The AU Theme of the Year 2027 Official Logo and Visual Identity Competition for Young African Creatives (USD 8,000 prize)

Application Deadline: 23 October 2026, 23:59 EAT (UTC+3)

Applications at the moment are open for the AU Theme of the Year 2027 Official Logo and Visual Identity Competition. The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), launched in 2018, is a flagship challenge of Agenda 2063 aimed toward making a unified and liberalised air transport market throughout Africa. At the identical time, New applied sciences, together with synthetic intelligence, digital identification, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and house applied sciences, are remodeling connectivity throughout the continent, guided by AU Digital Transformation Strategy (DTS 2020 – 2030).

To give the Theme a particular, significant and youth-driven visible identification, the African Union Commission’s Infrastructure and Energy Department, with the assist of the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), is launching a continental emblem competitors for younger African creatives.

More than a design train, the competitors invites Africa’s youth to provide visible expression to the continent’s shared aspirations. It calls on rising creatives to seize the significance of the African Union’s 25-year journey, the promise of open and linked African skies by way of SAATM, the transformative potential of new applied sciences, and the enduring imaginative and prescient of a extra built-in, inclusive and affluent Africa.

The chosen emblem will function the visible identification of the Theme all through 2027, conveying its ambition and significance throughout the continent and past. It ought to replicate Africa’s wealthy range and shared identification whereas portraying a continent in movement linked by way of its individuals, infrastructure and applied sciences, and united by a standard imaginative and prescient for the future.

By putting younger Africans at the centre of the artistic course of, the initiative recognises that Africa’s youth will not be solely beneficiaries of continental integration but in addition energetic contributors to shaping its future. Their creativity, creativeness and understanding of Africa’s evolving identification will assist translate this continental precedence into a strong and memorable visible expression.

Objectives

The emblem competitors goals to:

• Recognise and promote rising African artistic expertise.
• Engage younger Africans in shaping the public identification of a continental precedence.
• Generate early consciousness, possession and momentum round the Theme of the Year.
• Translate the AU at 25, African integration, SAATM and new applied sciences into a transparent and compelling visible idea.
• Reflect African Union values, Agenda 2063 and the aspirations of a linked, inclusive and affluent Africa.
• Create a constant visible identification to be used by the African Union and its companions all through 2027.

Eligibility Requirements

• Open to residents of all AU Member States aged 18–24 on the submission deadline
• Entries should be submitted by people (no joint/group submissions)
• Students, designers, artists, digital creatives, innovators welcome — formal {qualifications} not required
• One entry per applicant
• Members of the analysis course of, AU personnel, contractors and rapid household will not be eligible

Required Submission Package

• Completed application type (title, nationality, DOB, contact, transient profile)
• Proof of nationality and age
• Presentation PDF with major emblem, color, B&W, reversed variations + 3 mock-ups
• Preview PNG/JPEG (minimal width 3000px)
• Concept observe (≤500 phrases) explaining thought, symbolism, color, adaptability
• Signed originality, intellectual-property and AI declaration

Technical, Originality & AI Requirements

• Must be authentic, created particularly for this competitors, not beforehand revealed or submitted
• Must not reproduce the AU emblem, current logos, nationwide symbols, inventory or third-party materials
• Design should stay recognisable in color/monochrome, at small sizes, on gentle/darkish backgrounds
• Wordmark should enable adaptation into AU working languages
• Shortlisted candidates should present editable vector supply recordsdata (SVG, EPS, .ai) inside 3 working days

Submission Procedure

1. Download and learn competitors paperwork from the official webpage
2. Prepare full submission bundle in required codecs
3. Remove applicant’s title, signature, picture and social-media deal with from the emblem presentation (applicant data solely in the application type)
4. Submit by way of the official channel accessible from the competitors webpage
5. Retain the automated acknowledgement as proof

Benefits

• USD 5,000: First place
• USD 2,000Second place
• USD 1,000: Third place
• A certificates of recognition;
• Official acknowledgement by way of African Union platforms; and
• Training Opportunities.
• The winner may even have the alternative to take part in the AU Summit, the place the successful emblem can be formally unveiled.
• The successful idea can be refined in session with the applicant and in accordance with African Union branding tips for official use all through 2027. Any extra recognition preparations can be communicated on the official competitors webpage.

Application Process

• Completed application type and transient profile
• Proof of nationality and age
• Presentation PDF containing all required emblem variations and three mock-ups
• High-resolution PNG or JPEG preview recordsdata (min 3000px)
• Signed originality, IP and AI declaration
• Applicant identification faraway from the design presentation
• Complete bundle submitted by way of the official channel earlier than the deadline

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the AU Theme of the Year 2027 Official Logo and Visual Identity Competition