About the Contest

Mayor John Carney and the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs invites you to enter the America 250 City Art Poster Project.

Participating cities will submit posters that celebrate local history and inspire hope for the future in honor of the semiquincentennial (America 250). Submissions can come from a range of artists of all ages, from individuals, schools and community arts programs to professional and amateur artists.
This project is a platform to celebrate civic and national pride in honor of the semiquincentennial and showcase the power of artists to interpret and express community identity.
How to Enter: PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND SPECS BEFORE SUBMITTING THE FINAL FILE
FILE FORMAT: PDF ONLY
- File should be created at 100% scale to provided specs.
- Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI at 100% scale.
- Color Mode: CMYK (4-color process); Convert all RGB images and spot colors to CMYK.
- Your design should incorporate the name of our city and “America 250” by text only into the design. America 250 logos are not permitted to be used in the design.
- AI generated artwork is NOT accepted. If the submission is determined to be AI generated, it will be disqualified.

All Posters submitted should be suitable to print as is and checked for grammar errors.
Files not meeting these requirements must be corrected before they will be accepted.

POSTER ARTWORK DUE DATE: MARCH 25, 2026
All posters should be nonpartisan and should not include political messages or inflammatory language. The final posters should commemorate the 250th anniversary with imagery that conveys civic pride, historical connection, and optimism for the next 250 years.

Please read all instructions and specs before submitting the final file. You may submit up to two (2) entrees.

Three posters will be chosen for a final vote by City of Wilmington residents. The final selected poster will be displayed at the US Conference of Mayor’s 94th Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA (June 4 – 7, 2026). The final selected poster will also be published in both print and digital books.

Designs of the runners up will be exhibited in the Louis L. Redding Gallery, 800 N. French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 from June 5th to July 31st.

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* 1. First and Last Name

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* 2. Phone Number

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* 3. Email

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* 4. Are you a resident of Wilmington, DE?

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* 5. First Entry: enter the title

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* 6. Upload an image of the First Entry here

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* 7. (Optional) Second Entry: enter the title

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* 8. (Optional) Upload an image of the Second Entry here

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* 9. By making a submission to the City of Wilmington’s America 250 City Art Poster Contest competition, you acknowledge: (1) your submission is an original concept and execution and is not a copy or reproduction of the art of another; and (2) you will agree to irrevocably grant to the City of Wilmington and its related organizations, affiliates, licensees and assigns, in its sole and absolute discretion, without restriction or limitation, a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty free, perpetual, irrevocable license (with the right to sublicense) to use, publish, modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works, distribute and display your work for exhibits, displays, posters, advertising, educational, merchandising/promotional materials and other purposes throughout the world via any media now known or hereinafter devised.

The artwork will be credited to the artist in all promotional materials and displayed with the following credit:
“____________________ by ________________, Courtesy of The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.”

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