5 free comps you need to know about
If you're a graphic designer, illustrator, animator, artist, or UI/UX designer looking for opportunities to put your work out there, here are 5 competitions worth checking out! I share a lot of design competitions for students, but I wanted to put together a list for designers who aren't in school anymore (or never went to design school in the first place). Competitions are a great way to get creative experience, add new projects to your portfolio, and potentially get your work recognized. Plus, a lot of them are completely free to enter!
1. Animayo 2027 International Poster Competition
Deadline: December 31, 2026
For: Graphic designers, illustrators, and digital artists. Animayo is an international festival focused on animation, visual effects, and video games. They host a poster competition where designers and artists can submit their own artwork for a chance to have it featured as the festival's official poster. If you enjoy illustration or poster design, this could be a really fun project to work on!
Entry fee: Free
2. US International Poster Biennial 2027
Deadline: February 28, 2027
For: Graphic designers, poster artists, and motion designers. This competition is all about poster design! They accept work in different categories, including cultural, social, and animated posters. If you've already created posters for your portfolio, this could be a great opportunity to submit some of that work and potentially have it recognized internationally.
Entry fee: Check current submission requirements. (no payment required posted when I checked)
3. International Compost Awareness Week Poster Contest
Deadline: October 22, 2026
For: Graphic designers, illustrators, and artists. This competition challenges designers to create a poster that promotes composting and environmental awareness. Every year there's a different theme, so you have the opportunity to come up with your own creative direction while still working within a brief. I think competitions like this are especially helpful if you're trying to build your portfolio because you're creating work around an actual campaign rather than just designing something randomly.
Entry fee: Free
4. Lollypop Designathon 2026
Registration deadline: October 13, 2026
For: UI/UX designers and product designers. I wanted to include something for UI/UX designers too! Lollypop's Designathon is a design challenge where participants work on solving problems through user experience and interface design. This is a little different from the other competitions because it's more focused on the design process and problem-solving rather than submitting a finished piece of artwork. The event takes place in Vietnam, so definitely check the participation requirements before registering.
Entry fee: Free participation
5. Pathfinders for Autism 2027 T-Shirt Design Contest
Deadline: December 18, 2026
For: Graphic designers, illustrators, and lettering artists. For this competition, you're designing a T-shirt for Autism Acceptance Month! The winning design will be featured on the organization's official shirt, and the selected artist will receive a $100 gift card. If you enjoy illustration, typography, or apparel design, this is a great opportunity to create something that could actually be produced and used.
Entry fee: Free
A Little Advice Before You Enter
You don't have to win a competition for it to be worth entering! I think one of the biggest benefits of design competitions is that they give you a reason to create something outside of your normal work. You're practicing how to follow a brief, work within requirements, and come up with a design solution. And even if your work doesn't get selected, you can still have a really strong project to add to your portfolio. I'd recommend choosing one or two competitions that actually interest you rather than trying to enter everything. Also, make sure you double check the deadlines, eligibility requirements, entry fees, and submission guidelines on each competition's website before getting started. I'll keep sharing more design competitions, resources, and opportunities for designers, so if you're looking for ways to get more experience or build your portfolio, feel free to check out my other resources!
