Philadelphia Marathon 30th anniversary shirt design contest seeks artists

2023 marks the 30th anniversary for the Philadelphia Marathon, and to commemorate the special occasion, the event's organizers are looking for local artists to design merchandise for the run.

The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, in partnership with the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, is holding a design competition to find a Philadelphia artist to create a unique shirt design that will be featured during the November 2023 marathon.

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A winning design will be incorporated into shirts and other promotional goods for the American Association for Cancer Research Philadelphia Marathon, Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, and Rothman Orthopaedics 8K races during the 2023 Marathon Weekend. The winner will also receive a $3,000 prize.

For now, the contest is in its preliminary qualification stages, so interested Philly-based artists should submit no more than five work samples showing relevant design work. Artists should not yet submit custom marathon shirt designs.

Once submitted designs are reviewed, four semi-finalists will be invited to create a unique Philadelphia Marathon Weekend 30th Anniversary shirt design, from which the winner will be selected.

Winning designs from the 2021 marathon shirt design competition can be viewed online, as well as design samples from years past.

To qualify, artists must submit design samples online by Friday, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m.

In a typical year, the Philadelphia Marathon attracts about 30,000 runners across its three races, making it one of the top 10 marathons in the United States. Beginning at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the race course takes runners through some of Philadelphia's most scenic and historic sites. This year's Philadelphia Marathon is scheduled to be held from Nov. 18-20.