December 08, 2025
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Philadelphia officials are looking for an artist to design the city's semiquincentennial poster. The winning design will capture local history and culture.
One Philadelphia artist will represent the city during America's 250th birthday next year — and pocket $5,000 for their work.
City officials have launched an art contest to find a poster for the semiquincentennial celebrations. The winning design will become the official Philadelphia America 250 poster, appear in national print and digital books and be eligible for display in public buildings, parks and cultural venues.
The second and third place winners will earn $3,000 and $2,000, respectively. Their designs will be featured in select promotional materials and could be displayed locally.
Interested artists have until Saturday, Dec. 20 at 11:59 p.m. to submit their designs.
The contest is open to all Philadelphia residents, working in any visual art medium. Illustrations, paintings, collages and mixed media submissions all will be considered. The work must be an original piece that has not been previously displayed, oriented vertically and submitted as a PDF file. It should commemorate the semiquincentennial in a "positive and inspiring way," highlight Philadelphia history and culture, reflect national pride and point to a hopeful future.
Posters cannot use political or inflammatory language, and must incorporate the phrases "America 250" and "Philadelphia."
This contest is part of a wider project from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which seeks to highlight local history for the nation's milestone birthday. Participating cities will send their posters to the USCM winter meeting in Washington, D.C. in January and the group's annual conference in Long Beach, California in June for display.
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