Scholarship | Gigantic Design Co.

Gigantic Opportunity Scholarship

Gigantic Design Co., a full-service branding agency in Dubuque, Iowa, is celebrating our 10-year anniversary with a month-long Design Show this October at the Voices Studio in Dubuque.

As part of the event, we’re hosting a student exhibit called “Work Hard for It” featuring work from students at our alma maters and beyond. We’re inviting up-and-coming designers to submit their work for a chance to be showcased in the student show and enter to win the Gigantic Opportunity Scholarship.

Prize:

$1,000 Scholarship + three day industry job shadow at Gigantic.

Eligibility:

College students and high school juniors/seniors.

Deadline:

Your 20” x 20”digital work needs to be submitted by September 20th.

2025 Theme

We’re not looking for perfection, we’re looking for effort.

Hustle. Heart. Craft.

Show us the fire behind the finish.

Creative brief to inspire your work:

This isn’t about what’s trendy, it’s about what’s real.

Show us what “Work Hard For It” means to you.

Messy or polished, personal or social, literal or symbolic; we want to feel the grit, growth, and grind behind it.

Let our core values inspire your work:

1

Quality counts. It’s about craft not just being crafty.

2

Backing each other up because we’re better together.

3

Care deeply about the project and the process.

4

Putting in the work when no one is watching.

5

Own the outcome.

Each piece must be a 20” x 20” digital work.

Include a short artist statement (100–200 words) about what “Work Hard For It” means to you; share your inspiration and process. Your statement will be hung with your piece.

Submission
Parameters:

  • Artwork must be digital.

    (created digitally or high-resolution scan/photo of physical work, must be submitted digitally)

  • Multi-media submissions accepted:

    Design, illustration, typography, photography

  • Accepted file types:

    .JPG, .PDF

  • Resolution:

    Minimum 300 DPI

  • Dimensions:

    Size 20” x 20”

  • Originality & Ownership:

    Work must be original and created by the student. No AI-generated art.

  • Files should be scaled to full size for print (no crop marks).

Judging
Criteria:

  • Creativity & Originality

    30%

  • Execution & Design Quality

    30%

  • Connection To The Theme

    25%

  • Artist Statement Clarity

    15%

Design Show Display Details:

  • Gigantic will handle the printing and mounting of the work.

  • Selected finalists will be displayed at the “Work Hard For It” student exhibit at the show.

  • Finalists will be notified and one scholarship winner will be announced at the student event in October.

    Details regarding the student open house will be provided upon acceptance into the show.

Submit
your work.

Your 20” x 20”digital work needs to be submitted by September 20th.

Fill out the submission form below along with your attached digital work in .JPG or .PDF format.

Artist Information
Artwork Information
Formats Accepted: .JPG, .PDF
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