2025 Student Earth Day Contest
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Enter the Student Cover Design Competition
Design a cover for our April issue of Connected magazine to promote awareness on sustainability in alignment to this year’s Earth Day theme on the importance of the circular economy on the theme “Sustainable Print & the Planet: Embracing the Circular Economy.”
Background
The contests 2025 theme, “Sustainable Print & Planet: Embrace the Circular Economy,” highlights the critical role of print and design in fostering a more sustainable future. By rethinking materials, processes, and product lifecycles, the circular economy aims to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency.
The core principles of this approach — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Regenerate — focus on reducing environmental impact through sustainable practices that encourage the responsible use of resources, the reuse of materials, and the recycling of products to create a closed-loop system. This shift towards circularity not only benefits the planet but also drives innovation within the print and design industries.
Requirements
- The competition is open to current college students studying graphic arts in the northern and central California region.
Prizes
- First Place: $1,000 + The winner’s design will be featured on VMA’s Spring issue of Connect magazine cover and in VMA’s digital newsletter. These publications go to VMA’s member base of over 500 Northern California print and creative agency small business owners and is the largest industry publication in the area.
- Second Place – $500 + showcased in interior page of Connected and in VMA’s eNewsletter
- Third Place – $250 + showcased in interior page of Connected and in VMA’s eNewsletter
Timeline
- Design is due March 1, 2025
- Winners announced and contacted in late-March
- Connected is printed and distributed in mid-April
Judging
Winner will be selected by a jury consisting of VMA’s Communications team
Design Direction
- Imagery should be designed for the theme of ““Sustainable Printing for the Planet: Embracing the Circular Economy.”
- It should speak to the role visual media industry – printers, packaging, labels, design agencies and industry role in creating a circular economy and a sustainable planet.
Design Specs
- Download the template and design on your own layers below the masthead.
- Design for 300dpi, CMYK
- Final File: PDF with bleed and crop marks, outlined copy
To Enter
Complete the form and upload the final PDF file online at https://forms.gle/upVkyMQ7umrELX5DA
Questions
Contact us at shannon@visualmediaalliance.org or 415-710-0568
