Santa Rosa Freedom to Read Poster Contest

The Santa Rosa Freedom to Read Poster Contest is an opportunity for graduating Santa Rosa high school students to take a stand for intellectual freedom by designing an original poster highlighting the themes of censorship, resistance, and the freedom to read.

Students are invited to create an original poster design with striking and meaningful visuals.

Important Dates

We will begin accepting submissions Monday, October 5, 2026. The final date to submit is Sunday, February 28, 2027, by 5:00PM. Please submit your poster at any of the four Santa Rosa library branches (Central Santa Rosa, Northwest Santa Rosa, Rincon Valley, and Roseland). Finalists will be notified in late March 2027, and awards will be presented on Saturday, April 10, 2027!

Poster Rules

• Poster must be 11x17 inches
• Entries must be original artwork by an individual. No group submissions.
• You may only submit one poster to the contest.
• The completed design may not contain 3D elements that protrude from the poster.
• Winning designs will be digitized and used during Banned Books Week the following year, so they need to be flat.
• The design must be physically constructed (ex. Hand-drawn, collaged, painted). We will not accept posters only made of digital art.
• You may print out images to attach to your poster as part of the design as long as any necessary citations are included on the back of your poster. You must adhere to copyright law.
• No AI art will be accepted as any component of the poster design.
• The content of the poster must follow the library’s Safe Use policy and Safety Issues guidelines.
• Posters must be appropriate to display in public spaces.

How to Submit:

• We will begin accepting submissions Monday, October 5, 2026. The final date to submit is Sunday, February 28, 2027 by 5:00PM. Library locations close at 5:00 pm on Sundays.
• Submit your physical 11x 17” paper poster at any of the four Santa Rosa library locations (Central Santa Rosa, Northwest Santa Rosa, Rincon Valley, and Roseland).

If you have any questions, please contact srpostercontest@sonomalibrary.org.

Contest Rules

Your poster design should touch on censorship, resistance, and the freedom to read. You have creative liberty to interpret these concepts in any way you see fit that aligns with the outlined guidelines.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must attend a Santa Rosa school, be homeschooled in Santa Rosa, or attend an online school program as a resident of Santa Rosa. Eligible schools include, but are not limited to:

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• Must be graduating high school in 2027.
• Must be able to provide an unofficial transcript or comparable document upon submission of poster.
• Must be under the age of 22 years old.
• Your submission must be handed to a library staff member. Posters submitted in a book drop will not be accepted.
• An unofficial high school transcript must be submitted along with your poster to verify your status as a student at a Santa Rosa school.
• A completed submission form is required.

Resources

Top most challenged books from 2025

Find the titles in the library catalog here

Information about banned books

What Visual and Graphic Artists Should Know about Copyright | U.S. Copyright Office

Legal Disclaimer

By entering your art into the Santa Rosa Freedom to Read Poster Contest, the applicant agrees to all rules and regulations as defined in the official contest rules.

The applicant also grants a non-exclusive license to Sonoma County Library to:

• Display their art at Sonoma County Library, and in promotional materials.
• Display the art, in part or in its entirety, on the Sonoma County Library website and social media websites.

Thank you to the Friends of the Santa Rosa Libraries for funding the contest awards. We are grateful for the opportunity to support graduating students pursuing continuing education.