2008 Graceful Envelope Contest

Download 2008 Graceful Envelope Contest flier (pdf)

View past contest winners online: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001

“Scripsit” magazine of past winning envelopes

Themes of past contests

Washington Calligraphers Guild home

2008 CALL FOR ENTRIES: Calligraphers and artists from around the world are invited to participate in the 14th annual Graceful Envelope Contest, conducted by the Washington (DC) Calligraphers Guild under the sponsorship of the National Association of Letter Carriers. The contest is open to all ages, with two separate categories for children.

This year's theme is C's the Day!

C is for calligraphy, correspondence, mail carrier and everything C-worthy. "C" how creative you can be as you design an envelope around anything that begins with the letter "C" and address it artistically to: The Graceful Envelope Contest, Washington Calligraphers Guild, P.O. Box 3688, Merrifield, VA 22116. Envelopes must be postmarked by Wednesday, April 30.

In addition to promoting the art of calligraphy, the Graceful Envelope Contest celebrates the role of letters in binding people together and serves as a reminder that the people who deliver the mail are career government employees who take pride in their work and care about the communities they serve.

The contest was created in 1995 by the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum, which administered it until delegating responsibility to the Washington Calligraphers Guild in 2001. Beginning in 2003, the National Association of Letter Carriers agreed to partner with the Washington Calligraphers Guild to sponsor the contest and exhibit the winners.

Contest Rules

1. Entries must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, April 30, 2008. There is no entry fee. Each contestant may submit one entry (if more than one entry is submitted, only the first entry received will be judged).
Mail entry to:
The Graceful Envelope Contest
Washington Calligraphers Guild
P.O. Box 3688
Merrifield, VA 22116

2. Only the front of the envelope will be judged. Legibly print your name, mailing address and e-mail address on the BACK of the envelope (entries will not be opened) and indicate your age group:

3. Due to limited display space, entries may not exceed 5x7 inches. Standard #10 business envelopes are also permitted. Thickness may not exceed 1/4". Be aware the Postal Service requires additional postage for large, square, thick or otherwise nonmachinable envelopes.

4. Entries must be delivered through the United States Postal Service and must not be enclosed in a separate envelope or in any protective covering. Postage stamp(s) must be canceled, either by hand or machine (entrants often take the envelope to their local post office to make sure it has appropriate postage and to hand cancel the stamps). NOTE: If you reside outside the US, use your country's postage in the denomination required for mail going to the States. Do not enclose your entry in an outer envelope or use a private delivery service.

5. Use hand-executed calligraphy or artistic lettering to address your Graceful Envelope. You may use paint, ink, pencil, rubber stamps, or other standard media for illustration or embellishment. Not permitted: computer-generated lettering; stickers; clip art; magazines, newspapers or other commercial materials; scanned, computer-enhanced or photocopied images or lettering.

6. Impartial judges from the postal, calligraphic and arts communities will select the winning envelopes in June 2008. This year's judging will emphasize artistic hand lettering. Other criteria the judges will consider include: interpretation of the contest theme ("C's the Day!"); effective use of color and design; integration of postage into the design; and the overall creative transformation of an ordinary envelope into a work of art.

7. The contest will not acknowledge receipt of entries. All contestants will be notified in July 2008 as to the final status of their entry. Although no prizes will be awarded, winners will receive certificates and possible media publicity.

8. In addition to being viewable online at www.calligraphersguild.org, the winning envelopes will be exhibited at National Association of Letter Carriers headquarters (100 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-662-2851) and may also be exhibited elsewhere. Non-winning entries will not be displayed. All entries become the property of the Washington Calligraphers Guild and will not be returned.

PLEASE NOTE: To help the envelope reach its destination (the Contest's post office box), make certain the zip code (22116) is easy to find and read on the front. Entrants may want to repeat the contest address in print on the back (in addition to entrant's name, address and e-mail as required in #2 above).

REGARDING POSTAGE for your Graceful Envelope: Standard first-class postage is 41 cents for envelopes weighing up to one ounce. Envelopes that are heavier, unusually shaped, square, very rigid or have certain nonmachinable characteristics (clasps, string, buttons, or similar closures) require additional postage. See USPS website for details.

TIP: If you take your envelope to a post office to verify correct postage, ask the clerk to let you hand cancel the stamps.

Themes of Past Contests