Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025‑26
- Omran Aburayya
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
If you’re a young designer in Sub‑Saharan Africa, the Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025‑26 is a golden opportunity to put your creativity to work — creating practical templates that support African entrepreneurs, and possibly winning cash, mentorship, and exposure. Here’s a breakdown and guide for the challenge, plus some tips to help you succeed.
🌐 Challenge Summary
Organizer: Canva
Location: Online (open to Sub-Saharan Africa)
Target group: Young creators, designers, freelancers, students, content creators from Sub-Saharan Africa
What to design: Templates to help local businesses (e.g., WhatsApp menus, invoices, social media posts, business cards, catalogues, logos, brand boards).
Prize / Award:
US$ 10,000 total prize pool shared among top 5 designs
1:1 mentorship with Canva designers
Exclusive Canva Swag
Feature on Canva’s template library
A Canva Pro subscription (variously reported: some sources say 1 year, others say 3 months)
Deadline: 15 December 2025 for submissions.
Winners announced: January 2026 (per Canva’s FAQ).
🧩 Challenge Structure
Submission Process:
Design a template in Canva that supports African entrepreneurs.
Submit your entry via the official entry form on the Canva website.
Include an artist statement (max 150 words): who it's for, how it helps their business.
You can enter multiple times, but each entry must be a different template.
Template Categories / Use Cases (choose from):
WhatsApp Business (menus, price lists, promos)
Email signatures
Social media posts or short videos / reels / carousel frames
Invoices / quotations
Business cards / digital calling cards
Product catalogues / order forms
Pitch deck covers / intro slides
Logos or Brand Boards
Design Guidelines:
Be original — don’t just copy existing designs.
Reflect real African entrepreneurial life — designs should feel relevant and useful for local businesses.
Keep templates easy to edit, mobile-friendly, and culturally authentic.
Judging Criteria:
Creativity & cultural relevance
Functionality & usability
Visual appeal
Local authenticity and storytelling
🎁 Benefits to Participants
Financial Reward: A share of US$ 10,000 among the top-five winners.
Professional Growth: Mentorship from Canva’s design team — a rare chance for direct feedback.
Increased Visibility: Winning templates will be published on the Canva platform, making your design accessible to thousands of users.
Canva Pro Access: Winners receive a Pro subscription (1 year or 3 months, depending on source) to unlock more advanced design features.
Portfolio Building: Great for young or first-time designers — you can build a portfolio with real, practical business templates.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
Where: Designers from Sub‑Saharan Africa are eligible.
Who: Open to creators, students, freelancers, content creators — as long as you have a Canva account.
Experience: First-time designers are welcome.
Entry Rule: Only one template per submission, but you can submit multiple entries.
📝 Application Procedure
Create your design on Canva following one of the categories above.
Prepare your artist statement (max 150 words) explaining:
Who the template is for (e.g., small business owner, freelancer)
Why it's useful and how it supports them
Go to the Canva Africa Design Challenge page, fill in the submission form, upload your template, and paste your artist statement.
Repeat for additional entries if you want — but each needs its own submission form.
👌🏻 Tips for a Strong Entry
Research common design needs of African small businesses (e.g., WhatsApp menus, local-style invoices) — designing something truly useful will make your entry more powerful.
Make your template easy to edit: use simple layouts, clear fonts, and avoid overly complicated graphics.
Include cultural touches: colors, patterns, or motifs that reflect your locality can make your work stand out.
In your artist statement, be clear and concise: Explain who benefits and how — this is your chance to tell the story behind your design.
Before submitting, preview how your design looks on mobile: many users will use these templates on phones.
