WINNERS: Oct. 18th 'No Kings' Protest Sign Contest
Love some creativity.
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Friends, I received more than 400 submissions for the Oct. 18th “No Kings” Protest Sign Contest, and I have rarely agonized this much when considering the creativity of others.
Thank you to everyone who was generous enough to send your sign.
I went through every single submission and managed to whittle them down to a hundred. Then I did it again and got down to fifty. Then I got it down to ten.
Then I started making some really tough choices.
It was very hard, and all the while, I kept thinking: I really shouldn’t have done this contest because a lot of folks are gonna be upset with me over their amazing sign not being recognized.
So, I want to be very clear about this: I am thrilled with the overwhelming creativity that was submitted. I am not a visual artist myself, so I just went with what made me smile, made me think, made me pump my fist, etc.
If you’re miffed and inclined to say “Charlotte has no taste in visual art,” I’m inclined to agree with you. It’s all quite subjective. Don’t take it personally if your incredible sign isn’t recognized here.
One more thing: I only considered signs that were submitted. There were many amazing signs I saw all weekend and across social media, but it wouldn’t be fair to everyone else to award a sign that wasn’t submitted to the contest.
With that said… the winning signs:
Grand Prize Winner: JLN
While judging, I kept coming back to this sign, again and again. It doesn’t have any “No Kings” references, of course, but it’s so visually arresting. The care put into placement and variety is fantastic. It’s like the Sgt. Pepper’s cover album from hell.
Runner-Up: Emily (Western MA)
You couldn’t take eyes off this one, and moreover, I couldn’t stop laughing. I may or may not have gone through several iterations of melodies to sing it.
Runner-Up: Katy Allred (Houston, TX)
Some of the more whimsical among us—okay, maybe all of us—have hoped, at one or another, that aliens might whisk away Trump to the outer reaches of Space. This is excellent artwork: simple, beautifully done, and to the point.
Runner-Up: Eric Turner (Penngrove, CA)
Trump’s rather uneasy friendliness with Putin has been a source of embarrassment for the country, and I feel this sign does a marvelous job of expressing that sentiment.
Runner-Up: (name withheld)
Trump and the GOP have been pushing all sorts of disgusting (and antisemitic) propaganda about paid protestors. Did y’all get your checks? I know mine never arrived in the mail. This is a gorgeous pushback against that nonsense.
Runner-Up: MJ
I had many submissions in which the sign was part of a costume ensemble, and this came closest to making me laugh (and grossing me out). Well done.
Again, thank you to EVERYONE who submitted a sign, and please know how much I enjoyed—and agonized—over the artwork.
This was quite a fun activity, and I may do it again!
I saw sooooo many wonderful signs in my little corner of DE. I don't envy you the task taken on but WELL DONE! Thank you for CWT; your words mean more than you will ever know.
This is so great. Thank you for doing this contest. It was fun to see the signs.