2026 Syracuse International Jazz Fest Poster Design Competition
Deadline to enter: March 15, 2026
The Syracuse International Jazz Fest is an annual outdoor music festival that celebrates world-class jazz music and community spirit. Syracuse University is a sponsor of the festival, with students and faculty participating in the lineup of legendary performers and rising stars. 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the festival, which will be held July 9-12.
The organizers would like to invite students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts to submit an original poster design for this year’s festival. The winning design will be used on the official 2026 festival poster and other collateral materials associated with and related to the festival including, but not limited to flyers, handbills, print ads, collateral materials, various aspects of the festival's advertising campaign, souvenir program books, and official festival merchandise. View examples of posters from the festival’s history.
The winning designer will receive a $1,000 cash prize and an invitation to the festival press conference where the poster is unveiled. VIP ticket and swag bag packages will be awarded to the first-, second-, and third-place runners-up. Please note: the winning design will become the sole property of Syracuse Jazz Fest productions.
Creative Brief
The festival organizers seek a design that is graphically strong, versatile, commercially viable, bold, striking, and colorful. It should connote excitement surrounding an outdoor music festival; for example, outdoor staging, large crowds, greenery, hilltops, summer nights, and starry skies. For this year’s poster, the design can also reference the 40th anniversary or 40th edition of the festival, though this should not be the main focus of the design. Your design will need to accommodate the addition of dates and locations of the festival, names of headliners, etc.
The design should avoid stereotypical images of jazz (small clubs, a saxophone player, an instrument, etc.). It should also not be so complex that it cannot be translated across the various media and collateral. Simplicity is preferred.
Submitting Your Entry
Submit your design as an 11” x 17” image, 300 dpi, via this Google entry form. The file name should include your first and last name. Deadline: March 15, 2026. Notification of winner by March 30.
Questions?
Email Dr. Seyeon Lee, VPA associate dean of strategic initiatives and research, slee80@syr.edu.