WANT TO ENTER? GET THE DETAILS BELOW

  

Scroll down for the complete Rules, Frequently Asked Questions, Tips, and Past Winners.

 

OFFICIAL RULES & ENTRY FORM

Download the official CALL FOR ENTRIES PDF with the complete rules and entry form here.

   

DEADLINE

Monday, March 20, 5PM EST.

That means your entries must be in our office at 27 Union Square West, Suite 207, New York, NY, 10003 by 5pm that day. You can mail it, express-mail it, hand-deliver it or have it sent by carrier pigeons ... we don't care how it gets to us, it just has to be in our hands by 5pm. So make sure you leave enough time for delivery. No emailed or online submissions.

ENTRY FEES  

SPD Student Members get their FIRST 3 entries FREE!! (Though you can enter more than that ... if you do, your 4th and other entries will cost $10 each.) Please note, even though they're free, you must "purchase" your 3 free entries using the ticket form below. 

If you're not a member, but want to be, purchase your SPD Student Membership here first. Then come back and "purchase" your 3 free entries.

 Otherwise, each entry is $10. 

All payments must be made online using this ticket form here ... sorry no personal checks or money orders.

YOU MUST INCLUDE THE RECEIPT WITH YOUR ENTRY. If we cannot find proof of your payment for the entry (or entries) or a Student Membership, your entries will be disqualified.

  
PAY HERE: 

WHAT YOU CAN WIN

FIRST PLACE:  The Mitch Shostak Award -- a $2,500 prize and a summer internship at a top magazine in New York. (Questions about the internship? Find more info below.) 

SECOND PLACE:  The B.W. Honeycutt Award -- a $1,000 prize and a summer internship at a top magazine in New York.

THIRD PLACE:  A $500 prize and a summer internship at a top magazine in New York.

HONORABLE MENTION:  We may choose one or more entries to receive Honorable Mention status which often includes the opportunity to accept a summer internship, but that is not guaranteed. However all Honorable Mentions will definitely be featured on the website and social media.

THE TOP 3 WINNERS will also be honored with an Award of Excellence and an invitation to SPD's Annual Awards Gala in May 2016 in New York City. 

ALL AWARD-WINNING WORK (including honorable mentions) will be showcased on our website/social media AND the top 3 will be printed in our PUB 52 Design Annual along with all the professional competition winners, providing you with exposure to the entire publication design industry for years to come.

 

THE JUDGES

As always, there is an impressive team of judges who will be seeing ALL the work entered. Even if you don't win, it's a great opportunity to get your work in front of their eyes. You never know, some may think your entry is awesome even though it doesn't make the final cut, and art directors don't forget work they like!

Stay tuned for the full list of this year's judges!

*Please note that this competition is open only to undergraduate students from accredited colleges and universities. 

And yes, international students are welcome! 

 

If you're a graduate-level student or continuing education student, sorry, this isn't the competition for you, but you CAN enter our SPD-U Spotlight Online Gallery Show that selects and showcases the best design being done by all students throughout the year. Look for those details to be announced on our Student Blog in late April and May. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Find answers to some of our most commonly asked questions below:

·       Who is eligible? Community college? High School? Grad School? December grad?

·       What if I live outside of the U.S.?

·       How do I qualify for the free student member entries?

·       Where do I get the copy?

·       Can I change the headline?

·       Where do I get the photos?

·       What's this "made-up" character in your rules?

·       Are the internships only in summer?

·       Are there benefits to entering on a CD vs a physical printout?

·       What if I don't have access to a CD burner?

·       Have a different question? Email us at spdstudentoutreach@gmail.com.

PREVIOUS WINNING ENTRIES

  

See the winning entries and comments and tips from their creators from previous years here:
   
2016      2015       2014       2013        2012        2011        2010        2009        2008        2007

 

WANT SOME TIPS?

Be sure to check out the last page of the Call for Entries PDF for some great advice on what makes a good editorial spread. Also, check out more of our tips here:

·       Competition Tips, Part 1

·       Competition Tips, Part 2

·       Competition Tips, Part 3

·       Competition Tips, Part 4

·       Competition Tips, Part 5

 

ABOUT THAT INTERNSHIP YOU CAN WIN...

If you haven't noticed, our winners get internships at some pretty cool magazines ... and a lot of them go on to get real jobs because of it! Obviously the money, prizes and fame from winning are all great, but really, it's the internship that could kick-start your entire career. In case you need proof, check out reports from some of our previous winners about their prize internship experiences:

·       Sarah Tan at Money

·       Angela Kilburg at Bloomberg Businessweek

·       Darby Minter at Sports Illustrated

·       Grayce Holcomb at People

·       Chris Allen at Sports Illustrated

·       Nicole Zigmont (now a designer at Sports Illustrated!) at Complex

·       Jason Sfetko (now Deputy Art Director at the New York Times Magazine!) at Martha Stewart Living

·       Megan Cummins at Departures

·       Tina Nguyen at Fortune

And check out where some of our past winners have ended up AFTER the internships ... places like The New York Times Magazine, Wired, ESPN the Magazine, O the Oprah Magazine, their own design firms and more! 

 

AFTER ALL THAT, YOU STILL HAVE QUESTIONS??? :)

Email us at spdstudentoutreach@gmail.com.