Official Mardi Gras Art Contest

Each year the SBA has the honor of choosing the artwork for the Official Mardi Gras poster and shirt. This year, the Board is looking for artist submissions for the 2027 Mardi Gras design.

The winner will receive $500 cash prize, five printed posters, one t-shirt, one hoodie, a skyscraper banner, and some serious bragging rights.

2026 Contest Winner Jessie Donovan

Deadline for submissions is Friday, September 25, 2026 at midnight

Judging:

  • The 8-member Board of the Soulard Business Association will serve as the panel of Judges. The Executive Director, a non-voting member, will exclusively monitor the Historic Soulard e-mail account to preserve the anonymity of the artists and ensure judge impartiality.

  • ‍ On the week of September 28th, the Executive Director will present the Board with copies of the artwork designated by a number. The Board, not including the Executive Director, will vote on the winning submission.

  • ‍ The Board will Judge the submissions based on: (1) originality; (2) creativity; (3) incorporation of the official theme; and (4) representation of Soulard.

  • The Winner will be announced at the kickoff of the 2026 Soulard Oktoberfest on Friday, October 9th!

Rules & Technical Requirements:

  • Art submissions MUST incorporate the Mardi Gras, Inc. 2027 theme: “Mardi Gras Around the World.” While artist interpretation is somewhat flexible, if your artwork does not obviously incorporate the theme, your submission could be rejected.

  • Submissions must be original content created by the artist and must not contain any elements that are protected by someone else’s copyright or otherwise subject to third-party intellectual property or proprietary rights. Use of Artificial Intelligence is strictly prohibited.

  • Once submitted, your artwork will become the full property of the Soulard Business Association and can be modified without your permission or input. Modifications can include, but are not limited to, color changes, addition of text, and cropping.

  • Submissions shall be sent electronically to info@historicsoulard.com with the subject line: “2027 Mardi Gras Art Submission. E-mail must include your full name, phone number, address, and the statement: “I confirm this art is my original content, and I have not used artificial intelligence.”

  •  Artwork must incorporate the following text:

    • Soulard Mardi Gras 2027

    • St. Louis, Missouri (or St. Louis, MO)

    • January 6 - February 9, 2027

  • Art must be in 18” x 24” portrait orientation.

  • Art must incorporate no more than 6 colors (including black and white). You may, however, submit two versions: one that is no more than 6 colors for the t-shirt print and one that is unlimited colors for the poster/skyscraper banner print.

  • The following high-quality digital file formats will be accepted: JPEG or PNG.

  • Resolution should be at least 300 dpi.

  • If your medium is not digital, physical copies of artwork can be accepted by coordinating with the Executive Director via email.

  • Submissions are limited to one per artist.

  • Submission should not have any visible watermarks, signatures, or personally identifiable information.