“The Canvas of Leadership” Cover Art Contest
Creatively explore and visually represent the human-centered themes at the heart of all Aspen Institute leadership seminars.
In addition to a cash prize, the winning artwork may be featured on the cover of the Aspen Executive Seminar reader!
The Canvas of Leadership: 2026 Cover Art Contest
This cover art contest celebrates the power of visual art to provoke thought, deepen inquiry, and ground us in shared humanity.
Whether through painting, photography, mixed media, or graphic design, this cover art contest welcomes works that address one or more of the following themes:
- Dialogue Across Difference
- Understanding over Agreement
Contest is now closed as of Sunday, August 16, 2026. Stay tuned for the winners to be announced in October 2026!
Contest Details
Submit your original artwork for a chance to be featured on the Aspen Executive Seminar book cover—and inspire values-driven leaders worldwide.
Prizes
Up to 6 winners may be selected:
- 1 Grand Prize: $5,000
- Up to 5 Finalists: $1,000 each
Eligibility
To be eligible, submitting artists must be U.S. residents aged 18 or older at the time of entry.
Ineligibility
Employees, officers, directors, and fellows (current or former) of the Aspen Institute (“Institute Persons”) and members of the immediate families (parents, spouses, children, siblings) or individuals residing in the household (whether related or not) of any Institute Persons, are not eligible to participate in this contest.
Key Dates
Submission window closes: August 16, 2026 11:59pm, Pacific Standard Time
Winners Announced: October 2026
Judging & Use
Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges on:
- Creativity and originality
- Alignment with a contest theme
- Emotional and conceptual impact and aesthetic merit
- Application of the piece for possible inclusion on the Aspen Executive Seminar reader and for use in connection with other materials
Art Submissions may be displayed in a virtual gallery on the Aspen Institute website. The Grand Prize may be featured on the front cover of the 2027 Aspen Executive Seminar reader. Finalists may also be displayed on other Aspen Leadership Seminar materials to spark meaningful conversations and celebrate the Institute’s 75-year history of working with leaders
2026 Submission Process
- Review the 2026 Rules & Guidelines
- Create or identify your piece of art:
- Submissions may include, but are not limited to, painting, drawing, graphic design, or photography
- Orientation: portrait
- Dimensions at least 8.5”x11” (2550px W x 3300px H) and no larger than 24”x36” (3600 x 5400 pixels)
- Resolution: 250 to 300 pixels per inch (ppi)
- Preferred Format Options: .png, .jpg, .jpeg
- Non-original computer-generated images, images generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and traced images will not be accepted or judged
- We are seeking original artwork responsive to the contest theme.
- Artwork may explore any side of the concepts above. Please note that the Aspen Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit organization and submissions including partisan political themes will not be eligible for consideration.
- Write a brief artist’s statement (max 200 words) to explain your inspiration and how the submission speaks to one or more of the contest themes
- Submit up to 3 high-resolution images of your artwork using the Entry Form
- Review and sign the Entry Agreement on the Entry Form
Shaylin Wallace
Washington, DC
Eduardo Mejia González
Washington, DC
Catherine Renzi
Maryland
Jimm Hughey
California
Jada Schumacher
New York
Learn more about these winning pieces and their artists here.
Rea
Ready to share your vision of leadership?
Review our full guidelines linked above and submit your work. We can’t wait to see how you interpret the enduring question: What does leadership look like today?
About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world.
The Aspen Institute has earned a reputation for gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders, creatives, scholars and members of the public to address some of the world’s most complex problems through the melding of art, philosophy, and civil dialogue.
Today the Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC with an Aspen, Colorado campus designed by Bauhaus-trained artist Herbert Bayer. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues.
About the Aspen Leadership Seminars Department
The most difficult decisions leaders make are moral, not technical. Since 1950, Aspen Leadership Seminars have provided individuals and organizations what they need most: time, space, and a structured environment to become more self-aware, more self-correcting, and ultimately more effective leaders.
To foster leadership and build teams whose decisions are guided by humanistic values and grounded in purpose, the Aspen Leadership Seminars department offers residential leadership development seminars in Aspen, CO for individuals as well as bespoke custom leadership seminars for organizations.
Every Aspen Leadership Seminars challenge individuals to think more deeply, listen more attentively, and refine their ability to lead in an increasingly complex and conflicting world. Seminars participants engage in challenging conversations about enduring questions of ethical and effective leadership, gaining a greater capacity to lead with courage and conviction.
Have questions or need assistance with the submission process?
Contact us!
About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world.
The Aspen Institute has earned a reputation for gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders, creatives, scholars and members of the public to address some of the world’s most complex problems through the melding of art, philosophy, and civil dialogue.
Today the Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC with an Aspen, Colorado campus designed by Bauhaus-trained artist Herbert Bayer. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues.
About the Aspen Leadership Seminars Department
The most difficult decisions leaders make are moral, not technical. Since 1950, Aspen Leadership Seminars have provided individuals and organizations what they need most: time, space, and a structured environment to become more self-aware, more self-correcting, and ultimately more effective leaders.
To foster leadership and build teams whose decisions are guided by humanistic values and grounded in purpose, the Aspen Leadership Seminars department offers residential leadership development seminars in Aspen, CO for individuals as well as bespoke custom leadership seminars for organizations.
Every Aspen Leadership Seminars challenge individuals to think more deeply, listen more attentively, and refine their ability to lead in an increasingly complex and conflicting world. Seminars participants engage in challenging conversations about enduring questions of ethical and effective leadership, gaining a greater capacity to lead with courage and conviction.
