T-shirts are the fundamental fashion accessory for the 21st century (let’s face it, the iPod is mere feather in the breeze compared to the longevity of the longwithstanding t-shirt craze. In fact, latest reports say the iPod is crumbling into oblivion as we speak).

It is no wonder t-shirt design competitions have taken off with reckless abandon.

Apparently anyone is allowed to run a t-shirt design competition these days, from the Students for an Orwellian Society (What the..? Think George Orwell’s 1984) to Engadget (if you like gizmos you should be familiar with this site).

Uncreative organisations are playing on the strengths of their educated and design-savvy customers and consumers. The deal: make us a funky new shirt with mass appeal, and we”ll make you famous. Well, maybe not quite as famous as Peter Morrissey, because your name will only appear on our website in size 8 Times New Roman text for next 3 days while we are off busy pumping out thousands of your creative new designs to sell at obscenely over-inflated prices . But how’s $1000 sound for your efforts?….because you really have no option anyway since you granted us sole rights to your design for the next 999 years when you submitted your design and clicked the “Yes, of course I have read the terms and conditions” button.

Any prize is a good prize.

Many competitions offer prize money in the vicinity of $1000, a fine little nest egg for the fruits of your labour. Even $100, or $10, or free facial cleansing wipes for a year is nothing to be sneezed at. It’s yours for the taking and will keep you fed, clothed, and pimple-free for at least a little while. For designers who are not yet lucky enough to be earning the big bucks, any incentive to submit your creative work is well worth the effort, not to mention the potential for worldwide exposure with a minimum of your own time and capital expenditure.

Design competitions are a good thing.

Many t-shirt designers, and even graphic designers, are doing the rounds and making a quasi-living on these opportunities to make the quick (and tax-free) buckeroonies.

Show me to the money

Here’s a few design competitions to get you started. Remember, your tee’s gotta be in it to win it. What have you got to lose (beside your proprietary rights to your own designs - if only the world was a friendlier place!)

Check out Jaxter, an Australian organisation aiming to encourage young Australian artists while at the same time supporting the Inspire Foundation (a charity organisation which helps young people get through tough times). Submit a suave design to Jaxter and you’ll be in the running to score yourself US$2000. Not bad for a day’s work.

Another goodie is the t-shirt design competition at IF: The Journal of Creative Culture . This competition is indeed of a high calibre, but the catch is that it costs $US24 to enter. That price may as well be rounded down to zero, because every entrant receives a limited-edition t-shirt with the winning design. For the rest of the competition details visit this link IF T-Shirt Design comp

Limescreen is an ongoing t-shirt design contest. They run a competition every month with the winning t-shirt design pocketing $US350. Winners are chosen by public vote. Go for it, the Limescreen contest details are here

Karmaloop is a hot urban fashion store with a hot t-shirt design comp to match. Again, the winner is decided by public ballot.Read the Karmaloop t-shirt design competition fine print here.

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