Kansas City’s World Cup committee is hosting poster design contest. How to enter and win
Artists in Kansas and Missouri have a rare opportunity to have their work showcased to the world.
KC2026, the nonprofit organization overseeing Kansas City’s host city duties for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, announced a contest to create KC’s poster. The contest is open to all Kansas and Missouri residents over the age of 18. The winner will be awarded $11,000 in total, on top of their image representing the city’s on the global stage.
Chandler Johnson, president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts’ Kansas City chapter, said this is an opportunity for artists to lead the charge in highlighting the arts and design scene in the Midwest.
“We have a large, vibrant, thriving design community and whether you’re from St. Louis, Kansas City, Wichita or from across the heartland, this is one of those opportunities for us to celebrate how amazing design is in this area,” Johnson said.
Submissions are open until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, and you can enter online. In the submission, applicants must include a portfolio with a maximum of three samples of previous work, as well as one poster design sketch and a written overview of their creative vision.
You will have to create an account with the nonprofit arts organization Western States Arts Federation to enter the contest.
Five artists will be selected Oct. 28 as finalists and receive a cash prize of $1,000. Artists selected will be provided with FIFA assets and asked to submit a final design and the story behind the design. The winning artist will receive an additional $10,000 and see their design unveiled to the world in 2025.
A representative with KC2026 could not confirm the reveal date, since each World Cup host city is running the same contest and will wait for FIFA to confirm the winners when the locally comprised panels make their official selections.
FIFA will make decisions on how the poster will be merchandised, a KC2026 representative said. As of Wednesday, Oct. 9, those plans have not been shared.
Johnson will be on the panel of judges who decide the final selections and winning poster. He said the panel will be looking for a design that understands and embodies the idea of the Heartland. It’s a chance to bring the Midwest together since Kansas City’s the only city representing the region during the World Cup, he said.
“This is an opportunity for us to plant the flag of how amazing the Midwest is,” Johnson said. “We are having this opportunity to be the beacon and celebrate what great design is in the Midwest and let the world know that we have great design just as much as we have great sports.”
He hopes the poster is one that people hang up in rooms in their homes and that it inspires young creatives to make their own artwork.
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
