Communication Arts Design Competition

Enter the most prestigious competition for creativity in graphic design, the Communication Arts Design Competition. Any design project printed, published or aired for the first time from May 2011 through May 2012 is eligible. Selected by a jury of leading design professionals, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Design Annual and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work.

2012 Design Jury

Jeff Barfoot, principal, RBMM, Dallas, TX
Connie Birdsall, creative director, Lippincott, New York, NY
Jon Forss, co-founder, Non-Format, Saint Paul, MN
Sarah Moffat, creative director, Turner Duckworth, San Francisco, CA
Dan Richards, co-founder, Opolis Design, Portland, OR

What to Enter

Any design project printed, published or aired for the first time from May 2011 through May 2012 is eligible. Publication means in a form of mass media exposed to a substantial audience. Entries may originate from any country, but we need an English translation for the jurors. Submission of entries acknowledges the right of Communication Arts to use them for publication and exhibition

How to Enter

Before you begin the process of entering a competition, please have the following information and materials ready. This will make the process go quickly:

-Your contact information for registration and notification.
-Title of each project.
-Any digital files you might want to submit saved as RGB (not CMYK) JPG format (maximum 1024 pixels wide X 768 pixels high @72dpi)

Entries can be submitted in the following formats:

Print Entries: Submit tearsheets or proofs, unmounted and trimmed as they appeared. Do not tape series together. Send annual reports, brochures, folders, books, catalogs, etc., in bound form. For posters over 18" x 24," packaging, displays or signage, submit JPG files with a resolution of 1024(H) x 768(V) @72 dpi. Trademarks must be centered on an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet. Place the company name and nature of the business next to the mark.

Audio/Visual Entries: Submit motion graphics on DVD NTSC (viewable on a standard DVD player) or CD-ROM. Include 4 seconds of black, no slates or bars. Single entries must be on individual disks. Series should be edited together on one disk with 2 seconds of black between each entry. Computer-based formats such as QuickTime or Flash should have a maximum screen size of 1024 x 768. Tape an entry form to the outside of each disk case.

Preparation of Packages
Address packages to Communication Arts Design Competition. Non-United States contestants should mark each package "Materials for Contest Entry. No Commercial Value." No provision will be made by Communication Arts for U.S. Customs or airport pickup. International entries should be sent by post or international courier. All entries must be received by the deadline date.

Forms and Entry Fees
After choosing a form of payment you will have access to PDF reports summarizing what you entered. If you chose to pay by check, you will have an invoice available for printing. If you chose to deliver entries via mail/courier, you will also have entry forms in PDF format that you will need to print, trim and attach to your entries. Tape an entry form to the back of each entry. If the entry is a print-based campaign, you will tape an entry form to each part of the campaign. Tape an entry form to the outside of each disk case. Multiple digital files may be placed on a single disk. Please tape all applicable entry forms one on top of the other so we can flip through them to verify the contents of the disk.

Make checks payable to Communication Arts. Non-United States contestants must send an International Money Order or a check in U.S. funds drafted on a U.S. bank. Please include the check with your entries if you are delivering them via mail/courier. If your payment is being sent under a separate cover, please send your entries now, with a note saying that the check is coming under separate cover. If you submit all of your entries online please write the Communication Arts invoice number on the check. The invoice number can be found in the Entry Forms PDF file. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Charges for your entry fees will appear on your statement as "Commarts"). Credit card charges can only be done online. We do accept wire transfers, however there is a fee of $25 (U.S.) to cover fees charged by the banks to process the transfer. Please contact our office at (650) 326-6040 (9-5 PST) for instructions.

Mail entries to:
Communication Arts Design Competition
110 Constitution Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1107 U.S.A.
(Via United States Mail, FedEx, UPS, etc. Entrants submitting from outside the U.S. please use an international courier)

Notification of Acceptance
Only accepted entries will be notified two months after the deadline date. Complete credits and any necessary material for the best possible reproduction in the Annuals will be requested at that time. Award of Excellence certificates for firms, individuals and clients will be mailed one month after the publication date.

Deadline: May 11, 2012.

Entries submitted after that date require a $10 per entry late fee. No entries will be accepted after May 25, 2012