Announcing December 2022 and January 2023 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 Valentine’s Day, laughter is the key to our hearts. We’re challenging you to create a Valentine’s Day design that makes us laugh, giggle or just crack a silly smile. We look forward to your quirky and funny takes on this romantic holiday!

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close November 29 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins December 1. Winners will be announced December 8. See official rules.

Brown paper packages tied up with string, what are a few of your favorite things? The Spoonflower Marketplace is special because there really is a design for everything. This week we want you to tap into your favorite objects, hobbies, places, colors and more to create a design honoring your favorite things. We can’t wait to see the unique and exciting things that light you up!

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close December 6 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins December 8. Winners will be announced December 15. See official rules.

Pantone® just announced Viva Magenta as Color of the Year 2023! In partnership with Pantone, Spoonflower has already begun to bring this color to life and now it’s your turn to join in the conversation. 

For this official Pantone x Spoonflower Design Challenge, we invite you to create a design featuring Viva Magenta, a color which was selected to represent the bravery to break boundaries, fearless optimism, and Pantone’s pillars of Art + Design and Science + Tech. Use Pantone’s Ignite palette below, showcasing Viva Magenta as your dominant color, sparking energy within an otherwise soft palette. Your challenge is to use only the palette provided without adding additional colors (like black or white). 

Each Artist in the top ten will receive a performance velvet throw blanket featuring their design! 

Pantone’s palette, Ignite:

• 18-1750 Viva Magenta, Hex: #BB2649 (your dominant color)
• 13-1404 Pale Dogwood, Hex: #EDCDC2 
• 13-1010 Gray Sand, Hex: #E5CCAF 
• 13-3804 Gray Lilac, Hex: #D4CACD 
• 15-1216 Pale Khaki, Hex: #BFAF92
• 15-1115 Fields of Rye, Hex: #B7A990 
• 15-6307 Agate Gray, Hex: #B3B1A1 
• 13-4111 Plein Air, Hex: #BFCAD6

This challenge includes different prizes compared to our normal Spoondollar credit. All prizes are listed at the bottom of this post after the themes.

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close December 20 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins December 22. Winners will be announced January 5, 2023. See official rules.

Cross stitch is a form of counted embroidery that can be found in many countries around the world, dating as far back as the 6th century. It’s done by making stitches that form small X’s on fabric to create an almost pixelated design. Whether you decide to create something traditional or modern, use these X-shaped cross stitches to design your entry this week.

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close January 3 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins January 5. Winners will be announced January 12. See official rules.

It’s a botanical challenge with a toxic twist! Poisonous plants come in all sorts of beautiful shapes, styles and colors, like the dainty white flowers of hemlock or the bright red beans of rosary pea (pictured above). Take some time to research poisonous plants and feature them in a design that’s just to die for.

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close January 10 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins January 12. Winners will be announced January 19. See official rules.

We are continuing our tradition of honoring The Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, with a design challenge celebrating the Year of the Rabbit.

Those born under the Rabbit zodiac sign are said to be gentle, sensitive and compassionate. Their easygoing and responsible personalities make them a great friend and team mate. Create a design that honors the Year of the Rabbit, featuring the wonderful animal itself and the traits it represents.

Entries will be previewed on a 21” x 18” fat quarter. Submissions close January 17 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins January 19. Winners will be announced January 26. See official rules.

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.

The 1st place winner of the Spoonflower x Pantone ‘Viva Magenta’ Design Challenge will receive a surprise Pantone bundle and a Spoonflower Performance Velvet throw blanket featuring their design, along with the regular first place prizes.

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

The 2nd place winner of the Pantone Color of the Year 2023: ‘Viva Magenta’ Design Challenge will receive a surprise Pantone bundle and a Spoonflower Performance Velvet throw blanket featuring their design, along with the regular second place prize.

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

The 3rd place winner of the Pantone Color of the Year 2023: ‘Viva Magenta’ Design Challenge will receive a surprise Pantone bundle and a Spoonflower Performance Velvet throw blanket featuring their design, along with the regular third place prize.

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

The remaining top 10 winning designs of the Pantone Color of the Year 2023: ‘Viva Magenta’ Design Challenge will receive a Spoonflower Performance Velvet throw blanket featuring their design.

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.