Artist Brief & Submission Guidelines

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The Takoma Park Folk Festival is seeking an original design for our 2025 t-shirt and program cover — and we want your vision!

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This is your chance to have your work featured in one of the region’s most beloved community events, with thousands of attendees and broad local exposure.

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Contest Structure & Timeline 

 

We’re running this contest in two rounds:

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Round One – Artist Portfolio Review

Deadline: May 28 at midnight (now extended!)

Submit your contact info, a brief artist statement, and 3–5 samples of your work using this form: https://e.tpff.org/designapp

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Round Two – Preliminary Designs

We will invite 3 artists to submit a preliminary festival design by June 14.

 

Final Selection

In late June we will notify the winning artist, who will refine and submit the final design by July 15.

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Winner Receives:

• $300 honorarium

• A festival t-shirt featuring your design

• High visibility through thousands of programs, shirts, and online promotion

 

Creative Direction

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We’re looking for a design that captures the vibrancy, diversity, and community spirit of the festival. It should be bold, joyful, and reflect Takoma Park’s creative, multicultural vibe.

 

Let these theme words help guide your inspiration:

diverse, music, community, free, family, local, crafts, multicultural, fun, friends, performers, food, artists, unique, exciting, international, hang-out, interesting, kids, artisans, festive

 

You can also explore this website for more festival history and personality.

 

Design Requirements

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Your design must include:

• The name of the festival: Takoma Park Folk Festival

• The date: "September 7, 2025" or simply "2025"

Your design must meet these guidelines:

• Max 8 colors

• Must be adaptable to one-color/black & white if needed

• Design must work for:

  • Program cover: 8.5 x 11 inches (portrait)

  • T-shirt front: up to 10 x 14 inches

 

File Format & Submission Details 

Submit your final design as a high-resolution digital file:

• Formats: PDF, JPG, PNG, AI, or PSD

• Resolution: 300dpi or higher

• Keep all text editable or outlined (vector preferred for logos or illustrations)

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Fine Print

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The contest will be judged by the Takoma Park Folk Festival Board of Directors and Planning Committee.

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By submitting an entry, the artist affirms that the design is their original work and that they hold all necessary rights and permissions for any elements used in the design.

All submitted designs become the property of Takoma Park Folk Festival, Inc.

 

The winning artist grants Takoma Park Folk Festival, Inc. the exclusive rights to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and distribute the design in any format and for any purpose related to the festival, including (but not limited to) promotional, marketing, and merchandise materials.

 

The contest team reserves the right to make adjustments or alterations to the winning design as needed.

 

The artist agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Takoma Park Folk Festival, Inc., its affiliates, officers, and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in connection with the use, reproduction, or distribution of the submitted design, including any claims related to intellectual property infringement or violation of third-party rights.

Only the winning design will be used in official festival materials. Non-winning entries will not be used without permission from the artist.

 

Submitted materials will not be returned.

 

The Festival will make every effort to credit to the winning artist in promotional materials but the final decision on how the winning artist will be highlighted rests with the Festival. 

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