Deadline: June 5
Fill out project information, upload photos and pay the fee below to enter the 2026 Sign Contest.
If you have questions about the competition or form, please contact Signs of the Times Assistant Editor Mildred Nguyen at mildred.nguyen@smartworkmedia.com.
Rules and Categories
1. Sign companies and sign-company partners (designated as “outside-designed” below) may enter the contest. Design firms and other “outside” designers who wish to enter their designs in the competition may do so only in the outside-designed categories and must provide complete info about their sign company/fabricator partners in the project descriptions.
2. There are five categories:
- Best Sign Company-Designed and Fabricated Sign, Internally Illuminated
- Best Sign Company-Designed and Fabricated Sign, Not Internally Illuminated
- Best Sign Company-Designed and Fabricated or Outside-Designed, Sign Company-Fabricated Vehicle Wrap
- Best Outside-Designed and Sign Company-Fabricated Sign, Internally Illuminated
- Best Outside-Designed and Sign Company-Fabricated Sign, Not Internally Illuminated
3. Sign companies entering projects in the first two categories are required to have both designed and fabricated the sign in-house. Those entering projects in the last two categories will have received the design from the an outside agency (e.g. design firm or the client) and then fabricated the sign in-house. (The use of outside installers is permitted for the non-vehicle wrap categories.)
4. Sign companies may enter up to 3 (three) projects per category, 15 (fifteen) total for the competition, so please choose carefully!
5. Sign projects eligible for entry must have been completed between July 2025 and May 2026. No incomplete projects (i.e., designs only) may be entered.
6. Sign projects previously published in Signs of the Times magazine may not be entered.
7. Winners will be published in the September 2026 issue of Signs of the Times and on signsofthetimes.com.
8. Please complete all required fields on the entry form. Specify brand names for software, hardware, materials and equipment used to design, fabricate and install the signs. Also provide a brief (25-50 word) description.
Entry fee
The entry fee is $25 per entry.
Images
Upload 2-6 full-color, 300-dpi photos that are 8 x 10 in. or larger. Each project will be represented by a maxiumum of 5 photos during the judging process. Here are some suggestions:
- Send several images, including close-ups of specific details
- Photos of completed installs without equipment still in the picture
- Both day and night photos for internally illuminated signs
- No in-shop, under-construction images unless to show a detail close-up
- No reflection or shadow of the photo taker
- Please do not submit photos larger than 1 GB.
- An excellent photo of an average sign comes across better than an average photo of an excellent sign. Strive for excellent photos of excellent signs!
SmartWork Media (parent company of Signs of the Times) retains the right to reproduce all images and descriptions for both editorial and marketing purposes.
Judging
The judges’ final decisions will be based on the following criteria:
- Craftsmanship (use of quality materials and methods)
- Complexity (challenges faced in designing, fabricating and installing the graphics)
- Artistic merit (aesthetic appeal of design and layout)
Awards
Winning works will be published in a special section of the September 2026 issue and on signsofthetimes.com. First-, second- and third-place winners will receive 5 (five) copies of the contest issue. Honorable-mention designees will be awarded at the judges’ discretion.
PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING THE FORM
Completing the form takes time. To help avoid a “time out” message, please have all of your text and images ready to plug in and upload before starting the form. If submitting multiple entries, we suggest uploading no more than 25 photos total (at no more than 1 GB each) per form.
A red asterisk denotes a required field.