T-Shirt Design Contest 2026
Show us your artistic side! This is your chance to have your artwork featured on an Alberta SPCA t-shirt! Our theme for 2026 is ‘Friendship!’ Use your creativity to design original artwork that highlights how you are a friend to a pet or farm animal(s). Three winning designs will be selected to have their artwork printed on t-shirts that will be made available to the public to purchase across Alberta!
Proceeds from t-shirts sold will go towards helping animals across Alberta.
The choice of medium is up to you! When deciding on the medium, keep in mind how your finished design will look printed on a t-shirt. All submissions must be submitted digitally and the files must be at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) for printing, so please submit high quality images.
Keep your original artwork until April 30, 2026. The winners may be asked to provide their original (non-digital) version for printing purposes.
A brief artist statement must also be included with the design, describing how you are an animal friend.
Prizes and Winners’ Showcase
Three selected winners will each have their design printed on t-shirts that will also be available to the public! Each winner (and their teacher/guardian) will receive a t-shirt with their design.
The prize recipients will also have their artwork included in Alberta SPCA publications, and on the Alberta SPCA website and social media.
Check out the winning designs from the 2025 T-Shirt Design Contest for inspiration.
Judging Criteria
- Creativity and originality
- Connection to theme
- Suitability for a t-shirt
- Quality of design appropriate to grade level of student
The entries will be judged by a panel of Alberta SPCA staff and Alberta artists. Scroll down to see the artists and read their bios!
Resources for Teachers
Introduce this project with the discussion questions found in the Friendship Teacher Guides. Then, as a class or in small groups, brainstorm how we can be friends with animals. These ideas can spark the creativity needed for their designs, or students can come up with their own ideas.
Download and print the Alberta SPCA T-Shirt Design Contest Poster to hang in your classroom!
The Fine Print
Artwork: The artwork must fit on a letter size paper (27.9cm x 21.59cm) and can be either landscape or portrait. The digital file uploaded must be at least 300 DPI (dots per inch).
Eligibility: This contest is open to all students (K-12) in Alberta. Submissions must be by a teacher or parent/guardian.
Permission: Entry into this contest signifies the entrant’s willingness to allow the Alberta SPCA to use and display the entry on their websites and for future promotional and educational purposes.
How to enter: Fill out the form by clicking the button below and upload your submission or email your submission to education@albertaspca.org.
Deadline to enter: April 15, 2026
Alberta Artist Panel
The entries will be judged by a panel of Alberta SPCA staff and the following Alberta artists.
Macha Abdallah is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Kigali, Rwanda, and Edmonton, Alberta, AB. Known for her dynamic visual art, Macha works with diverse mediums, including acrylic on canvas, digital art, mixed media, and large-scale murals. Her self-taught artistic journey is marked by an exploration of portraits, landscapes, and semi-abstract imagery, each piece infused with vibrant colors and profound emotion.
Macha’s work has been showcased in prominent collaborative projects, including the 5 Artists 1 Love exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Lulu Lane alley mural, and the Dignity Mural project in downtown Edmonton’s city center LRT. These initiatives highlight her commitment to fostering community engagement through public art.
Macha Abdallah aspires to add beauty to the world through her art, using her unique perspective to inspire and uplift those who experience her work.
Gloria Ho is a watercolour painter based in Edmonton, AB. She aims to make things that are joyful, inviting, and that bring a smile to people’s faces. Gloria has been painting for most of her life and started selling her artwork in 2014. She particularly enjoys painting portraits.
In addition to painting, Gloria has spent over ten years as an educator teaching English abroad and to newcomers to Canada. She is currently finding the balance as a teacher, mom, and artist.
Gloria designs and paints the poster for our Character Education Classroom Poster Series.
Aimee Dumont is an artist born and raised on Treaty 6. Art has always been a source of self-expression and relaxation for her. She has her diploma in fine arts from MacEwan University. Aimee draws much of her inspiration from her culture and from nature, and her favorite medium is painting with acrylic and drawing.
Aimee designed the logo for the jerseys worn by the Devon Xtreme AJHL hockey team on their Truth and Reconciliation Night and lead a group of students at Riverview Middle School in the painting of a mural in their school.
Aimee also designed the artwork for the two-week exploration of The Seven Sacred Teachings resource.
2025 T-Shirt Design Contest Winners
Below are the 2025 T-Shirt Design Contest Winners wearing their winning designs. Students were asked to demonstrate how they have learned from, or been inspired by, animals in original artwork! Congratulations to Laurel, Marjorie and Hattie on their winning designs. Visit the Alberta SPCA store to purchase a t-shirt.
