Open Call

MIT Future Fest opens an annual call for a graphic inspired by where the future is made.

The winning design will become the official poster of the inaugural MIT Future Fest, used across digital and print communications and exhibited throughout MIT Future Fest 2026 this Fall.

Five entries will be shortlisted by a panel of judges from the MIT Future Fest advisory committee and producing team, and published on the MIT Future Fest instagram channel. From these five, a single winner will be chosen. In addition to the prestige of designing the official MIT Future Fest poster, the winning designer will also receive a $500 honorarium*, a complimentary VIP Pass to MIT Future Fest and a MIT Future Fest merch bundle. Shortlisted designers will each receive a merch bundle and a complimentary Festival Pass.

We are now accepting submissions through 11:59PM ET on Thursday, September 17, 2026 only. See below for conditions, eligibility and how to submit your design.

* Please note: the $500 honorarium is available only to Massachusetts residents; this honorarium is subject to tax. All entrants must be 18+.

Your Design

MIT Future Fest takes place at the intersection of science, technology, art and design, and we look forward to seeing a range of visual interpretations of this idea. The MIT Future Fest tagline – where the future is made – is inspired by the notion that we are active participants in the passage of time, shaping the world we want to experience. Your design can explore these ideas literally or figuratively, it can use these launching points as inspiration or ignore them entirely, it could represent what the future looks like for all of humanity, or just for you personally. 

It must also:

• Be designed in a 4×5 aspect ratio
• Be submitted as a PDF, Illustrator (.ai) or Photoshop (.psd) file. (We can accept high-resolution jpgs and pngs, but prefer other formats.)
• Follow all of the Design Specifications listed below

Eligibility

We welcome submissions from anyone within or beyond the MIT community. You do not need to be an MIT student, faculty, or staff member to participate. 

You must, however:

• Agree to the Usage Permissions outlined below.
• Be the sole creator and owner of the graphic you submit. 
• Submit on your own behalf, not that of another organization, business or agency.
• Submit your design through the MIT Future Fest Open Call Official Entry Form.
• Be over 18 years old.
• Be a Massachusetts resident to be eligible for the $500 honorarium.

Design Specifications

• Aspect ratio: 4:5 (portrait)
• Logo: Please include the MIT Future Fest logo
• File formats: PDF, Illustrator (.ai), or Photoshop (.psd) files preferred
  • A high resolution PNG or JPG is also acceptable
• File size is limited to 100MB.
• Resolution: 4800px x 6000px 

Usage Permissions

To be eligible to win, you must explicitly grant MIT, MIT Museum, MIT Future Fest, and their partners and subsidiaries permission to use your design in any medium or format in perpetuity, including but not limited to: web, email, social media, digital advertising, print, and on-site display. 

You must also agree that MIT Future Fest has your permission to edit or augment your design — for example, to add an additional partner or sponsor logo.

MIT Future Fest will credit the winner in as many placements as reasonably possible, but we cannot guarantee that the winning designer will be credited every time their design appears.

Submissions

Submissions must be entered by 11:59PM ET on September 17, 2026.