How to submit your proposal
Proposals should be submitted in two formats:
- Poster (8.5 x 11 inches, vertical or horizontal) for posting on outdoor bulletin boards
- Digital image (3840 x 1000 pixels, horizontal) to be used on the Van Sinderen website. Keep in mind that various digital devices will scale your image file to fit their unique size specifications.
Entries should be submitted in .jpg, .png, .gif, or .pdf file format and emailed to the Office of the University Printer at printer@yale.edu.
A prize of $500 will be awarded to the selected entry. If your submission is chosen, you will be asked to meet with the university printer, who may request minor revisions to the text or design. You will also be asked to create a suite of digital ads related to your design; if you decide to take on this design opportunity, you will be compensated an additional $150.
The committee reserves the right not to award a prize if none of the entries seem suitable to the competition’s objectives. Preference will be given to posters that do not rely on AI illustrations and showcase the student’s original creativity and/or typographic solutions.
Contact printer@yale.edu with any questions.
Poster copy
The text below should appear on the Van Sinderen Book Collecting Prize poster:
The Adrian Van Sinderen Book Collecting Prizes for Seniors and Sophomores
To encourage undergraduates to collect books, build their own libraries, and read for pleasure and education, Adrian Van Sinderen, Class of 1910, established two prizes in 1957, one for seniors ($1,000) and one for sophomores ($700). Finalists are required to show a selection of their personally collected books.
Application forms and more information are available online at vansinderen.yale.edu.
Deadline: 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 20, 2026