Call for Submissions
Due: February 20, 2026
About the Contest
The Green-Wood Cemetery attracts artists from all over the world to the beauty contained in its vast natural setting, located in the heart of New York City, and we at Green-Wood want to celebrate that. That is why we are excited to announce our first-ever merchandise design contest!
We invite artists and designers of all ages to submit original artwork inspired by Green-Wood for consideration as official merchandise.
The selected design will become part of our inaugural merchandise collection at The Green-House at Green-Wood, our new visitor center and programming space, offering visitors a chance to take a piece of Green-Wood home and to carry your vision with them.
Designs will be reviewed by a panel of Green-Wood board members, staff, and creative professionals.
Submissions are due by 11:59pm EST on Friday, February 20, 2026. Artists will be notified of their selection by Friday, February 27, 2026.
What We’re Looking For
Artists may submit up to three (3) original designs inspired by Green-Wood. We welcome all artistic styles; however, designs must be suitable for reproduction on merchandise, examples of which include (but are not limited to) t-shirts, totes, posters, hats, and other retail products.
Artwork may reference or draw inspiration from:
- Landscape, trees, wildlife
- Monuments and architecture
- Themes of history, remembrance, nature, and reflection
- Personal connections or experiences at Green-Wood
Submissions will be evaluated on:
- Artistic originality
- Relevance to Green-Wood
- Ability to translate clearly and effectively across merchandise formats
Why Submit?
The selected artist(s) will:
- Receive a single $2,000 honorarium.
- Have their design produced as official Green-Wood merchandise, sold at The Green-House at Green-Wood for as long as Green-Wood determines to do so.
- Receive two complimentary samples of each type of the merchandise.
- Recognition and credit across all of Green-Wood’s online platforms and marketing materials, so long as Green-Wood continues to offer the merchandise for sale.
Submission Requirements
Submit one (1) entry per artist, which may include up to three (3) original designs, through Slideroom by 11:59pm EST on Friday, February 20, 2026.
- Accepted file formats: JPG, PNG, or PDF.
- Images (up to 5MB each).
- PDFs (up to 10MB each).
- Please include a brief artist’s statement (100 words or fewer) describing your work and its connection to the Cemetery.
- All designs must be uploaded within a single Slideroom entry.
- Files must be high-resolution and suitable for merchandise production.
Design Resources
For those who find it helpful, we’ve provided Green-Wood logos and brand colors as optional reference points while developing your design:
- Green-Wood Color Palette
- Green-Wood Logo (Horizontal)
- Green-Wood Logo (Stacked)
Important Notes
- Submissions must be from individual artists only, working solo or collaboratively; submissions from agencies or brands will not be accepted.
- All submissions must be original, unpublished, and created without the use of generative artificial intelligence tools.
- Artists retain full copyright to their work. If selected, the artist grants The Green-Wood Historic Fund, Inc. (“GWHF”) an exclusive, perpetual license to reproduce and sell the design as merchandise only. This means the artists may not license use on merchandise to anyone else, and GWHF will be the sole entity authorized to use the design for merchandise production and sales. Artists may still display the work in portfolios, on personal websites, and on social media for self-promotional purposes.
- GWHF reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the selected design as needed for production, while maintaining the integrity of the original artwork.
- By submitting their artwork for consideration, artists agree that their names and images of their artwork may be used by Green-Wood in the announcement of the winner(s) and any selected runners-up on social media.
- Public announcement of the winner(s) shall not be made until execution of the Merchandise Design License Agreement by Green-Wood and the Artist(s).
- GWHF also reserves the right to disqualify submissions, cancel or modify the competition, and make all final decisions.
- Green-Wood’s logo is provided solely for use in submissions to this design contest. Use of the logo outside this context, modification of the logo itself, or use implying endorsement is not permitted.
All submissions must be made through Slideroom to be considered. If you experience any difficulties, please reach out to contactus@green-wood.com.