2019 National Poster Contest Winners

      Posted On: July 9, 2019

The Farmers Market Coalition and Farm Aid are pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 National Farmers Market Poster Contest. Since 2014, Farmers Market Coalition has hosted the National Farmers Market Poster Contest to showcase the creative ways that farmers markets around the country are advertising in their communities. Both FMC and contest sponsor Farm Aid were blown away by the submissions and are proud to see the contest become more dynamic each year.

This year, more than 200 poster entries from farmers markets across 46 states participated in the contest. These posters individually speak to their respective markets, and collectively embody the commitment and involvement communities have to local foods and farmers.

The posters captured the attention of farmers market supporters across the country — more than 175,000 Facebook users were saw the diversity and creativity of farmers markets big, small, urban, rural, and in between. To see all of the beautiful submissions, be sure to like us on Facebook and view the 2019 National Farmers Market Poster Contest album

We would like to extend a special thank you to Farm Aid for sharing our deep commitment to farmers markets, and helping to ensure that they thrive in a time when it’s easy to just walk by. It was a pleasure to work with an organization long dedicated to family farms and the role that they play in building strong communities.

With so many stunning submissions, the competition was fierce and picking the winners wasn’t easy. But we are happy to announce the five winners of the 2019 National Farmers Market Poster Contest, and a few staff favorite runner ups, too!

Category Winners

 

First Place: Paseo Farmers Market – Oklahoma City, OK

The urban neighborhood that is home to the market is seeing a rise in agriculture, and people of all backgrounds taking an interest in growing their own food and forming a relationship with the person that is. Their poster features a simple yet classic design featuring an androgynous, neutral skin-toned farmer with their harvest – an image that anyone could see themselves in. The vital information if the market is clearly presented, allowing viewers to quickly and easily learn how and when to visit the market. 

Second Place: Memphis Farmers Market – Memphis, TN

This poster uses visual cues to evoke to the viewer a sense of what it might be like to experience the market.  The Memphis Farmers Market worked with a marketing agency located in the same district as their market to create a poster that would showcase the gathering place that the farmers market has grown to be.

Metrics Prize: Logan Square Farmers Market – Chicago, IL

By using data unique to the Logan Square Farmers market this poster differentiates the market from competitors in order to attract customers. The market is entering its 16th year in the community, and their poster highlights radishes as a popular first item on opening day, and the bounty of sunflowers available mid-Fall.

Best EBT/Nutrition Incentive: Brown Deer Farmers Market – Brown Deer, WI

This poster does an excellent job of making clear, both visually and in writing that EBT is not just accepted, but welcomed. The Brown Dear Farmers’ Market’s slogan is, “Diversity is our strength”, which can be seen in the different hands shown on their poster.

Fan Favorite: Ligonier Country Market – Ligonier, PA

The Ligonier Country Market really knows how to turn out the votes for the fan favorite category. Created by Peyton Clark of PMC Paintings, a vendor at the market, her vision for the poster came from how she sees the market through her own eyes. Their entry received more than 1,100 likes on Facebook!

Staff Picks

 

Conover Farmers Market
Conover, NC

“I always like to see an image of the person (especially a smiling, friendly person) selling items as the main image as I think it makes the “direct” part of markets the primary focus.The use of one color for all of the text makes the information cleaner and also allows the background picture to be explored too.”

 

Charleston Farmers Market
Charleston, SC

“I love this poster because it captures the eye and the imagination, shows produce available at the market, draws reference to unique aspects of the local community, all while clearly conveying the pertinent information about the market.”

 

DTR Market
Rogers, AR

“I chose this poster because inclusivity is important to me, and using language to promote inclusivity is an easy and successful way to do that. Also, noting that program logos are generally more recognized than program names for folks who do not speak English.”

Hope Farmers Market
Austin, TX

“The design of this poster is simple, clean, and gets across the appeal of shopping at farmers markets extremely effectively. The colors are gorgeous and I love that it encourages biking to the market too!”

Bellevue Farmers Market
Bellevue, WA

“I love the vibrant colors, simplicity, and watercolor style of the poster while still highlighting the farmer and their produce. I also love the ‘Fresh’ license plate – cute and creative detail that reinforces the freshness of market produce.”

 

Thanks once more to Farm Aid for helping to make this contest better each year and inviting us out to support farmers and represent markets at the Farm Aid Concert! Farm Aid 2019 will take place on Saturday, September 21st at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI.