Tuscaloosa Mayor Asks for Poster Designs to Celebrate City During America’s 250th

Is graphic design your passion? The City of Tuscaloosa and Mayor Walt Maddox are inviting artists to submit designs celebrating local history as the country prepares for its 250th birthday.

The Fourth of July 2026 will mark a quarter millennium since the United States signed the Declaration of Independence and declared independence from Great Britain. Events recognizing the milestone are being planned across America.

The city of Tuscaloosa is only a few years younger and has just celebrated its own 206th birthday.

One initiative for the national observance of this special anniversary is the America 250 City Poster Project, launched by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Endowment for the Arts. Participating cities will submit works of art celebrating their past, present, and future.

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Tuscaloosa will participate in the Poster Project, and on Monday, city officials announced they are inviting submissions from graphic designers who want to take a shot at creating the poster. The winning submission will be displayed in Washington, D.C., early next year, and in Long Beach, California, in the summer.

"The poster should celebrate local history and inspire hope for the future in honor of the semiquincentennial," the city said in an announcement. "Each city's poster should incorporate the name of the city and 'America 250' into the design. Please ensure that all posters remain nonpartisan and do not include political messages or inflammatory language. The final posters should commemorate the 250th anniversary with imagery that conveys civic pride, historical connection, and optimism for the next 250 years."

Submissions are welcome for the next two weeks until December 30th. Designers can learn more about the specifications and submit entries for Tuscaloosa's poster here until that deadline. 

For more coverage of news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.