USGBC's Natural Talent Design Competition provides applied learning experience in the principles of integrated design, sustainability, and innovation, all of which are components of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Participants compete in local competitions, and the top winner of each moves on to compete for a national award at USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. Awards include green building scholarships, as well as travel and registration to Greenbuild, where finalists’ entries are displayed and final judging occurs. Registration rates are $25 per student team and $50 per emerging professional team, but will increase to $50 and $75, respectively, after March 1st. Open to USA only.

The SMPS National Marketing Communications Awards (MCA) program is the longest-standing, most prestigious awards competition that recognizes excellence in marketing communications by professional services firms in the design and building industry. Now in its 33rd year, this competition is open to both SMPS Members and Nonmembers, US and International Firms. Materials completed between January 2008 and December 2009 will be accepted for the 2010 competition. First-, second-, and third-place and small-firm winners (as appropriate) will be announced on stage at the Awards Gala on July 15, 2010, during the 2010 SMPS National Conference.

Inkfruit (an online community of designers and t-shirt lovers) in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF - India) brings designers across the world the opportunity to design for a cause. Earth Hour is a contest for graphic designs supporting Climate Change. Earth Hour is an initiative calling people throughout the world to Switch OFF on 28th March 2010 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time, showing your support for Saving the Environment. Submit your graphic designs in support of Earth Hour. Make a Difference! This contest is open for everyone; No entry costs; Please submit your original creations as jpeg files. If your entry wins, you will be expected to mail the high resolution or vector design files.

A new design contest has launched on eYeka for France’s postal service. Win up to 6,600 euros to create its new holiday packaging! The new design/packaging, will be sold in all postal offices and used by the whole French population in 2010 for every holiday! It’s up to you to bring your "festive, celebration, present, holiday" spirit to this design! Be imaginative, trendy, sober, off beat… Make sure we want to send and receive your package and that it reflects the desire to make people happy. Create the exterior design, but also don’t hesitate to imagine its interior (see guidelines). Early Bird Prize: 4 prizes of 150 euros. 4 designs will be selected among the creations submitted before January 30th. First Prize : 3 000 euros. One design selected among the creations submitted between January 18 and March 29, 2010. Most voted: 10 prizes of 300 euros. For the 10 most voted designs between March 30 and May 17, 2010. The contest is open worldwide. There is no entry fee.

RELEASE is a design competition created by CultureLabel.com to hunt out innovative new product designs for museum and gallery shops. The 2010 edition of the competition, sees CultureLabel.com and Tate collaborating to hunt out two innovative new product designs to be produced and sold in Tate’s shops, at Tate online and on CultureLabel.com. Not only will the winner see his or her designs on sale in Tate’s shops, the winner is eligible for £500 cash prize and a revenue share from sales of the product. The entrance fee is £5 ($8) and the competition is open worldwide to entrants over the age of 18.

Graphic Competitions, in partnership with the prestigious annual European Design Awards, offers 3 free passes (worth 420 Euro each) for the European Design Festival 2010. The Festival will take place in Rotterdam (Netherlands) during the last week of May. The three-day ED-Conference will be hosted at the De Doelen Congress Centre starting on May 28th. All you have to do is submit your data, all the requests will participate in a draw on Sunday 31 January. Winners will be announced on February 1st, 2010. Please send your request only if you are sure you’ll attend the event. Entry is free.

When complete in 2012, NewActon Nishi aims to be the ‘greenest’ multi-unit residential building in Australia’s history – targeting 8.6 star NatHERS. Nishi represents our group’s ideological position on sustainability, community values and the active social and cultural participation in the making of a future that matters. It demonstrates what can be achieved in Australia in outstanding environmental sustainable design and construction. NewActon Nishi represents the future of multi-unit residential development in this country. We invite you to be part of this dream. We’re giving you the chance to showcase your visual skills and design the new corporate identity and visual language to represent the NewActon Nishi multi-unit housing project. There are two competitions— Identify NewActon Nishi and Visualise NewActon Nishi and entrants are free to enter one or both. Prizes including AUD$2500 cash are up for grabs for the winner of each contest, plus MacBook Air Laptops and exposure to some of Australia’s most influential artistic professionals.

Design Edge Canada is proud to present the Regional Design Awards, celebrating the best of Canadian design from all corners of the country. Entrants compete within eight geographic regions. An esteemed panel of judges, consisting of one person from each region, will select the winners in 12 categories including Best logo, Best Advertising: web, Environmental Design, and Print Design. All designers working in Canada may compete. Regions are based on where within the country the entrant's office is located. Canadian designers may also submit work done for clients outside of the country. A separate category is offered for student work. Entry fee: $75 first entry; $65 for additional entry; Students: $35 first entry; $25 for additional entry. Winners and finalists will be recognized in Design Edge Canada's special Awards Issue and at a special celebration in Toronto in June 2010.

The current European flag with its twelve identical yellow stars placed in a circle on a blue field, was designed in 1955. Since then Europe has changed. About 30 million people from Middle Eastern, African and Asian origins are living and working in Europe. Besides these new cultures, the inter European immigration creates a new mix of cultures as well. In the last 50 years Europe has become a very fine maze of identities. What is the identity of this cultural, economical and dynamic Europe with its diversity in cultures, languages, traditions and believes? And what is the perception on Europe, from within and from the outside? How would a new symbol for Europe look like? Designers are invited to send in their design for a new symbol for Europe. 12 Submissions will be selected by an international jury and will be printed on flags. These flags will be shown during the first edition of Design and Government in 2010 in Den Haag and Berlin. All designers, young and old, professional and students, can enter as individuals or as groups. The number of submissions is unlimited.

Mediabistro Logo Competition is organized by Mediabistro and several other industry sites, such as Brands of the World, Ads of the World, Graphics.com and others. The award honores the best identity designers and their work. You can enter your logo as long as it was done in the past 2 years. The contest is open to everyone worldwide. There is a US$30 dollar fee to enter. Work will be judged by famous designers, like Armin Vit from UnderConsideration and Rob Janoff designer of the Apple logo. Participants and especially winners will be promoted to millions worldwide through the participating sites that reach over 5M unique visitors per month. The Judges shall award 3 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze awards in each category. They will also select 3 entries, a gold, silver and bronze, as overall winners of the Contest. The Mediabistro Logo Awards is a great way to promote yourself and your clients in 2010.