The Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta invites Maine artists to submit a design for this year’s official festival T-shirt. The selected design will be featured on the back of the T-shirt commemorating the eighth annual Pumpkinfest & Regatta, to be held from October 4 to 13.

A $500 prize will be awarded to the artist whose design is selected. To be eligible, the artist must be a Maine resident (year-round or summer).

The winning design will become property of the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta, and all rights of use must be released to the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. The selected design, and the artist’s biography, will be posted on the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta website and Facebook page.

The information will also be officially released to Maine and regional media. In addition to promotional media and prize money, the selected artist gains the satisfaction of seeing his/her artwork on T-shirts all over Maine and beyond.

Last year’s Pumpkinfest attracted thousands of visitors and more than 700 T-shirts were sold, with demand exceeding availability.

To be considered, the artwork must: be original, professional quality artwork (no photographs); include the words “2014 Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta”; and represent the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta’s family-friendly and festive nature.

While color is encouraged, the design should avoid elements that do not reproduce clearly such as watercolor or shading.

The finished design should be 12 by 13 inches in size.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, June 2.

Design submissions should be in JPEG/PDF files, and can be either emailed or put on a CD. Artwork may be emailed to Judy Speers, the Pumpkinfest Artist Committee Chairman, at judyspeers@aol.com.

Artwork may also be dropped off, or mailed, to: King Eider’s Pub, P.O. Box 365, 2 Elm Street, Damariscotta, ME 04543, Attn. Cynthia Weiss.

If you have any questions regarding the T-shirt design contest, please email Judy Speers.

Pumpkinfest & Regatta is a 501(C)(3) organization whose mission is to promote education to citizens of all ages regarding the specific agricultural science required to grow giant pumpkins, and to provide local nonprofit organizations with opportunities for dissemination of information on their activities and fundraising.

For more information, visit www.damariscottapumpkinfest.com, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/damariscottapumpkinfest.com, or Twitter, www.twitter.com/squashbuckler.