Announcing February's Design Challenge Themes

Edited: May 17, 2022

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.

Year of the Tiger | Entries due by January 25 

Bengal tiger sitting in the forest

The Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, marks the second new moon after the winter solstice. Last year, we celebrated the Year of the Ox with a design challenge that became a Spoonflower favorite–so we decided to do it again! This year is the Year of the Tiger, an animal said to represent strength, courage and ambition.

Those born under this zodiac sign are said to be daring, enthusiastic and self-confident with a sense of justice and a commitment to help others for the greater good. Create a design that honors the Year of the Tiger, exploring bright, warm-toned colors, bold linework or other visual elements of the Tiger and what it represents.

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close January 25 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins January 27. Winners will be announced February 3. See official rules.

Pantone Color of the Year: Very Peri | Entries due by February 1

Periwinkle flowers

Great news! Pantone’s 2022 color of the year, Very Peri, has been announced! This violet-blue shade displays the “carefree confidence and daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit.” What better way to celebrate than with a design challenge?

Create a design that utilizes the color PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri (Hex: #​​6667AB). You may use other colors too, such as black (#000000) and white (#ffffff) for a compliment, but Veri Peri should be the focus.

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close February 1 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins February 3. Winners will be announced February 10. See official rules.

Pockets | Entries due by February 8

A yellow flower tucked into a jean's pocket

Pockets are magical things, whether they’re real or pretend. Throughout history, pockets have allowed humans to hold items for safekeeping, keep talismans close for good luck, have privacy for things kept hidden and more.

What do you keep in your pockets or perhaps wish you could? This challenge is dedicated to the bits of cloth we love to add to garments, quilts and bags and many other things and how they can be both practical as well as hopeful extensions of ourselves.

Maybe you’d like the ability to carry around a closet size pocket to hold everything you might need or create an invisible pocket just in case or a whimsical pocket that expands to just the size you need. Dream big or think small—we want to see what your pocket dreams are made of!

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close February 8 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins February 10. Winners will be announced February 17. See official rules.

Y2K | Entries due by February 15

Person with pink hair holding up a VHS tape against a blue background

The Y2K (year 2000) trend is back in 2022! This retro yet futuristic style has been popularized by Gen Z and Millennials who love the nostalgia of pop culture fashion from the late 90s to early 2000s.

For your Y2K design, imagine vivid colors such as bubblegum pink, lilac, icy blue, and lime green, paired with bold artistic techniques like thick lines, minimalism and iconography. The style is also inspired by the technology of the time and the rise of the world wide web, allowing for futuristic-looking pops of silver and chrome. We’re so psyched to see your design!

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close February 15 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins February 17. Winners will be announced February 24. See official rules.

Grand Prize

One Grand Prize Winner each week will receive $200 in Spoondollars. The winner will also receive additional exposure in our email newsletters and social media mentions.

Second Place

The 2nd place winner will receive $100 in Spoondollars.

Third Place

The 3rd place winner will receive $50 in Spoondollars.

The rest of the top 10

4th through 10th place winners will receive a $20 Spoondollar credit.

All of the top 50

Each of the top 50 entries, determined as set forth above, not receiving one of the foregoing prizes will be automatically proofed for sale in the Spoonflower Marketplace (approximately a $5 value) (the “Runner Up Prize”) if winners are verified sellers.

Anna Fletcher
63 Posts

Anna is a self-taught sewist, award-winning cosplayer and digital artist. In her free time, she’s either stitching up new costumes and creating fun content, binging some sort of animated series or snuggling her cats, Mina and Opal.

More About Anna Fletcher
2 comments

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  • Typo in text – “Year of the Ox”

    Julia | January 14, 2022 at 7:57 am
    • Hi Julia, could you elaborate on the typo you’re referring to?

      -Anna
      Spoonflower

      Anna | January 14, 2022 at 1:41 pm