Sign Invitational 2026 Rules and Background

I LOVE TO CHALLENGE and hopefully inspire people in the sign industry. Most of us got into the business because we have a creative soul but sadly, the everyday challenges of running a business soon suck us into the vortex of humdrum production work. In most shops, what walks into the door of our shop determines how creative (or not) we are each day. I have long maintained (and proven) that it does not have to be that way.

Samples Sell Signs

One of the very best ways we sell creative work is to regularly design and build creative samples, and then hang them in our studio and showroom. We have more than 150 exceptional pieces in our studio and they work hard for us, well worth our considerable investment of time and materials to create them. We continue to add ever-better works to the collection from time to time, and when we run out of room an old sample that doesn’t showcase our best abilities is retired.

Sadly, most signmakers I talk to do not believe they have the time to make even one such sample. I beg to differ. We all waste at least a few minutes each day. Those minutes add up in a hurry if we put them to good use! Imagine if you turned those minutes into a spectacular showpiece for your shop.

See a photo gallery of 14 Sawatzky Sign Invitational Projects.

The First Contest

About 12 years ago, at a workshop in Indiana, a friend showed me a photo of a beautiful sample piece he had created. Although I thought the sign was exceptional, I jokingly told him I and he could definitely do better. With the gauntlet thrown, the challenge was on. Others at the workshop joined in the challenge. The goal was for each of us to create a piece and in a year compare notes.

Over the next months other creative signmakers heard of our little informal contest and a number of them from around the world joined in. That ‘contest’ was never formally judged but the result was about 20 wonderfully creative sample pieces which proudly hang in sign studios around the world. These ‘signs’ helped sell more creative work for those who participated.

The piece I created for that informal challenge was entered in national and international sign competitions (including Signs of the Times’ annual sign contest) and garnered a first place finish each time. More importantly, about 10 years later we sold and then created a life-sized version of the submarine model for a theme park which paid back our investment in the sample a hundred times over.

Challenge Revisited

A few years later I attended a software workshop with my good friend Jim Dawson of Synergy Signs & Graphics in Strasburg, OH. Together, we decided to bring back the sign challenge in a more-formal fashion. The Sign Invitational was born.

In the following years we regularly challenged our signmaking friends to create a dimensional sign for the contest, which had a chosen theme. Each challenger would bring their piece to the ISA Expo to display and the attendees of the show would pick their favorite. The participants’ time at the show was a wonderful opportunity to rub shoulders with some super-creative people! It was our goal to inspire and educate other signmakers. And it worked! Each year the buzz and excitement was incredible as thousands of visitors would ooh and ah over the entries, and vote for their favorite.

In 2020 Covid stopped the ISA Expo until 2022 and we went virtual but it wasn’t nearly the same as attending in person. The Sign Invitational languished in subsequent years. When Jim and I attended the show this spring, we were bombarded with sign folks asking when the contest would come back. We decided the time was right for next year. We are starting to work on the arrangements, with tentative sponsors and entrants already lining up.

Here’s the full piece: 16 in. wide x 24 in. tall. Sawatzky says he likes to start early!

2026 Invitational Guidelines

In past years the showpieces were large and very complex which meant shipping and material costs (not to mention time) quickly got out of hand. We opted to go with smaller pieces and have simplified the ‘rules’ as well.

For the Sign Invitational 2026, all entrants are asked to create a double-sided, dimensional pub sign which hangs from a supplied post and bracket. The name on the sign will be “__________ TOAD.” You can fill in the adjective to suit your theme. Examples of this would be “Ugly Toad,” “Loyal Toad,” etc. We encourage the sign artists to be creative with the name and the theme! The suggested size for each sign is 16 in. wide x 24 in. tall, which should be small and light enough to easily put inside checked luggage or to ship at a reasonable cost.

Those entering must attend the 2026 ISA International Sign Expo in Orlando, FL, April 8-10. The experience of hanging with other like-minded professionals is awesome, not to mention the chance to interact with thousands of other signmakers you can inspire.

Along with Jim Dawson, we hereby CHALLENGE YOU to enter the Sign Invitational 2026!

For information, contact Jim Dawson [email protected] or Dan Sawatzky [email protected].