Sip the Season:
Mug Design Contest
Design the 2025 Official Edmonton Christmas Market Mug
We’re calling all Alberta artists — makers, illustrators, and creative elves of every kind — to help design this year’s signature Edmonton Christmas Market mug! Your art could be sipped, shared, and gifted all season long.
Let your imagination sparkle. Design something festive and meaningful that reflects our five holiday pillars:
SHOP. SIP. EAT. PLAY. GIVE.
What we’re looking for:
We’re on the hunt for a holiday-themed design that captures the warmth, joy, and creativity of the season. Submissions should celebrate the spirit of Edmonton Christmas Market while incorporating at least one of our five market pillars.
Design Specs:
Please ensure your artwork meets the following requirements:
- The design should be prepared using these guidelines: CONTEST ARTWORK SPECS
- Prepare graphics as vectors and typography as curves.
- Fit your graphics in the “printable area”.
- Avoid gradient and transparency.
- The minimum detail size is 0,2 mm, so all elements and free spaces must be at least 0,4 mm thick.
- The same colour chosen for different parts of the dish might not be identical in the final product.
- Must fit within 9″ wide x 2.4″ high space (full mug wrap.)
- Include at least one ECM Pillar: SHOP, SIP, EAT, PLAY, or GIVE.
- Designed by an Alberta-based artist.
- No Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated artwork will be accepted.
Submission Deadline: Sunday, September 14, 2025 @ Midnight
What You’ll Win
Grand Prize Winner Receives:
- $1,000 honorarium
- 4 VIP tickets to Edmonton Christmas Market
- Their design featured on the official 2025 ECM mug
- A vendor feature on our website, e-newsletter, and social channels
- Featured in a custom artist spotlight video + interview
Top 10 Finalists Receive:
- 2 General Admission passes
- Showcased in a digital gallery and included in public voting
- Social shoutout on @yegxmasmarket
All submissions will be reviewed by a select jury composed of ECM team members, community partners, and sponsors, using a set rubric. Once the Top 10 designs are chosen, they’ll be shared across our social media channels for a public voting round. The design with the most votes will be selected as the official 2025 ECM “Sip the Season” mug and produced as part of our holiday merchandise.
Contest Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
| August 1 | Contest Launch |
| September 14 | Submission Deadline at Midnight |
| Sept 15-18 | Jury Panel Selects Top 10 Finalists |
| Sept 22-26 | Community Voting via Instagram Stories |
| Sept 27-29 | Confirm Winner, Capture Artist Story & Photo |
| September 29 | Winner Announced! |
| October 6 | Mug available at Edmonton Christmas Market |
How to Submit
Please include:
- Your final mug artwork
- Short artist bio (100–150 words)
- Brief description of your concept (max 250 words)
- Contact email & Instagram handle (optional)
Artist Outreach
We’ve partnered with Alberta art schools, collectives, and design programs to spotlight the region’s incredible talent. Students, alumni, and independent artists are all welcome to participate.
Know someone perfect for this? Tag them on our Instagram: @yegxmasmarket
Terms & Conditions
- Artist must be an Alberta resident.
- All submissions must be original and created by the entrant.
- Only one submission per artist.
- Submissions must follow design spec: 9″x 2.4″
- By submitting your work, you grant Edmonton Christmas Market permission to use your design in merchandise and promotional materials for the 2025 season.
- Artist retains rights to the work outside ECM usage.
- Winner will be contacted to provide an editable file format (AI/EPS) suitable for mug production.
- ECM reserves the right to make minor modifications to the design to suit production needs.
- Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Have Questions?
Reach out to us at: manager@yegxmasmarket.com
Follow along for updates and inspiration on Instagram: @yegxmasmarket