Call Designers, Artists and Creatives of all flavours to visualise what 'North' means to you

Northern Monk are joining forces with Kendal Mountain Festival to celebrate the graphic art disciplines that help shape outdoor culture by launching the Festival’s first design and illustration competition: Draw Your North.

From expedition maps and kit catalogues to iconic adventure posters, design has long helped us navigate the outdoors and imagine what lies beyond. Northern Monk shares that creative spirit, championing graphic artists through its Patrons Projects, and designs and support for street art.

We are inviting graphic artists, designers and illustrators to create a single image that captures what “North” means to them. It could be a mountain, a hometown or a community. It could be a reflection on North as a symbolic destination for the adventurous, the solitary, and the foolhardy. How to interpret North is up to you.

THE PRIZES

WIN a £500 commission to create the beer label for North Downs Mountain Festival in collaboration with Northern Monk.

Plus a £150 Northern Monk gift voucher.

A Festival Day Pass to the 2026 Festival

Shortlisted entries will receive a Northern Monk goodie bag.

A shortlist of entries will be printed, mounted and displayed in the Northern Monk Pub in the Festival Basecamp. The winner will be selected by a jury and announced during the Festival weekend (19-22 Nov).

The brief

Create a single image responding to “Draw your North”. It is up to you to interpret what North means to you.

FORMATS

Illustration, Graphic Design, Typography, Digital Art, Drawing.

Final designs to be no larger than A3. They can be portrait or landscape but should be suitable for display as printed, single images, mounted and fixed to a wall.

DATES

Entries close 13 November 2026. 

File requirements:

Include your name, email and artwork title.

PDF, maximum A2 (420 × 594 mm), CMYK compatible, 300 DPI and print-ready. Maximum file size: 10 MB.

Terms & conditions

Terms and Conditions:

  • Open to graphic artists, designers and illustrators aged 18 or over.
  • Submission of one original image only responding to “Draw your North”.
  • AI-generated artwork is not eligible.
  • You must own your work and have permission to use any third-party material.
  • Commission details including delivery date, will be agreed with the announced winner.
  • Deadline is Friday 13 November 2026.

Exhibition & permissions: 

Shortlisted posters will be displayed in the Northern Monk Pub at Basecamp during the Festival weekend (19-22 Nov 2026). Both organisations may reproduce any entry in print, on their websites and across digital and social channels to promote the competition, exhibition and partnership. Artists retain copyright and will be credited wherever reasonably possible. Product or merchandise use requires a separate agreement.

Judges

The jury for this competition will be: Steve Scott, Festival Director; Russell Bissett, Northern Monk Co-founder; and Teresa, Festival Artist will judge originality, interpretation of the theme and visual impact.

North Downs Mountain Festival

The most exciting new outdoor summer!

A three-day outdoor cultural festival taking place in Guildford 11–13 June 2027

Created as the official sibling event to Kendal Mountain Festival, it will bring the spirit ofKendal to the South of England for the first time, combining adventure films, speakers,authors, artists, outdoor activities and sporting events, music, food, skills workshops,community and culture in one immersive summer festival.

More details here
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