The SPD Student Design Competition fields hundreds of entries from an increasingly competitive array of accredited schools, and is open to any undergraduate student. The top three winners receive a cash prize ($2500 First Place, $1000 Second Place and $500 Third Place) and a copy of the Adobe® Creative Suite, as well as, along with the top runners-up, Summer internships.

And we all know: Internships lead to jobs.

Now, the prizes are good, but there are other reasons you should enter:

1.  You get your work in front of an awesome panel of judges, comprised of some of the top talent in the magazine design world. The truth of this industry is, the more people who see your work and love it, the better your chances of getting hired. Let your work be seen!

2.  Aside from the little old internship, Adobe® CS software and cash prizes, there's fame and glory to be found on our blog and in our SPD Annual (Pub 47). If you're not aware of our Annuals yet, you can get a few here, and you'll find that for magazine designers and photo editors, they are essential resources. Getting into that essential resource this early in your career is a very good thing.

The Call for Entries is available as a pdf download (5MB) from this link here.
Download, open, and get to work! For more help and advice, read on for information about the categories and how to enter:

HOW TO ENTER
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1.  CHOOSE:  Select a project from one of the five categories listed on the pdf ENTRY FORM (you can download that here): entertainment, city/regional, how-to, business/money and sports/adventure.

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2.  DESIGN:  Create the first 4 pages of a story (two spreads) on the project you choose. Each page measures 8"w x 10"h, so a spread is 16"w x 10"h. Original photography or illustration is not required, but welcome if appropriate. You may enter more than one design in the same or different categories. SPD Student Members get their first 3 entries for free — you can choose the options above to join or renew if you need to. (You read that right: all current Student Members get free entries, a free Annual, free admission to events, and a huge discount on your first three years of professional membership after you graduate. You may want to be sure you check that out!)

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3.  SUBMIT:  Either printed material or digital files as follows.

Printed Material: Full-size spreads, not reduced copies. DO NOT MOUNT THE WORK TO ANY TYPE OF BOARD. Tape a copy of your completed entry form (entry forms will be available soon) to the BACK of each submission. Staple the spreads together in the upper left-hand corner. (Slides will NOT be accepted).

Digital PDFs: Burn all submissions to a CD. Entries should be full size, press quality, 300 dpi, PDF files (all fonts embedded). It is ok to put multiple entries on one CD. Place your name somewhere on each spread in 4 pt type, and name your file first_lastname (with your name!) so that we can easily match them up. Include a printed copy of the entry form for each entry. Mark clearly the name of the school and student(s)'s last name(s) on CD.

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4.  SEND all entries with completed entry forms and your PayPal receipt as proof of payment to:

The Society of Publication Designers  
27 Union Square West, Suite 207
New York, NY 10003

Entries must be received before or on Monday, March 12, 2012, 5pm. Anything later will not be eligible as the judging process begins Tuesday, so plan some cushion time for yourself. There are NO EXTENSIONS.

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Please read the instructions carefully and stay within the guidelines. SPD reserves the right to disqualify any miscategorized or incomplete entries.

Download the entry forms and instructions here and get ready to dazzle us!