Students and community members under 18 are encouraged to submit a t-shirt design for the upcoming Queer, Trans, and Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast — Fall 2026. The design contest is open to all currently enrolled high school and middle school students located in Santa Cruz, San Benito, or Monterey county. All entries must be original creations and designs which incorporate the summit theme “Wildflower Masqueerade.”
Objective: The objective is to call local artists, community members, and students to participate in a creative and dynamic process and showcase their artwork.
The winning designer will receive a hoodie with the design and a $25 gift card.
Guidelines:
- Include a design for the front and back of the t-shirt
- Both the front and the back designs of the t-shirt must include the following:
- Must incorporate the theme title “Wildflower Masqueerade”
- Must include the name of the conference “Queer, Trans, and Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast — Fall 2026”
- Must include the date of the event “September 26, 2026”
- The design will be printed in white ink on a black t-shirt
About the Theme: Students from the Fall 2026 Student Summit Planning Committee have chosen the theme as “Wildflower Masqueerade"
Theme Statement written by the Fall 2026 Student Summit Planning Committee:
Flowers aren’t often the first thing that come to mind when you’re asked to imagine the embodiment of resilience. They’re perceived as fragile, frivolous: easy to dismiss for those who don’t take the time to appreciate them. The same could be said for the wider perception of the queer community. Under heteronormative society, we are forced to wear heavy, generic masks that obscure our true diverse identities: concrete cages that say the rest of the world gets to label who we are. Although, flowers can grow through concrete. Just like flowers, the queer community finds ways to survive and thrive in the most unexpected places, even in the cracks of the sidewalk. While we are unable to shed the weight of that concrete, we can always grow around it. Masks built on our own terms, crafted from our own experiences, show expression and autonomy unlike any other. That’s why we’d like to invite you to the Wildflower Masqueerade—a time for you to choose your own mask, adorned with authenticity and every color imaginable.
How to Submit a T-shirt Design
The entries must be emailed to CoordinateSummit@gmail.com by 5:00 pm, Thursday, September 10th. All emails should include a subject line of “T-shirt Design Submission – insert name.” The winning design will be announced by Monday, September 21, 2026, and chosen by the Student Summit Planning Committee. The winning design will be featured on t-shirts delivered at the summit!
Form of Entries:
- The entry should be accompanied by your name and contact information.
- The entry may be any of the following file formats if submitted electronically: .JPG, .PDF, .PNG., .PSD, or .AI.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact CoordinateSummit@gmail.com
Free Resources
- Digital illustration apps: Adobe Illustrator Draw, Sketches, Sketchbook
- Digital NEST
- Your unbelievable talent
Download the PDF Call for T-shirt Design Submissions Flyer
Infographic Summit "Call for T-shirt Design" for Instagram — PNG & PDF / TBA