How to Enter | FAQs 

Please review the entry submission details and category listings below. We wish the best of luck to all entrants.

AIGA KC offers a simplified, fully digital submission process—no printing or exhibition fees required. Each entry submission allows for up to five digital pieces per category. Entrants are welcome to submit work across multiple categories, provided the work aligns with the criteria outlined for each.

Agency Pricing 
Member Fee: $75.00 per entry 
Nonmember Fee: $85.00 per entry
 
Freelance Pricing 
Member Fee: $50.00 per entry 
Nonmember Fee: $60.00 per entry 

In-House Pricing 
Member Fee: $65.00 per entry 
Nonmember Fee: $75.00 per entry 

Student Pricing 
Member Fee: $25.00 per entry 
Nonmember Fee: $35.00 per entry 
 

Entry Fee Schedule:

• Late Entry Deadline: Beginning June 14, 2025, all submission fees will increase by $15 (or $5 for student entries).
• Final Call Deadline: Beginning June 21, 2025, fees will increase by an additional $10 (or $5 for students).

Award Groups

• Student
• Freelance / In-House
• Agency

Categories

• Branding + Identity
• Packaging
• Product/Industrial Design
• Editorial + Print Design
• Lettering + Typeface Design
• Campaigns (includes social media, traditional advertising, corporate communications, etc)
• Web + App design
• Interactive (vr/ar/xr)
• Photography
• Illustration
• Environmental + Public Art
• Animation + Motion Graphics + Video
• Textile + Jewelry

Category Descriptions

Branding + Identity: Work that establishes or refreshes the visual and strategic foundation of a brand. Includes logos, brand systems, visual identities, and guidelines that shape how a brand is recognized and experienced.

Packaging: Design that protects, presents, and enhances physical products. Includes labels, containers, structural packaging, and unboxing experiences that elevate both form and function.

Product / Industrial Design: This category honors exceptional design in consumer and industrial products, including prototypes. Entries should showcase innovation, functionality, and thoughtful design that enhances quality of life through purposeful form and usability.

Editorial + Print Design: Layout and typography-driven work in printed formats. Includes books, magazines, newspapers, posters, brochures, and zines, showcasing strong narrative design and visual storytelling.

Lettering + Typeface Design: Custom letterforms or complete typefaces. This category celebrates handcrafted typography, font development, and expressive lettering that brings language to life.

Campaigns: Multi-touchpoint marketing or advocacy campaigns that span platforms and formats. Includes cohesive messaging across print, digital, social, and experiential mediums.

Web + App Design: Design for digital interfaces that deliver a seamless and engaging user experience. Includes websites, mobile apps, and responsive platforms focused on functionality and visual clarity.

Interactive (VR / AR / XR): Experiential design work using immersive technology. Includes virtual, augmented, or extended reality projects that push boundaries in storytelling, education, or brand engagement.

Photography: Original photographic work used in design or as standalone art. Includes editorial, commercial, conceptual, or documentary-style photography that captures mood, story, and perspective.

Illustration: Hand-drawn or digitally created illustrations used in any context. Celebrates unique artistic voice and the visual power of storytelling through image-making.

Environmental + Public Art: Designs created for public spaces or large-scale environments. Includes murals, installations, wayfinding systems, signage, or exhibition design that engages with community or space.

Animation + Motion Graphics + Video: Work that moves—literally. Includes animated storytelling, kinetic typography, branded motion content, explainer videos, and video production with a design-forward approach.

Textile + Jewelry: Wearable or tactile designs that merge material exploration with artistry. Includes fashion, fiber arts, jewelry design, surface patterns, and functional or decorative textile work.