The Vernissage is an art contest organized in Mercator College, which takes place once a year in the fall semester. All kinds of art pieces are accepted - paintings, scultpures, photographs, modern art pieces etc. A jury including the Mercator College Masters, two art professors and two Mercator floor representatives select the winning pieces. Prizes for the first five competitors are then given at a stylish reception at the end of the semester.

Paintings, pictures and sculptures submitted by Jacobs University students are respectively framed or mounted on appropriate pedestals by the College Office team and exhibited in Mercator College. The opening ceremony usually takes place towards the end of the fall semester. Members of the Jacobs community, students and the honorary members of Mercator College are welcomed by the artists, the Mercator College Masters and the College Office team to a formal exhibition of the arts pieces and a reception with sparkling wine and snacks.