2025 Graphic Design Challenge
April 1 - 30, 2025
“How Might We inspire our community to get active?”
The 2025 Bright Spark® Graphic Design Challenge is intended for students from rising 4th through 12th grades (ages 9-18). The program is virtual from start-to-finish and is completely free to participate in. Registration closes at 11:59 PM ET on March 28, 2025—and the competition will take place throughout the month of April. Students are welcome to compete as individuals or within teams. All students must be led by an adult sponsor (teacher, parent, guardian, counselor, etc.).
Challenge Guidelines:
“How Might We inspire our community to get active?”
The graphic design must be an original work and may be scanned or digitally created. According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), graphic design is defined as:
The art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content. The form of the communication can be physical or virtual, and may include images, words, or graphic forms.
The benefits of getting active are well-known and well-documented. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “Engaging in physical activity is one of the best things people of all ages can do to improve their health. Physical activity is vital for healthy aging, can reduce chronic diseases, and prevent early death.” Not only that, but the way a community is designed and its members interact with one another will contribute significantly to whether or not those community members are willing and able to stay active.
You have the opportunity to be thoughtful and creative in thinking about how a community inspired to get active can be depicted in the graphic design you create. As the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” suggests, the use of graphics can often explain ideas better than words. Your graphic has the power to inspire, motivate, and change behavior!
Registration Deadline: March 28, 2025 @ 11:59 PM ET
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2025 @ 11:59 PM ET
Note: Student Participants must register with the help of their Parent / Legal Guardian. Designs that are determined to have been fully or heavily created using artificial intelligence tools may be judged more harshly and receive lower scoring from the judges. Determination is at the judges’ discretion.
Submission
Participants will submit their designs using a Google Form. Each design must include a short title and an under-40-word description of how their design promotes “getting active.” The submission deadline is April 30, 2025 @ 11:59 PM ET.
The submitted graphic must be the student’s own original, unpublished work. By entering the competition, the student and adult sponsor agree that the submission is the student’s own work. Bridge Innovate® and its program Bright Spark® have free and unlimited use rights to use the work to promote and benefit future Bright Spark® programs and services.
Judging Criteria
The top finalists will be judged based on the following criteria:
Focus: Graphic directly addresses the prompt “How Might We inspire our community to get active” as interpreted by the participant(s).
Creativity: Graphic is creative, imaginative, and inspiring.
Execution: Graphic demonstrates an understanding of graphic design principles: color, layout, etc.
Originality: Graphic and its components are original and created or captured by the artist themselves and do not utilize artificial intelligence in the final submission.
The graphic must be the student's own original, unpublished work. By entering the competition, student and adult sponsors agree that the submission is the student’s own work, and Bridge Innovate/Bright Spark has exclusive rights to use the graphic submission.
Awards
Students/teams are eligible for the following awards:
(3) Best Overall Design by Age Level: Elementary, Middle, High
(1) Best Design by Theme: How Might We inspire our community to get active?
(1) Most Creative Design
(1) People’s Choice Award
Winning individuals/teams receive a virtual certificate, recognition on the Bridge Innovate® website and Bright Spark® social media, and a $100 gift card.
All educators receive a Design Thinking Leadership digital badge. Educators of winning individuals/teams are also eligible for the Innovation for Good® Award presented by Bridge Innovate®.
Meet the Winners of the 2024 Bright Spark® Graphic Design Challenge
Check out the winning submissions from the 2024 Bright Spark® Graphic Design Challenge! Last year’s theme was “One with Nature.” The winning teams received a certificate and a $100 gift card.
Best Overall: Elementary
Serenity Among Leaves
Beatreese - Pristine Private School, Dubai, UAE
Best Overall: Middle School
Nature’s Embrace
Vasilisa - Amana Academy, GA
Best Overall: High School
Plugging Into Nature
Angelique, Eowyn, Sofia, Jonelle - Pristine Private School, Dubai, UAE
Best Design by Theme
Rewire
Sana - Pristine Private School, Dubai, UAE
Most Creative — All Levels
In Harmony with Creation
Jinnaaya - Hill Spring International School, India
Most Creative — All Levels
Sleeping Giant
Abigail - FutureForward Bollman, CO
2024 Bright Spark Graphic Design Challenge Engagement
54+ Submissions
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160+ Registrants
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12 Countries Participating
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54+ Submissions • 160+ Registrants • 12 Countries Participating •
The Process:
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Start thinking about how to create a graphic design that corresponds with ”Inspiring your community to get active.” Brainstorm with your friends and family about what ”Inspiring your community to get active” means to them. Use those answers to inspire you.
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Start with simple sketches on paper. Draw as many ideas as possible.
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Narrow down to one top idea which you would like to use as inspiration for your final graphic.
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Once you’ve landed on an idea, create your graphic. Your graphic must be original and 2D. Your graphic can be digitally assembled, or it can be hand-drawn or painted and then scanned—or a combination of both! We encourage students to implement methods such as original photography, drawing, painting, collage, and digital design.
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Your design must be submitted as a PNG or JPEG file saved in the sRGB color profile. The image must fit inside of a 10” x 12” area with a minimum resolution of 150 DPI.
