About the Contest
2026 is going to be an exciting year! Not only is it the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is also the 150th anniversary of the publishing of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer! There's going to be all kinds of exciting new things coming to the museum and we want to let you, the museum supporters, the Twain fans, and the inspired creatives, be part of it! No celebration of this magnitude would be complete without a stunning souvenir to go along with it. We want you, yes you, anyone reading these words, to submit your designs for a new, limited-edition t-shirt that will only be available during the year of Tom Sawyer. This contest is open to people of any age from anywhere in the world. The winner will be chosen by popular vote and receive a free t-shirt with their design along with other prizes listed below. Please read through the contest guidelines carefully to make sure your design is eligible to win and best of luck to all entrants!
We want to thank our lovely sponsors The Hannibal Arts Council and Landmarx Inc. Screenprinting for making this contest possible. We are happy to say that all shirts will be printed locally out of Quincy, IL.
Contest Guidelines
Important Dates:
- Submissions Open: November 1st - December 31st, 2025
- Voting Begins: January 5th - February 8th, 2026
- Winner Announced: February 14th, 2026
Eligibility: This contest is open to all ages, communities, and talent levels.
Design Requirements: The design must be connected to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in some fashion. This could include quotes, characters, or themes, etc. but the Tom Sawyer connection needs to be recognizable. Must be submitted as a vector file, preferably via Adobe Illustrator. Limit to 3 colors, not including t-shirt color. Please submit with multiple options for t-shirt colors in mind, as that may vary by availability. Designs must be original work and not use copyrighted elements.
Rights & Ownership: Designers retain all rights to their submitted designs unless selected as the winning entry. By accepting the prize, the winner grants the Mark Twain Home Foundation (MTHF) an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and sell the winning design on merchandise and in promotional materials. The winning design will be reproduced as submitted. The MTHF will not alter, edit, or modify the artwork except for minor adjustments necessary to optimize the design for printing. Where feasible, the MTHF will credit the designer when showcasing the winning design. By entering, participants warrant that their submission is their own original work, does not infringe on third-party rights, and has not been previously published.
Prizes: The winning designer will receive a free t-shirt featuring their design, free membership to the museum for 2026, a $50 gift certificate for the Museum Gift Shops, and credit for their work in all instances that the design is used.
Submission Process: Visit www.marktwainmuseum.org/tshirt-contest. Contest details will be available there. You just need to fill out the application form and attach your design files to enter. If you have any issues with the online form you can also submit the same information via email to Meagan Garey.
Selection Criteria: Museum staff will narrow down the submissions to a curated selection of top designs. These top designs will then be opened to public voting. The design with the most votes will be selected as the winner. In the case of a tie, museum staff will select the winner from between the highest candidates.
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.”
- Mark Twain
