‘The celebration improved my children a hundred percent. I wish we could have Negro History Week throughout the year. Let the good work go on. Under your leadership we shall some day appreciate our interesting past and be thereby stimulated to greater endeavor.’
- –A teacher told Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926, following the first Negro History Week
2027 Theme
Celebrating the Bicentennial of America’s Black Press, 1827-2027:
From Black Print Culture to Digital Blackness
Guidelines
One entry per student. Free to enter.
Posters should be 11 x 14 inches. Students may create their posters using digital tools and/or traditional media, such as letterpress, silkscreen, markers, paint, pens, collage, stitching, photography, mixed media, etc. If using traditional media, scan or photograph the entry for online submission.
More Info
If you have questions… Contact: Kyle Dyer, College/University Poster Committee Chair, Assistant Professor of Art, kyle.dyer@marshall.edu; or Burnis Morris, Woodson Lyceum Director, morrisb@marshall.edu.
How Poster Entries Will Be Judged
- Theme: the extent to which the design effectively expresses the 2027 theme:
- Celebrating the Bicentennial of America’s Black Press, 1827-2027:
From Black Print Culture to Digital Blackness
- Celebrating the Bicentennial of America’s Black Press, 1827-2027:
- Statement: Describe your research, what you learned, and factors that you considered in designing your poster. Your statement should be at least 100 words.
- Social Impact: The potential of the design to improve race relations and/or preserve/observe Black history.
- Visual Impact: The expression of the idea through composition and execution.
- Originality: In the case that you have used a generative AI tool for any stage of your poster, you must explicitly describe this use, including and not limited to conceptualization, design, or production.
- Please follow our AI policy.
Generative AI Use Policy
Generative AI has many costs and benefits. You may not use generative AI in any way that would violate the Marshall University Student Code of Conduct (URL: https://www.marshall.edu/student-conduct/).
Generative AI use in this competition should be considered just like any other personal communication or secondary source of information that needs to be critiqued, cross-referenced with primary sources of information, and properly cited. For information on citing AI, please see MU Library’s citation website (URL: https://libguides.marshall.edu/plagiarism-AI/cite).
Please review Generative AI – Generative AI at Marshall University (URL: https://www.marshall.edu/ai/) for more information and training related to Generative AI at Marshall University.
Prize
$250 to the first-place winner
Deadline
BY 5 P.M., NOVEMBER 20, 2026
Permission to Use Your Entry
By entering the competition, winners grant The Woodson Lyceum and Marshall University permission to use the poster in their promotions. Because winning posters will be reproduced and distributed to the public, contest winners may be asked to respond to feedback from the jurors/review committee before distribution of the winning poster(s). Winners are expected to attend the awards program, and they will need to complete paperwork to receive the monetary prize.
Consent Form
Students 18 and over or the parent or guardian of a student under 18 must sign the required consent form and grant The Woodson Lyceum/Marshall University the right to use and publicize the winning entry.
Poster Entry
Instructions
- Please download, fill out and sign the Consent Form. Once filled out, please photograph or scan the form so that it may be uploaded with your poster.
- You may copy and paste your written statement into the online form, or you may upload it as a photo, a scan, or a Microsoft Word document.