Project Overview
Next year marks America’s Semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. To commemorate this historic milestone, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), has launched the America 250 City Art Poster Project.
Participating cities will collaborate with artists to create visual representations (posters) that celebrate local history and inspire hope for the future. Artists of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to participate and submit their work. Guidelines for the America 250 City Art Poster Project can be found here. Examples and specs can be found here.
Mayors and city leaders are encouraged to promote this project as a platform to celebrate civic and national pride in honor of the semiquincentennial and showcase the power of artists to interpret and express community identity. They are also encouraged to work in partnership with their Local Arts Agency, schools, libraries, parks and recreation programs, community organizations, and nonprofits to support the creation of these artworks. We hope the artwork will be displayed in local communities across the country, including city government buildings, libraries, art venues, parks, and businesses, among other locations.
The selected posters will be displayed at USCM’s 94th Winter Meeting in Washington, DC (January 28 – 30, 2026) and our 94th Annual Meeting in Long Beach (June 4 – 7, 2026).
Timeline
| October 31 | America 250 City Art Poster Announcement. |
|---|---|
| November 3 | Cities determine the artists for posters; announce the opportunity locally. |
| November 21 | Determine local city artist submission deadline and mayoral selection process to choose the official city art poster. |
| December 17 | Artwork selected by cities who would like to be a part of the America 250 City Art Poster display during USCM’s 94th Winter Meeting. |
| January 5 | Final artwork due to USCM. Posters for display at the Winter Meeting will be printed by USCM. |
| January 28-30 | First round of America 250 City Art Posters displayed in Washington, DC. |
PREFERRED FILE FORMAT: PDF
- File Format: PDF only
- File should be created at 100% scale to provided specs.
- Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI at 100% scale.
- Color Mode: CMYK (4-color process); Convert all RGB images and spot colors to CMYK.
- All Posters submitted should be suitable to print as is. USCM is not responsible for any errors in content or resolution quality.
- Files not meeting these requirements must be corrected before they will be accepted.
POSTER ARTWORK DUE DATE: January 5, 2026
- Please submit your Poster by Monday, January 5, 2026.
- Each city’s poster should incorporate the name of the city and “America 250” into the design.
- Please read all instructions and specs before submitting the final file.
SUBMIT PDF FILE TO:
- Name your file clearly (CityName_A250Poster.pdf)
- Dropbox Link: America 250 City Art Poster
FOR QUESTIONS:
Contact: Jocelyn Bogen
United States Conference of Mayors
Direct: 202-861- 6727
[email protected]