Earth Day Poster Art Contest

About the Contest

Purpose & Theme

The 2026 Earth Day Festival in Brunswick will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 10 am to 3 pm at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School in Brunswick, Maine. The purpose of our Poster Design Contest is to select designs for the official poster, t-shirts, and other promotional materials. Your artwork should be personally meaningful to you and promote the Festival's theme of bringing the whole Brunswick community together to celebrate Earth and explore ways to protect our environment.

Use your artistic talent to inspire others and promote environmental awareness in our community. The Earth Day Poster Contest is your opportunity to create and share art that celebrates our Earth, promotes environmental stewardship, and brings people together. Submit an entry for a chance to win cash and other prizes, and have your art featured in Festival materials throughout Brunswick and surrounding communities.

Prizes

The prize packages for our pre-K through Golden Years age categories are generously sponsored by Androscoggin Bank and The Mix. For more information about the art supply prize packages, please visit The Mix at 163 Park Row, Brunswick, and online at www.mixartsupplies.com.

Contest Rules

Eligibility and Categories

Our contest is open to all full-time or part-time residents of Maine. We have five age categories:

• General (any age)
• Pre-K to 3rd Grade
• 4th to 8th Grade
• 9th to 12th Grade
• Golden Years (65 years old or better)

Contest Timeline

• Entry period opens: Monday, November 24, 2025
• Entry deadline: Wednesday, December 24, 2025, 11:59 PM Saturday, January 10, 2026, 11:59 PM - Entries are now closed
• Winners announced: February 2026
• 2027 Contest: Entries for the 2027 Earth Day Festival in Brunswick poster art contest will open in September 2026

Submission Requirements

• Artwork must be original art created by a human
• Photographs are not eligible
• Artwork created solely by prompting AI is not eligible
• Entries must be submitted as digital files containing original artwork or a picture of original artwork (i.e., submit a digital picture of your painting, drawing, collage, quilt, etc.)
• Submit via email to earthdaybrunswick@gmail.com OR upload at https://earthdayinbrunswick.com/poster
• Each artist may submit up to two (2) entries
• All submissions must be the original work of the entrant
• Artwork copied from magazines, other artists' work, or incorporating elements not created by the artist (such as artifacts produced solely by prompting AI) will be disqualified

Rights and Usage

By submitting an entry, the winning artist agrees to assign to the Earth Day Festival in Brunswick perpetual and non-exclusive rights to use the selected design in all forms and formats. The Festival may reproduce the design on posters, t-shirts, merchandise, website, and promotional materials. The artist warrants the right to convey these rights and agrees to indemnify the Festival against any claims arising from breach of this provision. As the owner of the artwork, the artist may license the design for other uses without infringing on the Earth Day Festival in Brunswick's use of the design.

Selection Process

• Entries will be judged by Festival organizers and a panel of judges
• Selection will be based solely on the artistic merit of the work
• Winners will be notified by email in January 2026

Winner Responsibilities

• Winners will be invited to attend an award ceremony in January to receive their prizes and to attend the Festival on April 25, 2026 for promotional activities and poster signing (attendance not required to win)
• Winners and their artwork may be featured in press releases and promotional materials
• Winners agree to allow use of their name and artwork in all Festival promotions

Design Guidelines

The winning design will be used on posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise. Please keep these technical considerations in mind:

What Works Well:

• Bold, clear images that are recognizable from a distance
• Designs with strong visual impact
• Artwork that uses color effectively without large blocks of solid color
• Dimensions that are roughly similar in height and width
• Clean lines that will reproduce well in various sizes

What to Avoid:

• Watercolors or soft gradations of color (difficult to reproduce on t-shirts)
• Very fine details, crosshatching, or closely spaced lines (fabric texture makes these difficult to print)
• Large amounts of white or very pale colors (shirts are printed on colored fabric)
• Large geometric borders or frames (can become distorted on fabric)
• Panoramic or extremely rectangular compositions
• Photographs or AI artifacts (will not be accepted)

The winning design must work effectively as both a poster and on t-shirt merchandise using water-based inks on colored fabric.

Inspiration

Start thinking about what inspirational art you'd like to see circulating in our communities promoting the festival in Brunswick! Your artwork should celebrate Earth and inspire people to protect our environment.

Consider themes like:

• Environmental protection and conservation
• Sustainable living practices
• Community action for the environment
• Celebrating nature and our planet
• Hope and positive change
• Children and animals
• Families and friends

How to Enter

Entries for the 2026 contest are now closed. We are no longer accepting entries as of January 11, 2026.

We'll start accepting entries for the 2027 Earth Day Festival in Brunswick poster art contest in September 2026. Check back then for entry information, deadlines, and submission instructions.

Questions? Contact Fred Horch at fred@sustainablepractice.life or text (207) 387-1787