Super South Poster Design Competition 2027: Sustainable Innovation, $2,500 Top Award
The Super South Sustainable Innovation Poster Design Competition is accepting worldwide proposals from artists, designers, architecture students, graphic communicators and visual thinkers to imagine a more resilient future. The 2026–27 theme, 'Designing the Future We Imagine', asks what a sustainable next generation of energy, movement, cities, health and technology could look like. Entries opened 1 October 2026 and close on 15 January 2027. Selected designs will be exhibited at the Super South Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, on 22–24 March 2027; around 100 posters are expected to be displayed. The highest cash award, Platinum, is US$2,500.
What kind of designs are wanted?
The competition encourages visual storytelling around invention and action, nature combined with people and technology, circular economy, regeneration, clean energy, mobility and healthy communities. Designers may use illustration, photography, typography, information graphics or other graphic techniques, provided that the result is a coherent original poster and communicates a hopeful but thoughtful view of sustainable innovation. The jury will assess originality, creative visual impact, conceptual strength, communication of the theme and execution. This is not a call for already published campaign posters.
Eligibility, originality and dates
Artists, architects, students, designers and creative innovators worldwide are welcome; the competition states that the call is global.
Submission opens 1 October 2026 and ends 15 January 2027.
All poster work must be original, not previously exhibited, including on social media or elsewhere online, and must not have received prior awards.
An estimated 100 posters will be selected for physical exhibition during the Super South Summit in Atlanta, 22–24 March 2027.
Finalists expected to be notified by 1 March 2027.
The site says submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. 'EDT' on 15 January, yet Atlanta observes EST in January. Applicants must confirm the actual deadline timezone with the organiser rather than rely on the mismatched abbreviation.
Poster size and technical file
24 by 36 inches (60.96 × 91.44 cm), strictly portrait/vertical.
Print-ready PDF; CMYK-compatible colours.
300 dpi resolution.
Maximum file size of 10MB.
Upload through the contest's direct form after completing any required payment or account step.
Keep the original layered source file, proof of artwork ownership and a high-quality export in case selected works require production checks.
Entry fee contradiction: confirm before checkout
The official submission page contains two statements that do not agree. Just above the form it instructs contestants to 'pay the entry fee first' before returning to upload the poster. However, its Terms and Conditions separately say there are 'no restrictions on entry or cost to participate'. These cannot both establish a reliable specific fee or a promise of free entry. Therefore, treat the amount as unverified until the live payment checkout or Super South organisers confirm the charge, currency and refund policy. Do not pay a third-party agent claiming to guarantee a finalist place.
Awards and public exhibition
Platinum Award: US$2,500.
Gold: US$1,000.
Silver: US$750.
Bronze: US$500.
Student category: US$500.
The five named awards total US$5,250, while the organiser also advertises more than US$5,000 in total.
The published rules say cash awards are to be transferred within 30 days of the award ceremony, subject to valid recipient details and applicable tax documents.
Jury and organiser track record
The Super South Summit focuses on sustainable innovation in the American South, linking enterprises, investors, public officials and creative communities. Its poster initiative is curated with PosterTerritory, the international graphic-design platform led by Olga Severina. The official judging page names David Carson, Adrian Caddy, Sam Eckersley of SCAD, Agnieszka Ziemiszewska and other international graphic-design and education experts. A publicly named jury and concrete event schedule allow the contest to be independently checked; they are not a guarantee that an accepted designer will receive airfare or an exhibition travel stipend.
Promotional rights and privacy conditions
The terms grant Super South Summit LLC rights to display, promote and reuse the submitted poster and certain identification information, without further royalties. They also allow sharing participant details with third parties for marketing purposes, which some artists may find significant. Prize winners may need to provide identification and valid US tax information; foreign winners should ask how cross-border tax handling works before handing over personal documents. Winning does not require physical attendance at the awards ceremony, according to the rules.
Official rules and upload
Super South official poster design brief, jury and submission: https://supersouth.org/poster-upload/
Information checked 24 October 2026. Worldwide submissions until 15 January 2027; submit before the last day because the official page uses contradictory fee and timezone text.