Student OBIE Awards - Calling All College Creatives: Design a Billboard-Worthy Idea

Calling All College Creatives: Design a Billboard-Worthy Idea

Enter the 2026 Student OBIE Awards

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026

Got a big idea that belongs on a billboard?

The Student OBIE Awards challenge college creatives to design bold out of home ads for a brand of their choice. Think big, eye-catching ideas designed for real spaces like billboards, transit ads, and public displays.

You can create your concept in just a few hours and add a standout piece of out of hime advertising to your portfolio.

Presented by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the Student OBIEs are part of the OBIE Awards, one of the advertising industry’s most respected creative honors, now in its 84th year.

The competition gives students the opportunity to create portfolio-ready work, gain exposure to industry leaders, and be recognized as part of a national creative awards program.

The Challenge

Create an original out of home advertising idea using real formats like:

• Billboards
• Transit advertising
• Street furniture
• Place-based media in public spaces

Why Enter

• Create portfolio-ready advertising work
• Get your ideas seen by industry leaders
• Gain recognition through the OBIE Awards

Your idea could be seen by the creative leaders gathering at the OBIE Awards in New York. 

Winning students will have their work recognized alongside the industry’s leading agencies and brands at the OBIE Awards ceremony at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where the industry gathers to celebrate the year’s most outstanding creative work.

Who Can Enter

Students 18+ enrolled at a U.S. college or university.

All majors and class years are welcome. 

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026

Learn more and submit your work: https://oaaa.org/news-and-events/awards/obie-awards/student/