Inaugural EDF Mascot Design Competition

🦊 Inaugural EDF Mascot Design Competition

Help Create the Face of East Dallas Furs

Every community has something that brings people together.

A familiar face.
A shared memory.
A character that reminds people of friendships made along the way.

East Dallas Furs doesn't have that yet.

So we'd like to invite the community to help create it.

🏆 Grand Prize

The selected artist will receive:

• 💵 $100 Cash

• 🏅 Recognition as the Creator of the Official East Dallas Furs Mascot

• 🌳 A permanent place in EDF history on our website

The mascot may appear on certificates, promotional materials, social media, the EDF website, merchandise, event graphics, and future community projects.

🎨 What We're Looking For

We're not looking for the most detailed artwork.

We're not looking for the most "Texas" design.

We're looking for a mascot that feels welcoming.

Someone who looks like they'd invite you to join a conversation, share a meal, or make a new friend.

The mascot should represent the spirit of EDF:

• 💜 Friendship

• 🤝 Community

• 🌳 Adventure

• 🎨 Creativity

• ✨ Inclusion

The rest is entirely up to you.

Species, colors, clothing, accessories, and personality are all open to interpretation.

Have fun with it!

(And who knows... maybe one day they'll need a Texas-themed best friend.)

📅 Competition Timeline

Competition Opens: Upon announcement

Submission Deadline: Friday, July 24, 2026 at 11:59 PM CDT

Judging: Saturday, July 25, 2026

Winner Announced: Sunday, July 26, 2026 at the Rockwall Park Meet

The mascot will make its first official appearance on Community Spotlight certificates presented during the July meet.

📋 Submission Requirements

Each entry should include:

• One full-body color reference

• Preferred artist credit

• Telegram username (@)

• Optional character name

• Optional short description

Multiple entries are welcome.

Collaborative entries are welcome, provided all contributors agree on ownership and prize distribution.

⚖️ Judging

Entries will be reviewed by an independent judging panel.

Judging is based on:

Category Points

• Community Spirit - 30

• Originality - 20

• Memorability - 20

• Branding Versatility - 15

• Overall Appeal - 15

Total: 100 Points

A simple design with a memorable personality may score higher than an extremely detailed illustration.

The judging panel's decision will be final.

📜 Ownership & Artist Rights

This competition functions as a commissioned mascot design.

By accepting the Grand Prize, the winning artist agrees to assign ownership of the winning mascot design and submitted artwork to East Dallas Furs.

This allows EDF to:

• Use the mascot in promotional materials

• Create merchandise

• Commission future artwork

• Modify or adapt the design

• Create derivative works

• Use the mascot indefinitely as part of the organization's identity

Whenever practical, EDF will recognize the winning artist as the original creator of the official mascot.

The winning artist may continue displaying the artwork in portfolios, galleries, commission examples, and personal promotional material.

All non-winning entries remain the property of their respective artists.

EDF will not use or publish non-winning submissions without the artist's permission.

🤝 Community Agreement

By submitting an entry, participants confirm that:

• The submitted work is their original creation.

• They have the authority to submit the design.

• They have read these competition guidelines.

• They understand the ownership transfer applies only if they are selected as the winner and accept the Grand Prize.

• Please submit only artwork that is entirely your own and does not incorporate copyrighted characters, trademarks, logos, or assets owned by others.

💜 Why We're Doing This

Communities aren't built by logos.

They're built by people.

The artists.
The volunteers.
The organizers.
The people who show up.

This mascot is simply another way for our community to leave its mark on something we're building together.

Years from now, we hope someone sees this character and remembers the friendships, laughter, and memories that started right here.

🦊 Thank You

Whether your design is selected or not, thank you for taking the time to share your creativity with East Dallas Furs.

Every submission helps write another chapter in the story of our community.

We can't wait to see what y'all create.

Good luck!