I had a lot of fun creating the first piece for the first, informal sign challenge, which measured about 36 in. wide and 42 in. tall. It sits in our studio and 10 years later is still admired by all who visit. This piece has inspired many projects, including a life-sized version for NEB’s Fun World in Oshawa, ON, Canada.

One year the theme was “marvellous machines.” I chose to create a ‘working’ steam-powered computer, complete with spinning gears, a glowing firebox and smoke out the chimney.

Over many months I created this piece for the “time” theme contest. I placed the piece in progress just inside the workshop beside a door I passed through often. Each time I passed, I snuck in a few minutes at a time and as a reward for work that wasn’t nearly as enjoyable. The result was this 7-ft.-tall delight that still amazes and inspires daily.

I also worked up a second piece to display in the booth of one of our long-time sponsors, Coastal Enterprises, manufacturer of Precision Board high-density urethane (HDU). There is always time to be creative! This is the concept…

… and this is the finished piece.

The number of signmakers who drop by to study the pieces and vote for their favorite is always amazing. The creative pieces are quite the draw. Those who enter the Sign Invitational often state this was the most fun they have had in years!

One year the theme was trains and I had a blast creating this dimensional piece of a train crashing through a travel billboard.

The Sign Invitational 2020 was cancelled due to Covid. The theme was “Animal Pub Sign.” Describing the animal needed to be alliterative and I came up with two little gems. Here’s one.

Here’s the other. Although they were not formally entered in the competition, they were put on display in our studio and have inspired similar pieces for our customers’ paying jobs.

Building samples also affords us to practice and showcase many different techniques and materials. In this shot I am applying 23k goldleaf to the lettering.

Here are the dimensions of the supplied sign-hanger brackets which will be provided to Sign Invitational entrants at the 2026 ISA Expo in Orlando. Make sure your entry can clip onto this bracket for display.

This giant, life-sized fish submarine we did a couple of years ago was inspired by the first challenge piece created a decade earlier.

While many entrants look at the contest deadline and put off starting their projects, I instead begin immediately. Starting early and working on the project a little at a time allows for more creativity and enjoyment. This is about having fun! With months of lead time I can let the creative process lead me. Changes and additions can be spontaneous — as they should be.

These creative pieces are so much fun that I won’t limit myself to one showpiece. I have two pieces underway, one to formally enter into the contest and another (and maybe a third) to showcase the contest in a sponsor’s booth.