19TH STEREOHYPE BUTTON BADGE DESIGN COMPETITION (2026) #STBBDC #STBBDC2026
Downloads:
— PDF (complete instructions, brief, prizes and artwork guidelines)
— PSD templates (from the ‘Downloads / templates’ section at flat33.com)
Please subscribe to our newsletter to be among the first to receive competition updates. Also keep an eye on stereohype.com and follow Stereohype / Tomi Vollauschek on social media – Instagram @stereohype is the main one. If you joined us in previous competitions, please re‑subscribe and check that you still follow us on social media.
BRIEF 2026
19th Stereohype Button Badge Design Competition (2026) #STBBDC #STBBDC2026
Please download and read the COMPLETE instructions and artwork guidelines PDF here (the PDF includes the full brief, important notes, judging panel, prizes, file specifications, links to the official layered Photoshop templates, the About Stereohype page and the compact submission checklist). This web page is intended as an overview only.
No entry fee.
Deadline: Wednesday, 9 September 2026, 11.59pm / 23:59 (in your time zone).
Rule 1: please read the PDF
Stereohype’s 19th one inch (25mm) Button Badge Design Competition is now open. There are a few updated rules and details this year, so please read the full PDF artwork guide carefully before you submit.
There are two categories you can win in: ‘Single Badge’ entries and ‘Sets of 4’. Sets will automatically also be considered within the Single Badge category.
Please submit one to a maximum total of FOUR different badge designs per participant across all categories combined to submit2026@stereohype.com. Please refer to the instructions and artwork guidelines PDF, file specifications and links to the layered .PSD templates.
Submitting more than four designs would be unfair to those who follow the competition rules and will therefore result in disqualification. Please provide all required information in English.
ELIGIBLE are entries by designers, artists, photographers, illustrators and students in any of these areas, including runners-up from previous competitions. Participants must however be 18+ years old by the deadline. All submissions must be sent in English with your full name.
NOT ELIGIBLE however are contributors to our B.I.O. (By Invitation Only), MICA, AFOMFS, 10x10 Series, Emoji Series, Squirrel Series and former competition winners, who are instead very welcome to become part of the judging panel.
Your artwork(s) must be original, created by you and must not infringe any copyrights. Stereohype does not accept rip-offs, traced elements, stock footage, clip-art or similar ready-made material.
IMPORTANT /// NO ENTRIES CREATED WITH GENERATIVE AI IMAGE-MAKING TOOLS
From now on, Stereohype does not accept submissions created with generative AI image-making tools (such as prompt / text-to-image services and similar systems). Stereohype aims to support illustrators, designers and artists, not contribute to a system in which creative work is exploited, scraped, imitated and monetised by large corporations while the people behind that work are left without proper credit, licensing or payment. Use of non-generative tools that assist with workflow, organisation or non-creative tasks is of course perfectly acceptable – but the button badge artwork itself must be created by you, without generative AI.
Please do have a look at the winning button badge designs of previous competitions and the rest of the existing designs in our collection. Our collection currently includes 1777 one inch (25mm) button badge designs, so please avoid nipple designs, “button buttons”, popsicles with faces and back-of-badge artworks. Been there, done that, and already included those in the Stereohype collection... 8)
We do not tolerate religiously offending, racist, sexist or sexually explicit visuals, nor do we accept imagery that plays down the danger of weapons. Please do take a moment to browse the Stereohype collection at stereohype.com – searching by theme and/or artist – to familiarise yourself with what already exists and to help keep your submissions fresh.
Winners give Stereohype a NON-exclusive licence to reproduce the winning artwork(s) on badges and in Stereohype badge-related promotional materials such as postcards, catalogues and related materials. By submitting your artwork(s) you agree to these terms and conditions. A shortlist will also be featured at stereohype.com, crediting artists and designers.
We will give winning artworks away as a free surprise button badge with purchased Stereohype products or sell them separately via stereohype.com and our growing list of selected stockists. Your button badge design(s) might also be reprinted for promotional purposes featuring photos of your badge. Designers, artists, illustrators and photographers will – wherever possible – be appropriately credited.
Orders and prizes are generally dispatched from our EU / France-based warehouse, with exceptional bulk and wholesale production and shipping also possible within the UK to avoid some of the Brexit-related shenanigans for UK stockists and other partners there.
IMPORTANT /// BUTTON BADGE MOTIF PRINT INFO
Please also consider this additional aspect of Stereohype’s growing collection: selected button badge motifs are sometimes later released as part of our Button Badge Motif Print series. The circular Fine Art Giclée Prints feature chosen artworks from the badge collection, and contributors whose work is selected are contacted personally, invited separately and paid royalties for each sold print. This does however NOT happen automatically and is entirely independent from the competition results. Please therefore keep this possible size consideration in mind when preparing and archiving your high-resolution files. This is explained in more detail in the submission guidelines PDF.
We can’t wait to see your design(s).
GOOD LUCK!
Tomi 8)
JUDGING PANEL 2026
A selection of 15–25 former competition winners, button badge-loving journalists, writers, illustrators, artists and graphic designers from around the world — many of them are AFOMFS, MICA Series, 10x10, Emoji Series, Squirrel Series and/or B.I.O. (By Invitation Only) Button Badge Series contributors.
Confirmed judges: (Please check our website for updates)
Antonia Henschel
B.I.O. 17
@anthenschel
Tomi Vollauschek
FL@33 and Stereohype
B.I.O. 1–22, Emoji Series and Squirrel Series
flat33.com
...
Please check this page again for updates. More judges will be added and listed here in due time.
PRIZES 2026
Applies to both categories: ‘Single Badge’ and ‘Set of 4’.
1st Prize
— your personal mini profile/bio (with URL to your website) on stereohype.com with short descriptive text about your artwork(s)
— a total of 10x 1" (25mm) badges per person for single entries OR a total of 20 for ‘Sets of 4’ (for example: 5x ‘Sets of 4’ or 20 individual designs) with either your own design(s) or your selection of badges by other designers
— 2x Button Badge Motif Prints of your choice
— 1x signed Trans-form magazine by FL@33
— 1x signed Postcard book by FL@33
— 1x Button Badge Gift Box of your choice (3–7 badges)
— 1x anniversary book Stereohype 2004–2014
— 1x Design & Designer book of your choice (subject to availability)
— 1x signed Design & Designer 033 – FL@33 book
— VIP contributor account with permanent 10% Stereohype discount
— VIP option to buy wholesale (usually reserved for stockists only)
— 25% off all orders placed before 31 December 2026!
2nd Prize
— your personal mini profile/bio (with URL to your website) on stereohype.com with short descriptive text about your artwork(s)
— a total of 10x 1" (25mm) badges per person for single entries OR a total of 20 for ‘Sets of 4’ for example: 5x ‘Sets of 4’ / ‘Gift Boxes containing 4 badges’ or 20 individual designs) with either your own design(s) or your selection of badges by other designers
— 1x Button Badge Motif Print of your choice
— 1x anniversary book Stereohype 2004–2014
— 1x Design & Designer book of your choice (subject to availability)
— 1x Button Badge Gift Box of your choice (3–7 badges)
— VIP contributor account with permanent 10% Stereohype discount
— VIP option to buy wholesale (usually reserved for stockists only)
— 20% off all orders placed before 31 December 2026!
3rd Prize
— your personal mini profile/bio (with URL to your website) on stereohype.com with short descriptive text about your artwork(s)
— a total of 10x 1" (25mm) badges per person for single entries OR a total of 20 for ‘Sets of 4’ (for example: 5x ‘Sets of 4’ / ‘Gift Boxes containing 4 badges’ or 20 individual designs) with either your own design(s) or your selection of badges by other designers
— 1x Button Badge Motif Print of your choice
— 1x anniversary book Stereohype 2004–2014
— VIP contributor account with permanent 10% Stereohype discount
— VIP option to buy wholesale (usually reserved for stockists only)
— 20% off all orders placed before 31 December 2026!
4th Prize / 5th Prize
— your personal mini profile/bio (with URL to your website) on stereohype.com with short descriptive text about your artwork(s)
— a total of 10x 1" (25mm) badges per person for single entries OR a total of 20 for ‘Sets of 4’ (for example: 5x ‘Sets of 4’ / ‘Gift Boxes containing 4 badges’ or 20 individual designs) with either your own design(s) or your selection of badges by other designers
— 1x anniversary book Stereohype 2004–2014
— 1x Button Badge Gift Box of your choice (3–7 badges)
— VIP contributor account with permanent 10% Stereohype discount
— VIP option to buy wholesale (usually reserved for stockists only)
— 20% off all orders placed before 31 December 2026!
Special Stereohype Prize
— your personal mini profile/bio (with URL to your website) on stereohype.com with short descriptive text about your artwork(s)
— a total of 10x 1" (25mm) badges per person for single entries OR a total of 20 for ‘Sets of 4’ (for example: 5x ‘Sets of 4’ / ‘Gift Boxes containing 4 badges’ or 20 individual designs) with either your own design(s) or your selection of badges by other designers
— 1x anniversary book Stereohype 2004–2014
— VIP contributor account with permanent 10% Stereohype discount
— VIP option to buy wholesale (usually reserved for stockists only)
— 20% off all orders placed before 31 December 2026!
PREVIOUS COMPETITIONS
Button Badge Design Competition 2022
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2021
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2020
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2019
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2018
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2017
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2016
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2015
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Button Badge Design Competition 2014
Brief, jury, lists of runners-up and winners / Complete shortlist (with previews)
Please note:
The Stereohype competition archive 2004–2013 links to archived pages of our old website that open in a new browser window / new browser tab.
Button Badge Design Competition 2013
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2012
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2011
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2010
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2008–09
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2007–08
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2006
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2005
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)
Button Badge Design Competition 2004
Brief / Shortlist (old archived website page)