Each year, the International Compost Awareness Week Committee (ICAW) holds a poster contest to pick a design for the annual poster used to promote ICAW and the new theme.

The theme for 2025 is Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost!

The winner receives a $500 prize. Anyone age 14 and older can enter the contest. This is an international contest.

The design should highlight the theme: Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost! This theme was chosen with the goal of highlighting composting in all kinds of communities at any scale – from backyard home composter, to community composters, to large-scale facilities to all those who recognize the many benefits of using compost on our soils. This year’s theme was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

Details about the theme for 2025 are available on the official website.

Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost! is the ICAW theme for 2025. This theme was chosen with the goal of highlighting composting in all kinds of communities at any scale – from backyard home composter, to community composters, to large-scale facilities to all those who recognize the many benefits of using compost on our soils. As has been done for the past several years, the theme was chosen by all of the international partners who are part of the International Compost Alliance – making it truly an international theme. This year’s theme was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

From navigating skyscrapers to the far-reaching fields of corn or forested acres of rural America, composting is an essential element in developing a sustainable resources management plan for any community. Composting empowers communities to manage their own waste, create job opportunities and support healthy soils with locally-made compost. The theme highlights that when we’re repurposing the food that would go into the landfill, we’re creating fresh nutrients for the soil, which regenerates the earth and provides healthier food for everyone in the community. Composting is an action everyone can participate in, no matter the size of your home, garden, or community! Together, through the power of compost, we can create a more sustainable future for our communities!

The poster design needs to have the theme, the date if ICAW 2025, which is May 4 – 10, 2025, and say International Compost Awareness Week. Nothing else is allowed.

The ICAW poster is sent to thousands of people across the United States and internationally too.

Entries are limited to one submission per artist.

Please visit the official website for further info.

It's free to enter.