Easy Together, Impossible Alone: a community T-shirt design contest and fundraiser!
Everything we do here at the Gabriola Arts Council is a team effort. All of our programs are made possible not just by the GAC board, staff, and contractors, but also by our local community partners; our event sponsors and funders; all of the volunteers who contribute time, skill, and experience; and of course, everyone who comes out to take a workshop, see a show, attend a talk, visit a Tour artist’s studio, and more.
“Easy together, impossible alone” is a phrase that came through for Program Manager Chelsea Rushton and Festival Assistant Nicole Poynter during Cultivate 2024 and 2025, and Studio Tour 2024. It became a kind of mantra, not just for the work we did together, but for ALL of the MANY people who contribute so meaningfully to GAC’s activities.
GAC calls creatives in our community to help us design a T-shirt graphic to honour the ecosystem of participation that makes everything we do happen.
We will receive submissions until 5:00 pm on September 17, 2025. All entries will be adjudicated by a team that includes representatives from the GAC Board and Staff, and our wider community.
The winner will have their design printed on a run of 100 T-shirts, which will be available for purchase later this fall in support of GAC’s continuing operations. The winner, of course, also receives a free T-shirt so you can rep your design!
DESIGN GUIDELINES:
– your design can include text AND imagery!
– your design MUST be ONE COLOUR ONLY. Fear not! You can do so much with one-colour designs. For inspiration, read up on NOTAN, the Japanese Dark-Light principle of design.
– create your design not to exceed 11″ x 11″. These measurements offer a sizeable canvas to create onto that fits well onto most sizes of shirts. Your design does not need to be square or rectangular!
– create your design by hand or digitally! Don’t use AI though 
DESIGN ADJUDICATION CRITERIA:
– meets the theme of community participation and support
– includes the phrase, “Easy Together, Impossible Alone”
– fits with GAC’s philosophy and activities
– reflective of Gabriola as a place and a community
FILE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
– designs must be received as 300dpi .jpg files
Email your submissions, or any questions you might have in the meantime, to Program Manager Chelsea Rushton at chelsea@artsgabriola.ca. Submissions must use the subject heading: T-shirt Contest Entry.
We can’t wait to see what you folks come up with!
GAC is looking for THREE community members to volunteer on our adjudication team!
Duties:
Review and discuss submitted designs with the other members of the team, in consideration of the design guidelines and adjudication criteria toward the selection of a winner. Review to occur via cloud-based file sharing. Discussion to occur by email and, if possible, in one in-person meeting.
Time commitment:
5 hours or less (depending on the number of submissions we receive)
Exchange:
All adjudicators receive a free T-shirt!
If you’re interested in adjudicating, please email Chelsea at chelsea@artsgabriola.ca, by 5:00 pm on September 3, with a short statement detailing your arts and adjudication experience and your interest in this project. Please use the subject heading: T-shirt Adjudication.
