About the Contest: Artists are invited to submit design ideas for the 2026 Open Doors Studio Tours Spartanburg. We are looking for a dynamic, artistic design for the 2026 Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg tee shirt.
Important Dates
- Submit your design (3 per contestant) September 2 – November 1, 2025
- LAST DAY to submit a design – no exceptions Friday, November 1, 2025, 8:00 am (email time stamp)
- Adjudication of designs November 6, 2025
- Announcement of contest winner by November 15, 2025
Award:
The winner will receive a $500 cash award and the
opportunity to participate in the Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg
weekend for free (April 25 and 26, 2026). If the winner does not have
a personal art studio they will be given space within the Artists
Collective Spartanburg to display and sell their art. Second place will
receive free inclusion in the 2026 tour (a $50 value).
Who Can Enter the Contest:
Any artist 18 or older who is a
Spartanburg resident. Artists are allowed to submit up to 3 designs to
be considered. Each design must be entered separately.
Design Requirements:
- The design must include the text: Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg 2026.
- The design will be centered on the front of the tee shirt to fit an area no larger than 12” x 16”
- The design should include original artwork and text, but no photographs.
- The design must work on both light and dark backgrounds. To test this you can place a background layer under your design and change the color layer to simulate different light and dark t-shirt colors.
- Please visit the Open Doors Website for information on
the tour and design inspiration.
Originality:
By entering the competition, you agree that your submission is your own work. The design must be your own original, unpublished work and must not include any third-party logos nor copyrighted material. Use of AI: Artists are highly encouraged to generate original concepts, artwork and editing using the digital and analog tools available to them. We appreciate the use of AI as a resource in the creative process but expect submissions to be created by individuals tapping into their own library of skills.
Submissions:
Entries are accepted online only by visiting https://opendoorsstudios.art/t-shirt-design-contest Artwork print files should be 12” x 16” at 300dpi in PNG format.
Every artists will be notified of the receipt of each submission. Artists are automatically agreeing to all rules of the contest when they submit entries.
The winner will be notified by November 15, 2025.
Judging:
Designs will be judged on the following criteria:
- Originality and creativity
- Visibility – Is it eye catching and visible from a distance
- Does it coincide with the mission of the Open Doors Studio Tour
Spartanburg - Feasibility – Must be easy to reproduce
By submitting a design, you are agreeing to all contest rules and guidelines. The Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg Committee will choose the winning t-shirt design. The committee is composed of representatives from the following organizations: Artists Collective Spartanburg, Artist’ Guild of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Art Museum and the Chapman Cultural Center.
Right to Edit:
The Open Doors Committee shall have the right to edit, composite, scan, duplicate or alter the entry design for any purpose which it deems necessary or desirable, without the need for any further permission.
Retention of Design:
The selected design becomes the property of Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg. The Open Doors Committee has exclusive rights to the reproduction of all entries and the submitting artists relinquish all rights to such design. All proceeds from the sale of the t-shirts will go to the Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg.
The artist shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg from and against any and all suits, actions, claims, damages, liabilities, judgments, losses and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of any violation of third party rights (including, without limitation, intellectual property infringement, misappropriation, dilution or violation) in connection with the Open Doors Studio Tour Spartanburg’s use, distribution, publishing, sale or exploitation of the design.