Our 2024 Wool Blanket Design Contest is here!

Are you our next wool blanket designer?

We are honored and humbled to receive so many inquiries from talented Indigenous artists who want to work with Eighth Generation. We appreciate your support and enthusiasm more than we can say, and are excited to offer this newest collaboration opportunity:

Our 2024 Wool Blanket Design Contest, with one Grand Prize of $10,000 approximate retail value!

One Grand Prize winner will create a wool blanket design to be sold by Eighth Generation, and will be awarded $3,000 (USD) for creating a custom wool blanket design with Eighth Generation and thirty (30) of their blankets with an approximate retail value of $7,000. (See full contest rules for details.)

Our Wool Blanket Design Contest began in 2017 as a way to work with as many Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous artists as possible. This contest both symbolizes our respect for Indigenous artists and ensures that we help new aspiring artists prosper in a global marketplace. This new wool blanket will add to our list of over 100 blankets designed by authentic Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous artists—reclaiming the market from fake "Native-inspired" designs that have dominated for over two centuries. The winner will be part of Eighth Generation's movement to support Inspired Natives®, not "Native-inspired."

How To Apply

To apply to our 2024 Wool Blanket Design Contest, fill out our application on JotForm and submit it by August 31, 2024. Artists of any medium are encouraged to apply (e.g.: beadwork, painting, digital drawing, sculptures). 

Click to Apply

Eighth Generation never asks artists to work for free, so please only submit current, existing work. Your submitted work does not need to be a final blanket design; it simply gives our team an idea of what your artistic style is.

• All submissions must be the sole original work of the submitting artist; no AI-generated work is allowed
• Submissions must include images
• Open to Native American or First Nations artists living in the US or Canada who are at least 18 years of age
• Submissions must include tribal affiliation; all of Eighth Generation's artists must have proof of tribal enrollment in order to work with our company
• Personal statement should highlight how your story aligns with Eighth Generation's values and goals (300 words or less)

Please note: when you submit your artwork, you are granting permission for us to share it, along with appropriate credit and your preferred website link, through our website and social media channels.

Deadline: August 31, 2024 at 11:45 PM (PDT). Finalists will be contacted for phone interviews.

How To Support

Help us spread the word! Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and share our 2024 Wool Blanket Design Contest video (filmed by Gila River and Navajo videographer Jeff Barehand of Sky Bear Media). Tell your friends and family about this amazing opportunity to work with Eighth Generation. Sign up for our e-newsletters for contest updates, new product releases, educational content, and more. Thank you!

Past Wool Blanket Design Contest Winners

Eighth Generation's first Wool Blanket Design Contest in 2017 produced two highly anticipated collaborations: Our Tribute Wool Blanket designed by Jared Yazzie (Diné/Navajo) of OXDX and our Confluence Wool Blanket designed by master carver David Robert Boxley (Ts'mysen/Tsimshian).

The winner of our 2019 Wool Blanket Design Contest, Passamaquoddy Two Spirit Master Basket Maker Geo Neptune, resulted in our Remembrance Wool Blanket. 

Our 2021 Wool Blanket Contest included three design categories with three winners, and included: 

• Honoring Warriors Category, which produced our Warrior Wool Blanket by multi-tour United States Air Force Veteran, advocate, artist, and fashion designer behind Sky-Eagle Collection, Dante Biss-Grayson (Osage)
• Honoring Elders Category, which produced our Cherokee Treasure Wool Blanket by award-winning artist Bryan Waytula (Cherokee) to honor his mother and grandmother, both of whom are named Cherokee National Treasures and master-craftsmen in the art of basketry
• People's Choice Category, which produced our Legacy Wool Blanket by disability rights activist, digital designer, and major internet presence and artist Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw)

Thank you for supporting Inspired Natives®, not "Native-inspired."