Put Your Design Skills to the Test

Create the Next Membership + Conference Theme for SkillsUSA Florida

SkillsUSA Florida is a nonprofit organization serving students in CTE programs in Florida by developing the personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics that are needed for career success within the skilled trades. Each year, student members are invited to create a cohesive design package that reflects the theme, the state, and the organization. The winning design is selected by members during the annual Fall Leadership Conference. This year’s theme is “SkillsUSA Florida: Rising with the Currents.”

Some ways that the designs can be used:

T-shirts and trading pins are distributed to conference participants during the State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC).
The conference app homepage graphic will be used on SkillsUSA’s Instagram story during the state conference.
At NLSC, trading state pins is a popular activity among attendees, and the winning pin design will be provided to the state delegation.
Publications like the Tuesday Times newsletter, membership recruitment, and partnership materials will include the design.

SkillsUSA Florida has a reputation for high-quality, student-produced designs, and this year is no different! Check out previous designs below and submit yours by October 15!

Download the Contest Standards!

Use this link to submit your design by October 15, 2025!

Submit My Design!

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE RULES BY CLICKING ABOVE!

THE RULES:

All SkillsUSA Florida student members are invited to submit a design package. Review this entire document carefully, as information may have changed from previous years.

Design packages should reflect the state theme, SkillsUSA and its mission, and the state of Florida.
The package must consist of one trading pin, one T-shirt, one banner, and conference app homepage (vertical).
All entries must be accompanied by a 1-2 paragraph Written Explanation of Theme, explaining how the design is an interpretation of the annual theme. For qualified designs, the document will be posted along with the artwork submission for voting to provide insight into their creative process and symbolism used. Any design that fails to adequately address the theme or include a Written Explanation, will not advance to the voting stage of competition.
All submissions must follow the criteria listed. Design packages must follow the same pattern of work (font, style, color, etc.) and must include the year (“2026”) and the words “SkillsUSA” and “Florida” in every design.
Designs must follow the National Brand Standards. The official SkillsUSA Florida logo must be used where indicated. Visit com/portals/skillsusa for official logos and Brand Standards.
Gradient colors are only allowed on the banner and homepage. Gradient is prohibited for the t-shirt or pin design.
Copyright material is forbidden, except for the SkillsUSA and SkillsUSA Florida logos. No clip art or similar pre-designed components are allowed. All work must be original and prepared by the student member.
No AI-generated images or designs are allowed and are grounds for immediate disqualification.
All four designs must be submitted on one high resolution .pdf file for judging. Name files “[LAST NAME].[SCHOOL].pdf”. Submit your file with your name, email, school, advisor name, and advisor email using this form: https://form.jotform.com/212144300360033. DO NOT include this information on the .pdf file for submission. See the sample submission on the last page for more details.
Submissions must include a color swatch with identifying CMYK, RGB, or Pantone color information. See sample.
All designs must be received through the online form no later than 11:59 PM ET on OCTOBER 15, 2025. Once properly submitted, the designer will receive an email confirmation at the email they list on the form.
Upon submission, designs will be reviewed by the SkillsUSA Florida State Office for accuracy and adherence to standards. Accepted designs will be notified by email. If any corrections are needed, designers will have one opportunity to resubmit their design with the necessary adjustments. Designers will receive an email with specific details and the due date, and it must be corrected and resubmitted on time to be included in final voting.
The winning designer must submit original design files (.ai or .eps format) and any related files (font, background, etc) within 1 week of notification.

DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS:

In addition to the rules listed above, the following specifications are required for each component:

Written Explanation of Theme

All entries must include a 1-2 paragraph explanation of the designer’s creative process and interpretation of the theme. Designers will enter their Explanation on the online submission form; a separate page is not required.
Designers should discuss how they interpreted the theme, how it relates to their CTE experience, and any other relevant design details they want to share.
The Written Explanation will be displayed with the artwork to assist in voting.

Trading Pin Design

Final production size: maximum 1.5” horizontal or vertical. Avoid the use of fine detail, which may be lost in production. Designs are not limited in shape – custom shapes, moving pieces, and creative designs are encouraged.
Submit two images: an enlarged design to view detail, and an actual size (no larger than 1.5”).
Include special instructions, such as spot color, and special features (shape, finish, moving parts, dangle items, etc.). Indicate whether the pin is screen printed, die struck, embossed, or other production method.
No more than 4 spot colors may be used. The use of gradient colors is not permitted.
- For die struck pins, the metal color may be used as an additional color. The metal color must be identified as such to not count toward the 4-color maximum. Available metal colors include black, silver/nickel, and gold.
Do not use the SkillsUSA logo, as the detail is too intricate to reproduce on the pin.

T-Shirt Design

Artwork may be no larger than 8.5” wide by 11” tall. Design may be printed on the front or back of the t-shirt.
Indicate t-shirt color. If no color is indicated, the design is assumed to be on a white shirt.
The design must include the theme (“Rising with the Currents”), and the SkillsUSA Florida logo, which may be used on the sleeve, front left chest, or included in the t-shirt design.
No more than 4 spot colors may be used. The use of gradient colors is not permitted.

Banner Design

Printed Size: no larger than 4’ x 8’ with 1/2” bleed, if necessary. Final shape must be square or rectangle.
Must include SkillsUSA Florida logo and theme (“Rising with the Currents”).
Proof must be proportional to the final production size but should be reduced to fit on the submission.
Full color and gradient designs are permitted.

Conference App Homepage Design

Final design should include one vertical graphic 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall.
Must include the SkillsUSA Florida logo, theme (“Rising with the Currents”) and event name (“State Leadership and Skills Conference” or “SLSC”).
Full color designs and gradient colors are permitted.

The Fine Print

METHOD OF SELECTION: The State Director will screen all entries received for appropriateness and eligibility. Qualified entries will be voted on during the Fall Leadership Conference and through social media channels on November 10-11, 2025. An online voting link will be shared to collect votes. Email addresses will be collected from voters to ensure the integrity of the vote. Chapters may NOT campaign for votes towards any particular design (online or in person) but may promote general voting. Depending on the number of entries, a preliminary round of voting may occur to narrow the field and select finalist designs. The State Director will verify the results and notify the winning student and instructor within 2 weeks of final voting.

“Spam” voting, bots, automation software, or multiple votes per person are not permitted. Any design associated with these types of votes will be disqualified. Contestants are expected to act with integrity. Schools are not permitted to solicit votes for any particular design. This contest is not intended to be a popularity contest. Entries from any school soliciting votes for individual design(s) will be disqualified. Encourage schools to vote without identifying individual designers.

ELIGIBLE DESIGNS: Eligible designs will meet the following criteria:

Maintain branding standards of SkillsUSA. Review the standards at com/portals/skillsusa
Meet the requirements outlined in this document. Be aware of color and size limits.
Include the words “SkillsUSA” and “Florida” and the year “2026”, and additional requirements as outlined.
Created using professional design software, such as Adobe products. Any professional software may be used, provided it can create the necessary vector files and pdf files. Hand drawn designs are not acceptable.
Submitted electronically in the proper format
- one page only, 8.5” x 11” with all required details and elements (see sample for details)
- No identifying marks or writing, such as name, school, region, etc
- High resolution .pdf file named “[LAST NAME].[SCHOOL].pdf”
If a design is found in violation of any standards or requirement, students will receive email notification outlining the error(s) and will be allowed one opportunity to correct and resubmit. Resubmissions must be received by the published deadline, and all errors must be corrected to be considered for final judging.

OTHER CONTESTS: The Branding Design Contest is a separate contest and does not conflict with the Pin Design Contest, the T-Shirt Design Contest, or any other SkillsUSA Championships event at any levels. Students are permitted to enter the Branding Contest, as well as an additional contest during the SkillsUSA Championships. Designs submitted for the branding contest may be used for the Regional, State, and National events.

USE OF DESIGNS: The first-place design will be used at the 2026 SkillsUSA Florida State Leadership and Skills Conference in Jacksonville, FL, and any future events or activities. SkillsUSA Florida reserves the right to adjust or make alterations to any artwork. Participation in the contest does not guarantee a minimum level of use or exposure.

AWARDS: First place winner will be provided with complimentary registration to the State Leadership and Skills Conference and will be recognized during the Opening Ceremony.

COMPENSATION: By submitting a design, designers agree that entries become the property of SkillsUSA Florida, and the designer relinquishes any and all rights to compensation for the use of the design(s). Submitted designs may be used by SkillsUSA Florida for any purpose at any time.

ACCOMPANYING FILES: A submission is one digital standard (8.5” x 11”) page with all four designs in high quality .pdf format. Submissions are not accepted by email and must be uploaded by the deadline using the online form at https://form.jotform.com/212144300360033. The winning submission will be required to submit vector (.eps or .ai) images of all artworks, backgrounds, and other necessary files, including fonts, within one week of selection.