The 2026 Economic Concepts Poster Contest is open!
Looking for an engaging, hands-on activity to help your students deepen their understanding of economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship? The Economic Concepts Poster Contest invites K–12 students to create an original illustration that represents their interpretation of key economic ideas.
13 winning artists and 15 additional honorable mention artists will be featured in the 2027 Economic Concepts Calendar. All 13 winning calendar artists will receive a cash prize, and additional prize opportunities are available for Honorable Mention artists and participating teachers.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to spark creativity, support economic learning, and celebrate your students’ artistic talent!
Start drawing today! Posters must be submitted by Monday, April 6, 2026 and winners will be announced before the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
Rules
To qualify for judging, entries must meet the following criteria:
- Open to Arizona students in grades K–12; one entry per student.
- Artwork must be horizontal, 11″ × 8.5″.
- Artwork must:
- Be original
- Illustrate an economic concept
- Include a title at the top that names the concept – 1″ letters minimum
- Student name should not be visible in the artwork
- Hand-drawn or digital art will be accepted.
- Submit online (JPEG or PNG, 300 dpi), turn in at any in-person spring ACEE teacher event or mail entries to:
Arizona Council on Economic Education, 16421 N. Tatum Blvd, Ste. 123 Phoenix, AZ 85032 - For mailed entries, lightly tape a 3″ × 5″ card on the back with: student name, grade, teacher name, and school name.
- For physical submissions, please lightly tape a 3 x 5” student information card to the back of each poster including the student’s first and last name, student’s grade level, teacher’s first and last name, and complete school name.
Bad
Bad: Angled, cluttered background, has a shadow on the top right. We can’t use this!
Better
Better: Photo taken straight, but still crooked, uneven edges. Taken with phone camera. It is unlikely this submission would be selected for the Economic Concepts calendar.
Best
Best: Taken with the same phone camera using the free Microsoft Lens app. (other scanning apps work well too!) This is great!
Artwork Tips
Images should:
- Use bold, colorful images that clearly show the economic concept.
- Keep text minimal; do not include definitions.
- Use human characters when possible (avoid animals and licensed characters)
- Avoid dark or heavily shaded backgrounds.
- Digital submissions should avoid shadow and uneven photos – consider a scanning app to capture image.
Awards
Arizona Statewide Competition
- Thirteen statewide winners will be selected and win cash prizes
- Teachers of state award-winning students will receive recognition
- Calendars will be sent to the teachers, families, and principals of state-winning students. Winning submissions will be published in a 12-month calendar for 2027.
Examples of Economics Concepts
*Trending Economic Concepts
- Opportunity Cost
- Scarcity
- Trade
- Specialization
- Factors of Production
- Economic Systems
- Goods and Services
- Circular Flow
- Capital Markets
- Shortage
- Unemployment
- Market Equilibrium
- Career Planning
- Postsecondary Education Planning*
- Risk versus Reward
- Identity Protection*
- Math and Personal Finance
- Digital Banking Safety*
- Peer to Peer Payment*
- Income
- Negative and Positive Externalities
- Budget
- Saving and Investing
- Credit
- Interest
- Compound Interest
- Gross Domestic Product
- Tax
- Inflation
- Insurance
- Conservation Economics*
2025 Poster Contest Winners
| Winner Name & Grade | School Name | Teacher Name |
|---|---|---|
| Riley Derezinski, 4th | Sky Crossing Elementary | Kim Cox |
| Kayleen Tanner, 6th | Chaparral Christian Community School | Eric Schmitz |
| Swadhya Barve, 6th | Arizona College Prep Middle School | Jennifer Bogue |
| Anoushka Chanda, 6th | Fireside Elementary | Deanna Kalin |
| Jodaiah Bendana, 7th | Amberlea Elementary School | Christy Paul |
| Evelyn Bembry, 7th | Alice Vail Middle School | Cinnamon Conrad |
| Danyella Estrada, 7th | Alice Vail Middle School | Cinnamon Conrad |
| Juliet McRae, 8th | Alice Vail Middle School | Cinnamon Conrad |
| Angela Michell Delgado, 11th | Harvest Preparatory Academy – Yuma | Dr. Mark Joel Q. Morales |
| Kert Dela Cruz, 11th | Harvest Preparatory Academy – Yuma | Dr. Mark Joel Q. Morales |
| Nabil Naylea Chavez Munoz, 12th | Harvest Preparatory Academy – Yuma | Dr. Mark Joel Q. Morales |
| Olivia Marsh, 12th | Boulder Creek High School | Janay Perone |
| Emery Lee, 12th | Mountain View High School | Vicki Schomaker |
