Professionals weigh in on the City of Vancouver’s poster design contest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The City of Vancouver is running a poster design contest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Requiring entrants to create and submit original designs, the contest is offering a $25,000 main prize and four $1,500 runner-up awards. Entrants must keep their submissions confidential and exclusively assign rights to FIFA, who will own the design's use, reproduction and distribution in perpetuity. No additional compensation will be provided beyond the initial prize money.

The RGD advocated against the contest on CTV Vancouver and in the Vancouver Sun. President Nicola Hamilton RGD and RGD Members Laura Prpich, Marga Lopez and Matthew Clark RGD voiced their opinions, amplifying the call for the City to value the work of professional designers.

While the RGD is working behind the scenes to have the contest amended, we approached several design professionals with the question: What do you feel is the most concerning aspect of the FIFA World Cup poster contest? Is it the speculative element, the loss of copyright or something else?  

Roberto Carreiro RGD, Design Studio Owner, Razor Creative Solutions

The most concerning aspect of the FIFA World Cup poster contest is the use of speculative work. The request asks designers to submit designs without any guarantee of payment, undervaluing their time and creativity. This practice is especially troubling given the World Cup's commercial success, which generates significant revenue through ticket sales and sponsorships and pays professional athletes handsomely.

If the organizers charge attendees to watch the matches and compensate athletes for their participation, then asking designers to contribute their designs on a speculative basis seems inequitable. This approach exploits designer's enthusiasm and risks losing their creative control and intellectual property rights. To address these issues, the World Cup should ensure fair compensation for all submissions and protect artists’ rights. Such changes would align with the event’s financial success and help foster a more equitable environment for creative professionals.

Matthew Clark RGD, Founder & Creative Director at Subplot Design Inc. | Creative Certainty®

The City’s EOI document says this is a call for ARTISTS. It never mentions designers.

But then it talks about the DESIGN of the posters, the design guidelines and all that. Further, if you agree to participate, you will receive a whole package, including the brand design guidelines for FIFA, sponsor logos and all the info for the poster. And this call is NOT just for a poster … they say in the EOI, “Each artist’s design package should include: original poster design in correct size and format; demonstration of extensions for the artwork; and presentation of the overall concept, creation process and story behind the design.” That’s a lot more work.

Now all the artists I have ever known do not work with brand guidelines, sponsor logos, brand extensions, etc. That is the role of a designer. So it seems to me that FIFA and the City are trying to avoid the professional ethics and design association ethics by framing this as a call for “artists.”

Vida Jurcic RGD, Partner at Hangar 18 Creative Group Inc. 

Although design competitions seem to be a good idea on the surface, opening up opportunities for young up-and-coming designers who would benefit from the exposure, they are overall very dangerous. Graphic design is a profession and should thereby be treated as such. Some of us have studied for up to four years or more to hone our craft, and crowdsourcing design solutions devalues what we do. From a client’s perspective, it’s also a bad idea, as the winning creator may not know how to prepare their work so that it can be reproduced effectively and suitably in print and digital media.

On another note, the City is shooting itself in the foot with this because it will not get entries from the best design professionals, as most of us are on the same page regarding speculative work. We need to make a living like everybody else and maintain the high standards of professional graphic design and communication work. 

Tony Hird, Founder and Creative Director at Here Be Monsters

The surprising thing about design contests is how much is left to chance. It's a gamble for both a creative entering the contest and also for the client, considering they couldn’t collaborate or provide input throughout the process. Excellent design work doesn’t happen in a vacuum or by chance. Though well-meaning as a community engagement initiative, tendering the project to professional creatives for the same budget as the prize money would alleviate those risks for everybody. Win-win

Johnathon Strebly RGD, Founder of JVS Consulting Inc

The deeply concerning aspect of the FIFA World Cup poster contest is the speculative nature of the work and the loss of copyright. Designers are asked to create original work without guaranteed payment, which devalues the profession and excludes those who can't afford to work for free, and nor should anyone need to work for free. The requirement to sign away rights in perpetuity further exploits the designer, stripping them of ownership and future benefits.

FIFA is exerting predatory corporate pressure with this form of exploitation through this contest, and the City of Vancouver should know better. Given its own past experience with its logo, the city should prioritize fair practices and protect the integrity of local designers if it wishes to be seen as a true supporter of creativity and innovation.

We urge all designers in British Columbia to reach out to the City of Vancouver and voice their concerns about the contest. Feel free to incorporate some of our letter into your response. 

This letter was sent to: jessie.adcock@vancouver.ca, CC: dino.goundouvas@vancouver.ca and dj.reynes@vancouver.ca