Calling all artists – 
Chance to win $2,000!

Ravinia is seeking a creative, colorful poster—designed with our “Summer Nights” theme—to promote the 2027 season.

The contest is open to all artists, including students. The winning artwork becomes a large-format printed poster that will be distributed among hundreds of Chicagoland stores and public spaces and will be sold by the Ravinia Festival Shop, where it will also be featured on other Ravinia products.

Since 1974, the Ravinia Women’s Board has sponsored this annual competition to craft a design that promotes Ravinia’s upcoming concert season. Each year, the winning poster design becomes a signature of the summer Ravinia Festival and a distinctive part of Ravinia history.


2027 Theme: “Summer Nights”

All summer long, thousands joyfully anticipate live music at Ravinia nearly every night.

Ravinia presents a harmonious blend of music and nature with a casual, communal spirit. Your poster design should capture Ravinia’s unique ability to welcome guests of all ages to explore unfamiliar music and delight in favorites across the summer.

Brand Vision

At Ravinia, we believe in the transformative power of shared, live-music moments and their ability to inspire individuals, strengthen communities, and foster a more connected world.

More than 120 years of history make Ravinia a space where nature and music effortlessly and freely intertwine, presenting artistry that is bold, contemporary, energetic, and friendly.

2026 winning design by Sarah Kurpiel

See more past Ravinia season posters

How to Enter

Entries are due no later than Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CST.

Before entering, please read the complete submission requirements. The submitted design should be 9″ × 13.5″ vertical format and uploaded in a ZIP package—containing the native files with layers as well as a PDF, JPEG, or other easily viewable image format—to the Artist Information Form. Please note that the form has an attachment file size limit of 50MB.

Submitting a file larger than 50MB? Please send a file-sharing link (e.g., Dropbox, WeTransfer) with your entry, as well as the required details from the Artist Information Form, by email to postercompetition@ravinia.org with the subject line “Ravinia Poster Competition Submission.” Please ensure that the file-sharing link will be valid until at least one week after the submission deadline.

Judging takes place in mid-December, and the winner will be notified confidentially in early January 2027. A public announcement will be made in February in Ravinia’s email newsletter. We ask that entrants do not publish their submitted poster artwork in print, on social media, or elsewhere online before the winner is announced.

Submit Your Design


The Ravinia Women’s Board looks forward to your participation in the annual Ravinia Festival Poster Design Competition.

For over 50 years, the Women’s Board has been heavily involved in fundraising for Ravinia, including as hosts of the annual Gala Benefit Evening, leaders of the Ravinia Festival Shop and Wintrust Chair & Table Rental operations, and creators of two best-selling Noteworthy cookbooks. The board’s work supports Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play® music education and community engagement programs and Steans Institute professional artist training programs, enhances the beauty of the park with trees and sculptures, and much more!


Past Winners

Many of these award-winning posters from past years can be purchased at the Ravinia Festival Shop.

2026

Artist: Sarah Kurpiel

2025

Artist: Kaia Rytel

2024

Artist: Anne Pazen

2023

Artist: Joseph Herrmann

2022

Artist: Lauren Parra

2021

Artist: Sean Quinn

2020

Artist: Stephanie Beischer

2019

Artist: Sean Quinn

2018

Artist: Michael Braley

2017

Artist: Evan Clark

2016

Artist: Teodora Šćepanović

2015

Artist: Jennifer James

2014

Artist: Hanna Bowes

2013

Artist: Jawaan Burge

2012

Artist: Daniel Goers

2011

Artist: Joshua Lowe

2010

Artist: Bryce M. Ulmer

2009

Artist: Kevin Beronilla

2008

Artist: Anna Shustitzky

2007

Artist: Jennifer Williams