ACCA Student Design Contest!

Are you artistic? Do you enjoy designing creative images using graphic design software? If so, the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) invites you to submit a T-shirt design for the 2026 ACCA Student Research Symposium!

Prize for Winning Entry: $200 CASH

Evaluation Criteria:

Connection to ACCA’s mission to “promote collegiate education in STEM and Social Science fields”
Connection to ACCA’s 60^th anniversary celebration in 2025-2026
Suitability for T-shirt printing
Overall pleasing design

Contest Details:

Designs must be created in an electronic format, using a design format suitable for printing on a T-shirt. The best design formats for t-shirt printing are vector files (AI, EPS, PDF) or high-resolution raster files (PNG, TIFF) with a transparent background.
Eligible students must be enrolled at one of the 14 ACCA Institutions during the 2025-2026 Academic Year for at least one term.
The winning entry will be chosen by the ACCA Executive Committee members using a blind review.
Each student may submit AT MOST ONE design in PDF format using the Google form https://forms.gle/B3K3pNaUvA3uyioo8 OR by email to srobbert@accachicago.org.
Deadline for Entry: January 31, 2026
The winning designer will be notified by email no later than February 28, 2026. At that time, the designer will need to submit a vector or a high-resolution raster file of their design for t-shirt production.
All participants and attendees at the 2026 Student Research Symposium will receive a complimentary T-shirt printed with the winning design. The Student Research Symposium will be Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL.

Past T-Shirt Designs

ACCA Student Design Contest Promo Download