Competitions and live briefs

We have an annual Christmas card competition with Tate, as well as competitions to get your designs transferred onto products to be sold in-store.

These provide current students who may not have market-ready products with a chance to get their work retailed. We manage the manufacturing, packaging and marketing and you do not have to be registered as a business to apply.

Tate Christmas Card competition

Application deadline: 28 April 2025.

For the seventh year, not just a shop is partnering with Tate to provide UAL students with the chance to design a new range of Christmas cards. The winning designs will be printed by Tate to be sold in their shops (museums and online) from August 2025. They will also be available in not just a shop from October 2025.

Although the theme is ‘Christmas’, designs don’t have to directly reference the Christian festival. But, they should be recognisably festive. All interpretations of Christmas will be considered - from traditional imagery to more modern and subversive representations.

Designs should be appealing to the general public and represent the quality, creativity and diversity of UAL. Entries will be judged on their originality, public appeal, fresh approach to the theme of Christmas and ability to capture the spirit of Christmas.

Whilst you must submit the final image in a digital format for a printed card, we encourage applications from all disciplines. This includes but is not limited to:

• graphic design
• communication design
• photography
• painting
• drawing
• illustration
• sculpture
• animation.

Your card design must be either 150mm x 150mm, or 120mm x170mm, with a 3mm bleed and without key design elements (eg text) within 30mm from the bottom edge as this will be covered by the packaging. Please also avoid using any seasonal greetings (such as Merry Christmas or Happy Xmas) on the design as it will conflict with Tate's internal card messaging.

The winning designs will be produced by Tate’s in-house production department, which will need Illustrator, EPS, or Tiff files. Copyright in the design will remain with the creator, but with Tate having an exclusive license to reproduce it for the current season. So the design should not be sold elsewhere through other retailers or your website.

Winners will be contacted in mid-May by not just a shop. The Tate production team will then communicate with successful students via email, to sign off final designs and layout.

Please see our briefing document (PDF 9MB) for more information and examples of previous designs.

The prize

Up to 4 winning students will each receive:

• Prize of £250.
• 6 packs of professionally printed cards.

How to enter

Upload your design via the application form adhering to the following design requirements:

• Avoid using any seasonal greetings (such as Merry Christmas or Happy Xmas) on the design as it will conflict with Tate's internal card messaging.
• Submission file type: High-resolution JPEG (300 dpi) with a max size of 1MB. NB: If selected you will need to supply an Illustrator, EPS or Tiff file.
• Image format: 150 x 150mm or 120 x 170mm (with allowance for a 3mm bleed around the outside edge) Please see templates for guidance.
  150mm x 150mm with 3mm bleed template 
  120mm x 170mm with 3mm bleed template

Eligibility

• Current student studying at one of UAL’s 6 colleges on a BA, MA, PHD or FdA level course.
• All disciplines welcome including but not limited to graphic design, communication design, photography, painting, drawing, illustration, sculpture, and animation.
• Design must be recognisably festive.
• Design for the card must be either 150mm x 150mm, or 120mm x 170mm, with a 3mm bleed.
• The design submitted cannot be used commercially at the time of sale of Christmas cards (for example used on other products or sold in other places).
• Up to 3 different designs can be submitted by one applicant. Please be selective when submitting your work, and ask friends to help edit if needed. Please do not send multiple colourways, we will only be able to put one forward to the panel if you do.

Criteria for selection

• Designs presented to a high standard.
• Creativity, uniqueness, and offering a fresh approach to the theme of Christmas.
• Commercial viability, for example, has wide public appeal.
• Priority will be given to students who have not previously won the competition.

Accessibility

If you believe there are any barriers to your participation in this opportunity or you have any access requirements (not limited to disability), please get in touch in advance of the deadline. Contact notjustashop@arts.ac.uk to start the discussion and see how you can be supported.