Communication Arts Design Competition 2027

Communication Arts magazine (Communication Arts Inc., USA).

Hosted in the USA and open globally; entries may originate from any country, but an English translation must be provided for the jurors.

Regular deadline: May 7, 2027 (midnight Pacific Time); extended deadline: May 21, 2027, with a late fee of $10 per entry. No entries can be registered after May 21, 2027. Results notification: accepted entrants will be notified within two months after the final deadline date (expected August 2027).

26 categories:

01. Packaging — labels, shopping bags, audio/video/software packaging, etc.;

02. Trademarks — single trademark or logo;

03. Identity Guides — corporate identity manuals/style guides, brand strategy guides, etc.;

04. Integrated Branding Programs — comprehensive identity programs (may include trademarks, business papers, websites, etc.);

05. Business Papers — business papers for a single company;

06. For Profit Annual Reports — annual report for publicly-traded companies;

07. Non-Profit Annual Reports — annual report for nonprofit organizations;

08. Institutional Brochures — institutional/corporate/social responsibility booklets or brochures;

09. Product/Service Brochures — product or service booklets or brochures;

10. Product Catalogs — including product images, descriptions, specifications, prices, etc.;

11. School Catalogs — course catalogs for colleges, universities, or other educational outlets (art school catalogs in visual communications belong in Self-Promotion);

12. Exhibition Catalogs — brochures listing works at an art exhibition or books published to accompany an exhibit;

13. Miscellaneous Company Literature — conference literature, announcements, company invitation/greeting cards, etc.;

14. Posters — posters for exhibitions, institutions, theaters, movies, etc.;

15. Editorial — consumer and trade magazines, newspapers, house organs/newsletters/association publications, etc.;

16. Books — covers and complete books;

17. Self-Promotion — promotion for design firms, printers, paper companies, art schools, illustrators and photographers;

18. Self-Promotion for Design Clubs — promotion/communication for art/design clubs;

19. Motion Graphics — program titles, event videos, animation, music videos, etc.;

20. Public Service — work produced for nonprofits, including zoos, museums, orchestras, ballet companies, etc.;

21. Environmental Graphics — signage, interiors, architectural graphics, exhibits, tradeshow booths, point-of-purchase displays, etc.;

22. Personal Announcements — personal invitations/greeting cards/birth announcements, etc.;

23. Calendars — calendars for sale or created for clients (self-promotion calendars belong in Self-Promotion);

24. Menus — single and series of menus created for establishments serving food;

25. Miscellaneous — work not covered in previous categories;

26. Student Work — work created for school assignments (student entries enjoy a substantial discount; student work may not also be entered in other categories; personal unpublished work is not accepted).

Open to all, worldwide. Eligible design projects must have been printed, published, or aired for the first time between May 2026 and May 2027. Student entries must be course assignments.

Paid. Entry fees start at $45 per entry and vary by category and work type; student entries enjoy a substantial discount. Entries submitted after the May 7, 2027 regular deadline (through May 21, 2027) incur a late fee of $10 per entry. Payments accepted via Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, or by check, international money order, or wire transfer (wire transfers incur an additional $25 handling fee). Entry fees are non-refundable.

The Communication Arts Design Competition is one of the world's most prestigious annual competitions in graphic design, hosted by the U.S.-based Communication Arts magazine. Now in its 68th year, it has long honored the craft of talented illustrators, photographers, and designers worldwide. The 2027 edition covers 26 categories spanning packaging, trademarks, identity systems, annual reports, brochures, catalogs, editorial, books, motion graphics, environmental graphics, public service, student work, and more across all dimensions of graphic design. It is open to any design project first printed, published, or aired between May 2026 and May 2027 (jurors require English translations). A jury of leading design professionals conducts a two-round independent review — in the screening round, each juror votes "in" or "out" on each entry; projects advancing to the finals round require a majority vote to become winners. Each winning entrant receives a personalized Award of Excellence trophy milled from solid aluminum plus award certificates; up to five Best-in-Show winners also receive a special trophy and extended editorial coverage in the Annual. All winning works are published in the globally distributed Communication Arts Design Annual (print and digital editions) and on commarts.com, giving creators significant professional exposure. In support of hardworking artists, the competition explicitly does not accept AI text-to-image generated submissions.