T-Shirt Design Contest

This Year's Theme:

Print: The Original Social Media

Our goal is to drive interest in Graphic Communications job pathways and inspire thought around design reproduction that jumps off the screen!

You are invited to bring your creativity and talent to the T-Shirt Design Contest by creating an original design inspired by this year’s contest theme. Show how your ideas can translate from screen to print through apparel graphics that are creative, visually engaging, and production-ready.

Your Future in Graphic Communications

Purpose:

Winning designs for the secondary and post-secondary category each receives $500 cash prize!

Design Direction:

There are a few required graphic elements and text listed below that must be incorporated into your design and easy for your audience to see. Please take these into consideration as you develop your creative, eye-catching visuals!

Bright and highly visible colors are great! Assume your design will be printed on basic colors such as black or white, so utilize a full color design. If you use black or white in your design, place those values on their own colored layer—otherwise they may blend into the background and can't be isolated when printed. The FGCE reserves the right to adjust any element of the design for print production.
Be sure to also consider design size and placement when creating your design. Finished print size can range from 9-13” wide and 13-18” long. If you want to include a design for a sleeve or the backside of the shirt, you are welcome to do so.
Students are allowed to submit multiple designs for a contest; HOWEVER, you must submit each design separately. If multiple entries are submitted together, only the first design will be judged.

Submission Requirements:

Designs must include a message that relates to the theme: Print: The Original Social Media
Designs must prominently display The Foundation for Graphic Communication Education name and logo.
Submissions must be formatted as a high-resolution PDF: images 300dpi, 4/color process (CMYK), file types other than PDF’s are ineligible
The winner of the contest must submit all PDF files required for reproduction. Files become the property of The FGCE.
Use of AI: Students are highly encouraged to generate original concepts, artwork and editing using the digital and analog tools available to them. We appreciate the use of AI as a resource in the creative process but expect submissions to be created by individuals tapping into their own library of skills. Artwork/designs extracted from the internet with no obvious artistic image editing will be disqualified.

Due Date:

PDF entries are due by Friday, February 19, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT

Judging will be in March, and the winner will be notified by April 2, 2027.

Naming Your Final PDF Files:

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Firstname_lastname_schoolname_tshirt_2026_HighSchool

POST SECONDARY STUDENTS: Firstname_lastname_schoolname_tshirt_2026_PostSecondary

Disclaimer and Contest Rules:

All Design Contest Files submitted become the property of The FGCE and could be used to promote our Student and Educator engagement, which includes outbound communications about The FGCE Scholarship and Grant programs. We may request native files. Attribution to the designer will be given on all uses unless otherwise requested. Design file imagery could be applied to social media, websites, printed materials, t-shirts and other communication and fundraising products.

Entries submitted with missing elements and/or incorrect specifications will be disqualified.

Contest will close Feb. 19th, 2027.

Judging will begin March 2027 and the winner will be notified by April 2nd, 2027.

If you have any questions, please email dianne.bullas@thefgce.com or call 503-572-6610.

2026–2027 Design Contests

Contests Are Open!

Deadline: February 19th , 2027

Review: Begins March 2027

Winners Announced: April 2nd, 2027

AT A GLANCE

Design Elements

T-Shirt design entries must include the following elements:

GET STARTED