Announcing October 2021 Design Challenge Themes

Spoonflower’s Weekly Design Challenges encourage creativity by inviting our community to submit designs around a theme and vote on favorites to win weekly prizes. See what design challenges are coming up and which designers were crowned grand-champion in past challenges here.

Be sure to visit the blog to learn more about Spoonflower’s Design Challenge rules and moderation process.

This month we’re challenging you to design for our newest product, wall hangings! These wall hangings combine a magnetic framing kit with a hand-sewn fabric tapestry, and they’re same size as our tea towels, so you can swap them out whenever your space needs a refresh.

You can design with both tea towels and wall hangings in mind, but your entries this month will automatically be previewed on a Spoonflower wall hanging.

If you’ve ever designed a tea towel for the Spoonflower Marketplace, the instructions for designing wall hangings will look very familiar to you! Visit our help center for our complete design guide with downloadable templates and helpful tips.

Design Guidelines for Wall Hangings

2022 Wall Hanging Calendar | Entries due by September 28

Calendar tea towels are a popular go-to gift each holiday season. This year, creative calendar submissions can be purchased as a tea towel, wall hanging or fat quarter!

What inspiring illustrations will you create to symbolize the coming year? It’s fun to dream about what possibilities a bright new year can usher in — that may be a starting place to inspire a motif for your calendar entry. The art you create is entirely up to you, click here if you need a calendar file to get started!

Have a calendar tea towel design from last year in your design library? It can’t be submitted for this weekly challenge, but it’s a good reminder to upload a revision with 2022’s dates for future customers. Cheers to a new year ahead!

Entries will be submitted as a Linen Cotton Canvas fat quarter (27″ x 18″) and previewed on a Spoonflower wall hanging.  Submissions close September 28 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins September 30. Winners will be announced October 7. See official rules.

Submit a New Design

Vintage Recipe Wall Hangings | Entries due by October 5

Commemorating a favorite recipe by printing it on a tea towel or wall hanging for your kitchen is one of our favorite design projects. Whether it’s a traditional recipe from your family’s holiday table or tried-and-true instructions for your go-to weeknight meal, show us your favorite recipe!

Think about how you can give your entry a retro feel. It could be through your aesthetic choices, recipe highlights or both! Channel the ’50s, ’60s or ’70s by firing up the microwave, polishing your prized gelatin mold, or shaking up a classic cocktail.

For tips and inspiration, check out this design tutorial and this family recipe Mac shared on our blog last holiday season.

Entries will be submitted as a Linen Cotton Canvas fat quarter (27″ x 18″) and previewed on a Spoonflower wall hanging.  Submissions close October 5 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins October 7. Winners will be announced October 14. See official rules.

Submit a New Design

Modern Motivational Poster Wall Hangings | Entries due by October 12

Think positive! Let’s fill our spaces and minds with everyday affirmations, impactful words and feel-good phrases. Motivate the masses with your contemporary take on inspirational posters.

If the classic “hang in there” cat makes you smile or reminds you to dream big, this challenge is for you. Positive reminders on wall hangings are the trendy home decor item every home needs. We’re sending you all the good vibes as you create your entry this week!

Entries will be submitted as a Linen Cotton Canvas fat quarter (27″ x 18″) and previewed on a Spoonflower wall hanging.  Submissions close October 12 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins October 14. Winners will be announced October 21. See official rules.

Submit a New Design

Indoor Garden Wall Hangings | Entries due by October 19

It’s a jungle in here! Folks are bringing the outdoors into their interior spaces with fiddle-leaf figs, monsteras, succulents and more. We’re sure you’ll knock our stalks off this week with your wall hanging designs featuring your favorite houseplants.

Think about what sort of indoor garden-inspired wall hangings would brighten up your space. You could showcase the beauty of plant characteristics with a scientific illustrative style or exaggerate bold leaf markings with expressive color. If you have a green thumb, you can share your tips with an infographic about how to best care for your indoor greenery. As you design your nature-based wall hanging, just know we’re all rooting for you!

Entries will be submitted as a Linen Cotton Canvas fat quarter (27″ x 18″) and previewed on a Spoonflower wall hanging.  Submissions close October 19 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins October 21. Winners will be announced October 28. See official rules.

Submit a New Design

Weekly Prizes

Grand Prize

The 1st place winner will receive a $200 Spoonflower credit and one (1) Spoonflower wall hanging in their own winning design ($59 value).

Second Place

The 2nd place winner will receive a $100 Spoonflower credit and one (1) Spoonflower wall hanging in their own winning design ($59 value).

Third Place

The 3rd place winner will receive a $50 Spoonflower credit and one (1) Spoonflower wall hanging in their own winning design ($59 value).

The rest of the top 10

The remaining top 10 designs will receive a $20 Spoonflower credit and one (1) Spoonflower wall hanging in their own winning design ($59 value).

All of the top 50

The top 50 popularly-voted designs from each theme will be automatically made available for sale in the Spoonflower Marketplace (provided they are a verified seller) where they will receive 10% commission on every sale – no $5.00 swatch required.