How to apply for Usha Vance’s ‘Bookmark Design Challenge’ for America’s 250th? Here's all you need to know

Usha Vance launches Bookmark Design Challenge for students, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Updated on: Feb 18, 2026 6:14 AM IST

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Second Lady Usha Vance has announced a nationwide art competition titled the “Bookmark Design Challenge: Celebrating America’s 250th.” The competition invites students from kindergarten through eighth grade to submit original, hand-drawn bookmark designs reflecting what America means to them.

Usha Vance launches Bookmark Design Challenge for students, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. (AFP)

Vance said, “The Bookmark Design Challenge invites students to reflect on our shared history and begin imagining our future as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.” The initiative is in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

What is the application process for the Bookmark Design Challenge?

NEA has released an official instruction and a bookmark template for students who want to enroll into the competition.

To apply, each participating student will fill out the official one-page bookmark template that comes with these instructions.

The pdf of instructions also specified the image dimensions and resolution requirements for the images to qualify for winning.

Vance will personally select three national winners whose bookmark designs will be featured during official events commemorating America’s 250th Independence Day anniversary in Washington.

The link that can be used to upload the finished designs is in the PDF. Applications that are not complete or submitted via email will not be considered. The deadline for bookmark submissions is 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

Who can apply and what winners receive?

According to an official NEA press release, the contest is open to students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

The competition is structured into three grade categories:

K-2,
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8.

From all three categories, the Second Lady will choose one student as a winner. The Great American State Fair, the Second Lady's 2026 Summer Reading Challenge, and other Office of the Second Lady and NEA events will all highlight the winning designs as part of commemorative celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary in 2026.

In addition to national recognition, the selected students will be invited to the nation's capital to participate in anniversary events surrounding the July 4 celebrations.

“I hope these bookmarks will inspire kids to pick up a book and learn something new about our country," Vance said in a statement at the NEA.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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