Hallmark’s looking for new talent with caring connections-themed contest for would-be card designers
Hallmark is bringing the adage that everyone has a book in them to the world of greeting cards with its latest Inspired competition.
Aimed at anyone with an idea for a greeting card, the publisher’s head of creative Laura Brunton said: “This is your chance to share that idea, get paid for it, and have it published on an actual greeting card – with a little bit about you on the back!”
Caring connections is the competition theme, so Hallmark is looking for entries to be images and words that show support, bring joy or share kindness, and each winning artist will receive a £300 cash prize and have the design published.
“Inspired is a simple yet impactful word that evokes positivity, creativity and innovation,” Laura explained. “It embodies our vision for this competition – not only do we aim for creatives to draw inspiration from our briefs, but we also seek to be inspired by their work.
“The objective is a programme of competitions run throughout the year to find fresh, emerging design and editorial talent. Each brief will focus around key consumer needs and our first competition asks for creators to focus on caring connections.”
The competition was launched this week with the closing date of 12 July, and the winners will be contacted in the week commencing 22 July.
Each artist, designer, illustrator, photographer or writer can submit up to 16 unique pieces of artwork or writing using this link here, and Hallmark’s panel of judges will evaluate each one individually.
The key considerations are emotion, with the artwork or writing to be suitable for all ages where people want to express their feelings to friends, family, or loved ones, and occasion, such as birthday, sympathy, get well soon, just because, friendship or encouragement.
The online entry form and submission links are available here, and the judging criteria are:
- Originality – Hallmark is looking for innovative ideas that stand out and provide something new to the market.
- Relevance and adherence to theme – artwork and writing should evoke feelings of warmth, empathy, or understanding.
- Artistry, composition and tone of voice – craft, visual impact, language and sentiment will all be considered.
As part of the submission Hallmark also wants a short “about me” note, and all images should be attached as jpegs or pdfs, with more than 10 files sent as a compressed or zip folder, while written entries can be Word or text documents, and winners need to be able to provide hi-res tifs, Illustrator files, or original artwork. Full terms and conditions are available here.
Laura added: “Working with creators across all fields is not new for Hallmark. We have always encouraged a diverse range of collaborations, from working with educational institutes, charity partners, our Spotted ranges, plus various other competitions throughout the years.
“Inspired is our latest competition calling for submissions from all creatives that would like to partner with us and showcase their talents across our wonderful world of greeting cards.
“This is your opportunity to craft something truly meaningful and we can’t wait to see what you create – good luck!”
