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Participate in the 2026 Snowmass Balloon Festival Design Contest. Submit your original design for a chance to have your artwork featured on official festival posters, t-shirts, and more. We can’t wait to see your creativity take flight.
Contest Opens: April 1, 2026
Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026
Winner Announced: June 15, 2026
Festival Date: September 25, 2026
The winning design will be featured prominently on official festival posters, t-shirts, and other promotional materials.
The winning artist will receive:
$500 cash prize
One free festival t-shirt featuring their design
One free festival poster featuring their design
A Snowmass swag packag
This contest is open to everyone — all ages, skill levels, and locations are welcome. Each artist may submit one (1) entry per contest year.
This year’s featured balloon is Bairly Awake. A reference image will be provided to all entrants upon submission — please review it carefully before designing.
Requirements:
Bairly Awake must be primary balloon featured in the design. Other balloons may appear but must be secondary.
The colors of Bairly Awake must be indicative of the colors in the reference images so the balloon is clearly identifiable.
Landscape is not required, but if it is used be sure that it accurately represents landscapes seen in Snowmass Village, CO
The following elements need to be incorporated into the design or space left for Snowmass Tourism to incorporate them: “Snowmass Balloon Festival 2026”, Sept 25-27, Night Glow Friday7-9pm, Balloon Launches Sat & Sun 7-9am, Snowmass Town Park, and space for a QR code.
No other color restrictions — you are free to use any palette for the rest of the design.
Design must be oriented vertically or in a square format.
The design will be printed on t-shirts, posters, and signage — please give thought to that will reproduce cleanly at scale.
Photo Caption: Bairly Awake
Both digital and handmade artwork are welcome.
Digital art must be submitted as a high-resolution file at a minimum of 300 DPI. Accepted formats: JPG, PNG, or PDF.
Handmade/physical art may be dropped off in person (see submission instructions below). Please ensure the work is clean, undamaged, and clearly labeled on the back with your name and contact information.
⚠️ AI-generated artwork will not be accepted. Any submission created with AI image generation tools (e.g., Midjourney, DALL·E, Stable Diffusion, or similar) is ineligible and will be disqualified.
Online: Complete the submission form HERE. Upload your file (JPG, PNG, or PDF, 300 DPI minimum) along with your name, email address, and a brief description of your artwork.
In Person: Drop off your physical artwork at 130 Kearns Road, Snowmass Village, 81615 between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. Please include a completed entry form, available at the drop-off location or downloadable HERE.
All eligible entries will be reviewed by a panel of 3 to 5 judges selected by Snowmass Tourism. Entries will be evaluated on:
Creativity and originality
Identifiable representation of Bairly Awake
Captures the spirit of Snowmass Village
Suitability for merchandise reproduction (bold, clean design)
Overall visual impact
The judges’ decision is final. The winner will be announced on June 15, 2025.
By submitting an entry, all artists agree to the following: The winning artist grants Snowmass Tourism the rights to use their design for festival promotional purposes and merchandise, including posters, t-shirts, and other festival collateral. Snowmass Tourism reserves the right to make minor adaptations to the design as needed for production. Non-winning entries remain the property of their respective artists and will not be used without explicit permission. All submissions must be original work and must not infringe on any third-party copyrights or intellectual property rights.
Contact us at sregan@gosnowmass.com
Click here for more Snowmass Balloon Festival Event information.
