Colorado State Fair’s fine art competition with “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial”, an image he produced from hundreds of Midjourney prompts and then edited and upscaled.

Why it mattered Allen’s account of his method, posted to Midjourney’s Discord and then widely reported, drew objections from other artists and tested what an art competition built around human skill is judging.