Box Design Contest

This Year's Theme:

Unpack Your Potential

Our goal is to drive interest in Graphic Communications job pathways and inspire thought around design reproduction that jumps off the screen!

You are invited to bring your creativity and talent to the Box Design Contest by developing an original packaging design inspired by this year’s contest theme. Using the provided box size and template specifications, showcase how creativity and print production work together to create packaging that is both visually impactful and production-ready.

Your Future in Graphic Communications

Purpose:

Boxes are promote used to promote our Student and Educator programs at events.

There are required graphic elements and text listed below that must be incorporated into your design and easy for your audience to see. Please take these into consideration as you develop your boxes!

Box design entires must include the following elements:

Design Direction:

Prominently display The FGCE name and logo as part of your design
Designs must include a message that relates to the theme
Bright and highly visible colors are great! Assume your design will be printed on a white background, so utilize a full color design. PGSF reserves right to adjust any element of the design to ensure printability
Must fit within dielines provided by the FGCE

Submission Requirements:

Create a high-resolution PDF: images 300dpi, 4/color process (CMYK)
The winner of the contest must submit all PDF files required for reproduction. Files become the property of FGCE
Dielines supplied must be used for the FGCE Box Design Contest
FGCE logo and FGCE Scholarship QR code (provided) must be used in your design
Please only submit ONE PDF per design. Both the outside and inside of your box should be together in ONE single file
Use of AI: Students are highly encouraged to generate original concepts, artwork and editing using the digital and analog tools available to them. We appreciate the use of AI as a resource in the creative process but submissions must be an original design created by the individual tapping into their own library of skills.

Naming Your Final PDF Files:

High School Students: Firstname_lastname_schoolname_box_2026_HighSchool

Post Secondary Student: Firstname_lastname_schoolname_box_2026_PostSecondary

Disclaimer and Contest Rules:

All Design Contest Files submitted become the property of FGCE and could be used to promote our Student and Educator engagement, which includes outbound communications about our FGCE Scholarship and Grant Programs. We may request native files. Attribution to the designer will be given on all uses unless otherwise requested. Design file imagery could be applied to social media, website, printed materials, t-shirts and other communication and fundraising products.

Entries submitted with missing elements and/or incorrect specifications will be disqualified.

Contest is now closed. Judging will begin March 2026 and the winner will be notified by May 1st, 2026.

If you have any questions, please email dianne.bullas@thefgce.com or call 503-572-6610.

2025–2026 APPLICATIONS

Closed

Deadline: March 16, 2026

Review: Begins March 2026

Winners Announced: May, 1 2026

AT A GLANCE

Design Elements

Box design entries must include the following elements:

GET STARTED