This spring, Memphis in May International Festival is giving Shelby County’s young artists a chance to leave their mark on Tennessee’s largest cultural and civic festival. If you know a budding graphic designer in grades 6 through 12, listen up. The clock is ticking, and the deadline is coming up fast.
What Is the Memphis in May Youth T-Shirt Design Contest?
Memphis in May is calling on Shelby County middle and high schoolers to design the next official festival T-shirt. The winning design will be printed on real merchandise, sold online starting in May, and worn by festival-goers across all Memphis in May events.
Designs should incorporate the Memphis in May brand alongside this year’s honored country: Ireland 🇮🇪
First Place Winner Gets a Mini Internship
The first-place winner will walk away with bragging rights, a check, and a hands-on mini internship working alongside a professional graphic designer to turn their artwork into polished digital merchandise. That’s real-world experience in graphic design and marketing, the kind of opportunity most kids don’t get until college or beyond.
"The youth T-Shirt Design Contest not only offers winning student artist exposure with Memphis's most iconic festival, but it also provides a mini-internship giving students hands-on training into the world of graphic design and marketing."
Cash Prizes Up for Grabs
1st Place: $250 + the mini graphic design internship, with your design becoming official Memphis in May merchandise
2nd Place: $150
3rd Place: $100
Last Year’s Winner Showed Us What’s Possible
Need some inspo? Look no further than Unique Monroe, a 7th grader from Havenview Middle School, who won the inaugural contest last year. Her design was printed on official Memphis in May merchandise, and she got to work with a professional graphic designer through Cole’s Printing to bring it to life.
Who Can Enter the Memphis in May T-Shirt Design Contest?
The contest is open to students in grades 6 through 12 who live in Shelby County, Tennessee. Your design must reflect the Memphis in May brand and the 2026 honored country of Ireland, and it has to be entirely your own work—no adult enhancements allowed.
How to Submit Your Design
Submissions must be in PDF format. Here’s everything you need to know to get your entry in:
Save your file as: FirstName_LastName_MIMShirt
Use this email subject line: MIMShirt Submission – FirstName LastName
Include your contact number, grade, and school in the email body.
Send it to: socialmedia@memphisinmay.org
Key Dates to Know
The contest closes at midnight on Friday, February 27, 2026, so if your student has been sitting on an idea, now is the time to make it happen.
Finalists will be announced on Friday, March 6, 2026 via Memphis in May’s Facebook and Instagram pages (@MemphisInMay), and the community will get to vote on finalist designs from March 6 through March 13 at midnight.
The winner will be announced on Monday, March 16, 2026.
Memphis Builds Its Own And It Starts Young
This contest is part of a bigger effort by Memphis in May to deepen youth engagement with the festival. Last year’s addition of the Junior World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest was another step in that direction.
So if you’ve got a creative kid in Shelby County with a vision and a deadline, send them to the drawing board. Memphis in May is waiting to see what they’ve got.
Follow Memphis in May on Facebook and Instagram @MemphisInMay for updates, finalist announcements, and voting info.
