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Centennial Library Card Art Contest

Your art. In every pocket. Design Austin Public Library’s Centennial card. 

Celebrate Austin Public Library’s 100th birthday with us by designing our Centennial library card! We’re looking for original designs from artists of all ages, with a unique theme for each category:

Child (ages 0–12) 

The Library’s 100th Birthday Party

Teen (ages 13–17)

Austin Public Library’s Next Century

Adult (ages 18+)

Inspiring All to Discover, Learn, and Create

Submit your design

Eligibility

The contest is open to current Austin Public Library cardholders who are residents of the Austin Public Library service area and are not current City of Austin employees.

One winning design will be selected in each age category. 

Submission Requirements

  • Each participant may submit only one design.
  • All artwork must be the original work of the person entering the contest.
  • Entries must relate to the theme for the participant’s age category.
  • Designs must be appropriate for a general audience and suitable for use on a public library card.
  • Any artistic medium – drawing, painting, photography, digital art – is acceptable, but submissions must be made electronically using the link below.
  • Artwork created with generative AI tools will not be accepted.
  • Entries may not include copyrighted characters, logos, trademarks, or other material the entrant does not own or have permission to use.
  • Entries may not include promotional, commercial, or partisan political content, including content that promotes a business, organization, political party, or candidate. 

Design Specifications

The winning artwork will cover most of the front side of the wallet-sized Austin Public Library card. The design area will have an approximate size of 2.7 inches wide by 2.12 inches high on the printed card. Submissions should be scalable to the final dimensions.

  • Designs should be landscape orientation.
  • Keep important parts of the artwork at least 0.25 inches from the edge to avoid anything getting cut off.
  • Digital files must be submitted as SVG, PNG, PDF, EPS or JPG.
  • Submitted files must be no larger than 5 MB.
Library Card Design Template

Designs should account for the fact that some portions may be adjusted slightly to fit final production needs. Austin Public Library will make every effort to preserve the integrity of the selected artwork, but minor resizing, cropping, or formatting adjustments may be necessary for printing and card production. 

Note: please retain your original art. If selected as a finalist, you may be contacted and asked to resubmit a higher-resolution image file. 

How to Enter

Entries must be submitted online. 

All entries must be received by 9:00 AM on June 1, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

For participants under 18, a parent or legal guardian must complete required permission information on the entry form. 

Judging and Voting

After the submission period closes, eligible entries will be reviewed by Austin Public Library staff to confirm that they meet contest rules and technical requirements. 

A group of finalist designs will be selected in each category. 

Designs will be evaluated based on: 

  • Connection to the category theme
  • Originality and creativity
  • Visual impact
  • Suitability for reproduction as a library card
  • Clarity and overall design quality 

Potential finalists may be contacted by Austin Public Library to confirm eligibility and to request higher-resolution art files.

Finalists will then be shared for public voting from June 15 to July 31, 2026. Public voting will help determine the winning design in each category. 

Austin Public Library reserves the right to remove entries that do not meet the contest guidelines or that cannot be reproduced successfully as library cards. 

Winners

Three winners will be selected: one in the Child category, one in the Teen category, and one in the Adult category. Winning artists will:

  • have their design printed on an official Austin Public Library card
  • be recognized by Austin Public Library as part of the Centennial Celebrations 

Winning card designs will be distributed beginning in September 2026, as part of National Library Card Month, while supplies last. 

Additional Terms and Conditions

By entering this contest, participants—and, for child and teen participants, the parent or legal guardian granting permission—agree to the following: 

  • The participant meets the eligibility requirements.
  • The submitted artwork meets the submission requirements and design specifications.
  • Participants grant Austin Public Library permission to reproduce, publish, display, and use submitted artwork in connection with the contest and related promotional materials. Winning entrants also grant Austin Public Library permission to use their design on library cards.
  • Austin Public Library reserves the right to make minor changes to designs to meet printing, branding, accessibility, or production needs.
  • Submission of an entry does not guarantee selection as a finalist or winner.
  • The participant accepts responsibility for the submitted design, including ensuring that it is original and that they have all rights and permissions necessary to submit it, and for any claims arising from the Library’s use of the design as permitted under these rules.
  • Austin Public Library reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not comply with these rules or that cannot be reproduced successfully for card production. 

Questions? For questions about the Austin Public Library Centennial Library Card Art Contest, contact: librarynews@austintexas.gov