In pursuit of its mission to present, preserve, interpret, educate and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art, especially forms that may be vulnerable due to institutional neglect, cultural bias, their ephemeral nature, or politically unpopular content, Franklin Furnace has since 2023 offered the annual XENO Prizes for Performance Art and Artists’ Books, named in honor of xenophiles, people who appreciate all people and cultures.

The XENO PRIZE for Artists’ Books will be selected from submissions to a Call for Proposals issued March 1 2025, to receive $5000 to publish one artist’s book on the topic of book banning/burning in an edition of at least 100 copies.