About 365: AIGA Annual Design Competitions
Categories | Submission requirements | Fees | Notification
AIGA's suite of competitions is widely recognized as the most discerning statement on design excellence today, extending a legacy that began more than 90 years ago. By means of the competitions, AIGA creates an authoritative chronicle of outstanding design solutions, each demonstrating the process of designing, the role of the designer and the value of design.
The selections in AIGA's annual competition represent the best work across all disciplines of communication design and strategy, as chosen by distinguished jurors. As such, they become part of the AIGA Design Archives, a searchable visual database of exemplary design, they are exhibited at the AIGA National Design Center in New York and offered as a traveling exhibition for display across the country. The physical artifacts comprise the AIGA Design Archives at the Denver Art Museum.
Categories
We understand that an entry might cross over several of these categories. You can select the category in which you think your entry fits most accurately in terms of its purpose, or you can enter the same piece in more than one category. Please be aware that you'll be required to pay a separate fee for submitting to each category, even if the entry is the same.
Each entry must fit one of the categories listed below. (If you're unsure, select the category that most closely describes the purpose of your entry.) Judges retain the right to reclassify entries from one category to another or to select only components of the submission for honors.
Brand and identity systems design
The year's best-designed graphic identities for corporations, organizations, institutions and individuals are honored in this competition. Jurors will evaluate each entry's overall quality of visual expression; they will also assess the design's appropriateness relative to the entity for which it was created.
If you prefer an identity or logo to be evaluated only in the context of a larger work (such as an advertisement, promotional design or corporate communication), please enter the entire work in the appropriate category. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply). Entries for new, repositioned or legacy brands are eligible.
How to enter: Submit logos printed in color on an 8 1/2-x 11-inch sheet and mounted on one-ply white board, with the objective noted on the lower-right corner (e.g., "identity for bakery," "identity for record label"). For stationery systems, include one each of letterhead, business card and envelope, unmounted (a complete system counts as one entry.)
All other applications may be entered in original form (identity guidelines manuals, advertising, etc.); as unmounted prints (environmental systems, vehicles, etc.); or as any combination of the above in bound form (wire-o, spiral or loose-leaf binding).
Corporate communications design
This category recognizes the best of corporate communications design in all media. Entries may include product or service brochures, newsletters, standards manuals, press kits, annual reports, intranet sites, investor communications, etc. Jurors for this category will evaluate each work's integrated design approach, including concept and visual elements such as typography, illustration and/or information design. Jurors will also consider how well an entry fulfills its stated communications objectives.
If you prefer an entry to be judged solely on the strength of any single design element (such as typography and/or information design), please submit it to the appropriate category. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply).
How to enter: Submit actual samples of print materials and/or Mac- or PC-based CD-ROMs or DVDs of digital media entries. Digital media entries should be self-running applications or work within a browser. Please label all disks with your name and telephone number.
Editorial design and illustration
Excellence in the design of both periodical publications and their online counterparts is recognized in this category, as well as the use of illustration within these publications. Entries may include magazines, newspapers, newsletters and journals. You can submit a few issues of the same publication as an individual entry. Jurors for this category will evaluate each work's integrated design approach, including concept and visual elements such as typography, illustration and/or information design.
If you prefer a piece to be judged solely on the strength of any one of these elements, please submit it to the appropriate category. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply).
How to enter: Submit print publications designs as whole issues or as tear sheets for individual articles, unmounted and trimmed, as they originally appeared. Submit online magazines as Mac- or PC-based CD-ROMs or DVDs. Digital media entries should be self-running applications or work within a browser. Please label all disks with your name and telephone number.
Entertainment and experimental design
The year’s best works designed to amuse an audience are honored in this juried competition. It’s not about work done for the entertainment industry, but pieces designed for the purpose of entertaining—they do not sell, brand or promote anything in particular.
This category is distinct from all the others—perhaps the only client involved was yourself. It’s about personal expression; your idea is the genesis of the piece. A successful “Entertainment design” piece would have a viral, word-of-mouth quality to it, enabling and creating a community. Its driving force would be the desire to engage the audience/user at an emotional level and provide some level of surprise or pleasure.
Entries may include animations, short films, websites, games (digital or artifacts), music videos and real-time experiences that are viewed on television, in the cinema, on mobile devices or on a computer; 3-D artifacts (i.e., games, books) are also accepted. Live action and feature films are not eligible. Both individual and series entries can be submitted.
Television and online advertising should not be submitted to this category (see Promotional Design and Advertising). Likewise, film titles belong in the Brand and Identity Systems Design and/or Typographic Design categories.
Jurors will evaluate each work’s integrated design approach, including typography and other visual elements, information design and/or sound and motion, and its effectiveness. If you prefer a work to be judged solely on the strength of any single design element (typography, illustration and/or information design), please submit it to the appropriate competition. Note that work may be entered separately in as many of the competitions for which it qualifies, however separate entry fees and submission requirements apply.
How to enter: Submit as Mac- or PC-based CD-ROMs or DVDs. All digital media entries submitted on disk should be self-running applications or work within a browser. Please label all disks with your name, email address and telephone number, and list all titles in order of appearance.
Experience design
This category profiles projects that extend across multiple media-networked, interactive and/or responsive-or utilize a single medium to engage an audience intellectually and emotionally. Preference is given to projects that emphasize interaction and allow individuals and/or groups to contribute to and enrich the experience. Entries may include computer games for any platform, kiosks and other electronic exhibit systems, software interfaces for mobile devices and networked appliances, websites or web animations, CD-ROMs, immersive environments, etc. Also eligible are designed experiences executed in real time/space for the purposes outlined above. To qualify, a live experience entry must include documentation and/or representation of the piece that clearly manifests its strategic intent and formal expression. Jurors for this category will evaluate each work's success in achieving its stated communications objectives, as well as the overall quality or innovation of its execution. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply).
How to enter: If you are submitting a website that will still be publicly available online at the time the entries are judged, please include the URL as well as 4 to 6 screens from the project as letter-size color printouts. Other entries may be submitted as Mac- or PC-based CD-ROMs or DVDs. All digital media entries submitted on disk should be self-running applications or work within a browser. Please label all disks and videotapes with your name and telephone number.
Information design
Excellence in works designed to display information clearly is honored in this category. Such works may deal with the presentation of quantitative information, data or spatial information; they may also be explanations of process dynamics, mechanisms in motion or cause/effect, signage, etc. Eligible entries include charts, maps, graphs, schedules, forms and specification catalogues that are executed in either print or digital media, as well as exhibitions, way-finding systems, themed environments, trade-show exhibits, retail spaces, sports facilities and special-event atmospherics that demonstrate the use of design elements to make the complex clear. Pieces may be entered individually or as a series. Jurors for this category will evaluate each work's integrated design approach, including concept and visual elements such as typography and illustration. Jurors will also consider how well an entry fulfills its stated communications objectives.
If you prefer a piece to be evaluated only in the context of a larger work (such as a book, tear sheet or environmental series), please enter the entire work. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply).
How to enter: Submit actual samples up to 40 inches. Entries larger than 40 inches may be submitted as good quality 11- x 17-inch printouts. Themed environments, trade shows, exhibitions and any project that contains moving parts must be submitted as PowerPoint or QuickTime files on DVD or Mac- or PC-based CD-ROMs. Digital media entries must be submitted on DVD or Mac- or PC-based CD-ROMs as self-running applications or work within a browser. Please label all disks with your name and telephone number.
Package design
This category awards the year's best-designed and redesigned consumer packaging, labels, shopping bags, single or boxed music CDs, DVDs and software packaging and gift or specialty products. Pieces may be entered individually or as a series. Jurors for this category will evaluate each work's integrated design approach, including concept and visual elements such as typography and illustration. Jurors will also look for quality and innovation in the use of materials, and will also consider how well an entry fulfills its stated communications objectives.
If you prefer an entry to be judged solely on the strength of any single design element (such as typography and/or information design), please submit it to the appropriate category. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply).
How to enter: Packaging (including videos and music CDs) must always be submitted as actual pieces, even if oversized. Photographs will not be accepted under any circumstances. If you have concerns about shipping alcoholic beverages, you can replace the contents with colored water or send empty containers.
Promotional design and advertising
This category recognizes excellence in works designed to introduce, sell or promote products, ideas or events. Entries may include print and television advertisements, interactive website banners or animations, giveaways, posters, invitations, announcements, direct mail and guerrilla/unconventional advertising. Pieces may be entered individually or as a series. Jurors for this category will evaluate each work's integrated design approach, including concept and visual elements such as typography, illustration, photography and/or information design. Jurors will also consider how well an entry fulfills its stated communications objectives.
If you prefer a piece to be judged solely on the strength of any single design element (such as typography and/or information design), please submit it to the appropriate category. A work may be entered separately in all of the categories for which it qualifies (separate entry fees and submission requirements apply).
How to enter: Submit actual samples. Submit magazine and newspaper advertisements as complete tear sheets, unmounted and trimmed, as they originally appeared. For posters, always submit the actual piece.
If you are submitting a website that will still be publicly available online at the time the entries are judged, please include the URL as well as 4 to 6 images from the project as letter-size color printouts. Other entries may be submitted as Mac or PC-based CD-ROMs or DVDs. All digital media entries submitted on disk should be self-running applications or work within a browser. Please label all disks and videotapes with your name and telephone number.
Typographic design
Both excellence and innovative experimentation are honored in this category, which focuses on the design and use of typography. Qualified entries include new typeface designs or works that use typography as their principal visual language. Jurors will evaluate each work entirely on the basis of its formal strength and/or the innovation of its typographic approach. Fonts need not be commercially available to the public to be eligible for entry.
Works entered in this category may also be eligible for submission to other categories for which they qualify (such as Book or Editorial Design, Promotional Design and Advertising, or Corporate Communications Design); separate entry fees and submission requirements apply.
How to enter: Submit actual samples. Font design entries must be submitted as unmounted 11- x 17-inch paper proofs that show the complete character set. (Headline and/or short text passage may also be included, if desired.)
Additional opportunities
Social Relevance Award: Each jury will identify examples of outstanding design coupled with a message of socially relevant nature (i.e., justice, freedom, human rights, literacy, general welfare). These pieces must exemplify how design is used to advance socially relevant causes in a clear, compelling way. If your entry meets these criteria and you wish it to be considered for this special recognition, please make sure you check the appropriate box in the entry form. The number of "Social Relevance Awards" extended is at the discretion of each jury.
Sustainability Effort Award: This year, in addition to the usual methods used for evaluating of entries in this competition, the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design has established sustainable design criteria by which entries may also be judged. The number of "Sustainability Effort Awards" extended is at the discretion of each jury.
Submission requirements
Eligibility
Work in all media that has been designed, produced and used in the marketplace between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year is eligible. School projects are not eligible.
Following AIGA's membership in Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and in keeping with a deepening commitment to demonstrating the importance of diversity, entries from all countries will be eligible for AIGA competitions for the first time in AIGA's history. In order for the jury to understand the content and context, entries that are in languages other than English must include a brief English translation.
Submit only actual work; no photographs accepted. We regret that entries and disks cannot be returned.
Entries must be accompanied by:
- A master registration form (you can fill in and print out entry forms from the competitions website)
- Two separate, fully completed entry forms for each entry
- Payment receipt or offline payment form and check or money order, in U.S. funds. Make checks payable to “AIGA Competitions.” Any brokerage and custom fees on foreign entries must be prepaid. AIGA will reject entries that are sent collect.
Requirements
- Posters must always be submitted as the actual piece, even if oversized.
- Magazine and newspaper designs, print advertisements and editorials should be submitted as complete unmounted tear sheets. If you are submitting a complete issue, you do not need to separate it into tear sheets.
- Logos must be printed in color on a letter-size sheet and mounted on one-ply board; please note the purpose on the lower-right corner (e.g., “for bakery,” “for record label”).
- Packaging (including music CDs) must always be submitted as actual pieces, even if oversized.
- Signage and environments must be submitted as PowerPoint presentations or QuickTime video on CD-ROM or DVD, especially if the project involves moving or electronic components. Do not send photographs, slides or transparencies.
- Stationery systems can include one each of unmounted letterhead, business card and envelope (the complete system counts as one entry).
- Television broadcast graphics, film and video graphics, and animations will be accepted in DVD or CD-ROM format. You can include several individual entries on one disk, as long as they are to be judged in the same category. All disks must be labeled with entrant's name and telephone number. Please do not include your company name in the actual entry.
- Interactive media entries (computer graphics, games, interfaces, etc.) need to be submitted as a URL if the entry can be viewed on a browser; otherwise must be submitted on DVD or CD-ROM, clearly marking whether for Macintosh or PC platform. Please send a color printout of four different screens from the project together with the disk and a list of technical requirements for proper viewing.
- Website entries must include full address of the site on the entry form, as well as a color printout of four different screens from the project. If the site will not be live by the time of the judging, please send a complete working version on DVD or CD-ROM. If the jurors will need a username and password to access the submission, you must include this information as a PDF or Word file included in the same disk.
Fees
| Entry type | AIGA members | Nonmembers |
|---|---|---|
| One to four individual entries | $35 per entry | $55 per entry |
| Five or more individual entries | $30 per entry | $50 per entry |
| Series entries (up to five pieces for the same client and project, which collectively comprise one entry in any one category) | $50 per series | $70 per series |
| Late fees (per entry; add to regular fees after March 7) | $25 per entry | $25 per entry |
Variations of one entry (e.g., packaging for different flavors or sizes of same product, the different components of a stationery system) are considered a single entry. Series entries comprise systems of three or more applications (e.g., identity, annual report, signage, television advertisement and website) for the same client and project, to be judged collectively as one entry in the same category. If you want an entry to be judged in more than one category, you must provide a separate sample of the piece, with the corresponding entry forms and entry fee for each category in which you want the piece to be judged.
Notification
Selected entries
Notification letters will be sent by the end of June. The list of the jury's selections will be posted on the AIGA website by the beginning of July.
If you are notified that the jurors have selected your entry, we will require four additional copies of it. These copies are archived at the Denver Art Museum and displayed in the AIGA's New York exhibition and subsequent traveling shows. We regret that additional copies of the entries cannot be returned. Please refrain from submitting an entry if you will be unable to send us four additional copies of it if selected.
Production fees
There is a production fee of $40 for members, $60 for nonmembers, per selected entry, payable after notification of selection. This fee offsets part of AIGA's production costs for inclusion of your work in the printed annual and the AIGA Design Archives.
Permission to reproduce work
By submitting work to the competitions, the entrant acknowledges the right of AIGA to use accepted work for reproduction in competitions-related publications; on its website; in the ensuing exhibition of the competitions' selections; and for educational and AIGA-related promotional purposes. Television, film and video graphics will be duplicated by AIGA for exhibition purposes and for inclusion in the AIGA Design Archives.
Still have questions?
For further information or questions, please call Gabriela Mirensky at 212 710 3143, or email competitions@aiga.org
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