2025 Art as Activism Poster Contest for High School Students

“Defend Books, Ban Barriers" is the theme for the 2025 Art as Activism Poster Contest! This year, we're standing strong against book bans and censorship.⁠⁠

We’re calling on high school students across northeastern Massachusetts to use their creativity to raise awareness. Design a poster that incorporates at least one powerful statistic about book banning into your artwork.⁠

As with last year, professional judges will review the entries, and a group of the top entries and honorable mentions posters will be displayed in the spring and summer at various public venues. Prizes will be awarded to the top designs!⁠

Ready to make your voice heard?

Please see the guidelines below for submission information.

 

Guidelines

  • Design 1–3 posters to be considered in the contest.

  • The message must relate to the theme of uniting against book bans and censorship.

  • ALL ENTRIES MUST include original artwork, and may not include licensed cover art unless it’s in the public domain (75 years or older).

  • ALL ENTRIES MUST include one fact or statistic about book banning integrated into the artwork.

  • Posters must be 11x17 inches including one inch of space on the bottom for the branded band that we have provided.

  • Entries will be posted electronically as well as printed.

  • Entries will be judged by a panel of professional artists and art educators.

  • The top three poster submissions will receive cash prizes, distributed at a Community Conversation at the Cabot in Beverly on March 26, 2025.

  • A group of the top entries and honorable mentions will be displayed in the spring and summer at various public venues.

  • Submissions are due by March 1, 2025 and can be submitted here via google form.

  • Type your first name* and graduation year in the provided band. If you are not using a digital medium, you will need to take a high resolution photo of your work with a printed copy of the band attached. Submit the photo and send in your hard copy for display consideration.

  • Before submitting, be sure to read through the checklist below. If your design does not comply with the guidelines and checklist, it will not be considered for an award.

  • If you have any questions, please reach out to ladies@leadingladiesvote.org.

Submission Checklist

Please check for the following before submitting:

  • All entries must be designed around the theme of uniting against book bans and censorship.

  • Includes one fact or statistic about book banning integrated into the artwork.

  • Leading Ladies branded band must appear on the bottom one inch of the poster.

  • Entries must be able to be posted electronically as well as printed.

  • Your first name and grade year have been included on the branded band.

For the poster

  • All posters must be 11x17 inches including the provided band

  • Digital posters must be 11x17 inches at 300 dpi

  • Digital posters must be saved as a PDF

  • All digital files must be less than 50MB

 

Ready to submit your art?

In the submission form, you will be asked to include an optional artist statement. The artist statement must be nonpartisan (messaging cannot be biased toward any specific political party).

Once you’ve completed everything on the checklist, please fill out the submission form linked below.