NC3C 20th Anniversary Logo Design Contest
In celebration of NC3C’s 20th anniversary, the North Carolina City & County Communicators is inviting members to help shape the organization’s next chapter by designing a refreshed NC3C logo.
The new logo should represent NC3C as a modern, professional and welcoming statewide organization serving local government communicators across North Carolina. It should be versatile enough to serve as the organization’s primary logo for years to come across digital, print, conference, and promotional applications.
The NC3C Board of Directors will review all eligible submissions and select a small group of finalists. NC3C members will then vote to help select the winning design.
Prize
The designer of the winning logo will receive:
- Complimentary registration to the 2027 NC3C Annual Conference.
- Complimentary hotel accommodations during the conference, provided by NC3C.
- Recognition at the Annual Conference and through NC3C communications.
- Bragging rights as the designer who helped create NC3C’s look for its next chapter.
Contest Guidelines
Eligibility
The contest is open to current NC3C members.
Entries must be submitted by a current, individual NC3C member. Members may collaborate with colleagues within their organization; however, one NC3C member must be identified as the official entrant and designer, and the contest prize will be awarded only to that individual.
Design Objective
The refreshed logo should:
- Clearly incorporate the name or acronym NC3C.
- Represent a professional organization serving government communicators across North Carolina.
- Feel contemporary, professional, approachable, and relevant.
- Work for a statewide organization representing communicators from counties, municipalities and other public-sector organizations.
- Be distinctive and easily recognizable.
- Be adaptable for long-term use beyond the 20th anniversary.
Important: The permanent logo should not be designed specifically as a “20th Anniversary” logo. NC3C may develop a separate anniversary treatment or lockup using the winning logo
Creative Direction
Designers are encouraged to think creatively. Entries do not have to replicate or closely follow the existing NC3C logo.
Designers may consider concepts related to:
- Communication and connection
- Local government/public service
- North Carolina
- Collaboration and professional community
- Information, storytelling or engagement
Designers should avoid overly literal or complicated imagery that may become dated or difficult to reproduce.
The North Carolina state outline may be incorporated, but it is not required.
AI-Generated Designs Are Prohibited
Logos created in whole or in part using generative artificial intelligence are not eligible.
Traditional professional design tools—including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Canva and similar applications—may be used, provided generative AI features are not used to create any portion of the submitted design.
By submitting an entry, the entrant certifies that the design was created by a human designer and does not contain AI-generated artwork.
Original Work
All submissions must be original work.
Entrants must:
- Own or have the legal right to use all elements included in the design.
- Not submit stock logos, logo templates or pre-designed marks.
- Not copy or closely imitate another organization, company or brand.
- Not incorporate copyrighted or trademarked material without authorization.
- Use fonts/typefaces that can legally be used by NC3C for its intended purposes.
NC3C reserves the right to disqualify any entry that raises copyright, trademark, originality, or other intellectual-property concerns.
Technical Requirements
Each submission should include:
- Full-color version
- One-color/black version
- Reversed/white version, if applicable
- Horizontal and/or stacked variations, if the design lends itself to both
- A version that remains recognizable at small sizes
- Transparent-background PNG
- PDF showing the proposed logo
- Original editable/vector file, preferably AI, EPS or SVG, for finalists or upon request
Number of Entries
Each member may submit up to three concepts.
Each concept should be submitted separately so the Board can evaluate each design independently.
Submission Deadline
All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026
Late submissions will not be considered.
Selection Process
The contest will use a two-step selection process.
Round One: Board Review
The NC3C Board of Directors will review all eligible entries using the contest criteria and select finalists.
Round Two: Membership Vote
Finalist designs will be shared with the full NC3C membership in mid-December. Members will vote for their preferred logo. Each member may cast one vote.
The design receiving the most member votes will be considered the winning design, subject to final verification of eligibility, originality and technical requirements.
Ownership & Final Refinements
By accepting the prize, the winner agrees to transfer to NC3C all rights necessary for NC3C to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and display the winning logo for organizational and promotional purposes.
NC3C reserves the right to make or request reasonable modifications to the winning design before final adoption, including adjustments to typography, color, spacing, proportions, or layout.
Selection as the contest winner therefore represents selection of the design concept, which may undergo minor refinements before becoming NC3C's official logo.
Additional Terms
NC3C reserves the right to:
- Reject any submission that does not meet contest requirements.
- Disqualify submissions that raise originality, copyright or trademark concerns.
- Decide not to select a winner if no submission meets the organization's needs.
- Request modifications to a finalist or winning design.
- Verify that the winning design complies with the prohibition on AI-generated content.
- Adjust the contest schedule if necessary.
Submission does not guarantee selection as a finalist or adoption by NC3C.
