GDUSA Debuts Sports Graphic Design Awards to Honor Human Creativity in Sports Design
SPORTS
GDUSA has launched the inaugural Sports Graphic Design Awards™, an annual competition recognizing standout creative work.
Graphic Design USA has launched the inaugural GDUSA Sports Graphic Design Awards, a new annual competition recognizing creative work across team identity, marketing, broadcast graphics, apparel, and environmental design. Submissions are open through April 13, 2026, with winners announced in May.
The competition addresses a gap in recognition for designers working in sports, one of the most visually demanding industries. While AI continues automating simpler design tasks, sports design requires increasingly complex human-led creative systems spanning uniforms, merchandise, social campaigns, broadcast graphics, and stadium-scale experiences.
Why Sports Design Stands Out
Sports is one of the most visually stimulating industries globally, yet designers behind iconic identities, campaigns, and fan experiences have rarely had a dedicated platform. GDUSA, the trade publication serving the professional design community since 1963, created the awards to change that.
The timing reflects shifts in how sports content reaches audiences. Streaming hit a record 47.5 percent of American TV viewing in December 2025, requiring sports brands to perform across more screens and formats than ever. Teams and venues continue investing in large-scale visual experiences including major rebrands, new graphics packages, and immersive stadium display systems.
"Sports design may be one of the most demanding disciplines in the profession," said Gordon Kaye, editor and publisher of GDUSA. "It has to work instantly, emotionally, and across every platform from the phone screen to the arena. At a moment when more creative work is being automated, sports design stands out for requiring not less human thinking, but more."
Competition Categories and Structure
The awards are open to agencies, in-house teams, studios, and independent designers worldwide. Entries are accepted for projects at professional, collegiate, esports, and amateur levels across six core categories.
Team and Event Brand Identity recognizes identity systems, marks, and branding that define teams, events, and sports properties. Marketing and Promotional Design honors campaign visuals driving awareness, ticketing, fan engagement, and conversion.
Digital Streaming, TV and Broadcast Graphics covers motion packages, social graphics, scorebugs, and assets built for screens and live coverage. Apparel and Merchandise Graphics recognizes uniform graphics, collections, and merch programs translating brand equity into wearable design.
Environmental and Experiential Graphics includes venue graphics, activations, fan zones, and wayfinding systems that elevate the in-person experience. Digital Products, Platforms and Fan Experience covers apps, websites, fantasy and gaming interfaces, ticketing, streaming, sports betting, and digital fan experiences.
Judging is conducted across two rounds and scored on impact, creativity, and originality. Each category produces a winner, and Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards will be selected from overall finalists.
Practitioner Jury
The 2026 competition is judged by a peer jury of working sports designers and leading identity practitioners.
Sagi Haviv, Partner and Designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, is known for iconic identity systems for the U.S. Open, NYC Marathon, TNT Sports, NBC, and ATP.
Nick Matarese, Founder of The Barn Creative, is an award-winning sports brand designer behind work for Disney, adidas, NBC Sports, and professional franchises across the NFL, NHL, and MLB.
Nate Evans, Graphic Designer at Oklahoma City Thunder, is an in-house designer who has driven visual identity through multiple season launches, playoffs, and an NBA Finals run.
Jaden Roberts-Thomas, Graphic Designer at San Diego Wave Futbol Club, is a visual storyteller with experience across professional soccer, college athletics, and fan-facing brand content.
About GDUSA
Graphic Design USA has covered the people, trends, business, and opportunities of the creative profession since 1963 through its website, newsletters, print publication, and awards programs. Its competitions recognize excellence across major sectors of graphic design, including digital, packaging, in-house, health and wellness, and sports design.
The Sports Graphic Design Awards extend GDUSA's legacy into one of design's most dynamic and highest-stakes arenas, recognizing the craft that turns sports into culture.
The submission window runs from March 9 through April 13, 2026. Designers can enter at gdusa.secure-platform.com/sports_design.