Send your museum's best publications produced between Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2011. 

All museums are eligible to enter AAM's annual design competition. The winners, determined by a jury, will be featured in the September/October 2012 issue of Museum and at the annual meeting in Minneapolis Saint Paul.

To enter Pub Comp, please read the following information carefully and make sure your submissions are postmarked no later than March 15, 2012.

Competition Categories

How to Enter

Download Entry Form

 

Eligibility

Any noncommercial cultural institution offering exhibits to the public may participate. Commercial designers, galleries and publishing interests are not eligible. Entrants need not be AAM members. A publication is defined as material reproduced in printed form for distribution to the public. T-shirts, buttons, banners, tote bags and the like are not eligible. Only the finished product is submissible (no mock-ups or proofs). Slides, transparencies and photographs of entries are not eligible. 

Entries must have been published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011. No exceptions allowed.
 

About the Competition

For more than 25 years, AAM has recognized and encouraged excellence in the graphic design of museum publications through the Museum Publications Design Competition, the only national, juried competition of its kind. Winners are chosen for their overall design excellence, creativity and ability to express an institution’s personality, mission or special features. The panel of judges includes graphic designers, museum professionals and publishers.

Judges award the Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for Excellence in Publication Design to the best publication in the competition. The judges have sole authority over all decisions, including whether and how to award first and second prizes and awards of merit in each of the 15 categories.

Competing institutions are divided according to budget: museums with annual operating budgets under $750,000 and those with budgets of $750,000 or more.

2011 Winners

Winners of the 2011 competition

 

2010 Winners
Winners with annual operating budgets over $750,000
Winners with annual operating budgets under $750,000

2009 Winners
 
Download the winners list for budgets above $750,000
Download the winners list for budgets below $750,000

2008 Winners and Judges' Comments

Download the list winners and judges' comments

2007 Winners

Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize
Budgets above $750,000
Budgets below $750,000

2006 Winners

Budgets above $500,000
Budgets below $500,000

For further information, please contact Roger Moyer.