Type Directors Club TDC73 Competition

The Type Directors Club competition is one of the world's most respected awards for typography. Its 73rd edition, TDC73, is open to work in three disciplines: Communication Design, Lettering and Type Design. Winners receive a TDC Certificate of Excellence and their work tours the world in the TDC exhibitions. There are three deadlines: early bird on 22 January 2027, standard on 12 February and final on 5 March 2027, with fees rising after each.

This year's theme, "Be Bold, Be Seen (All Characters Welcome)", celebrates the variety of typographic expression around the world, with branding by the Jakarta studio Grafis Nusantara.

Disciplines

• Communication Design: any work where type, lettering or written language is the dominant element: print, digital, packaging, posters, books, film titles, environmental design, social campaigns and more. Physical entries are accepted in this discipline, from posters and books to apparel and packaging.
• Lettering: modified or custom letters, including calligraphy, graffiti, tattoos, sign painting, wordmarks and custom logotypes.
• Type Design: working font software, from single typefaces and families to emoji fonts and type-generating tools.

New this year, categories have clearer names and examples, and entrants can list every writing system used, so that jurors with the right expertise review the work.

Who Can Enter?

Professionals and studios worldwide: brand designers, letterers, logo designers, type foundries, graffiti artists and sign painters. Students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate or portfolio programmes should enter Young Ones TDC, run with The One Club, instead.

Entry Fees

Fees depend on the applicant's region and increase after each deadline. Enter early for the lowest price, and check the entry site for current amounts.

What Do Winners Receive?

• TDC Certificate of Excellence
• Type-High awards in gold, silver and bronze for the best work in each discipline, plus Best of Discipline and Judges' Choice
• One-year TDC membership
• Online archive on the TDC and One Club sites
• Travelling exhibitions: recent shows have visited cities such as Portland, Aichi, Lille, Sharjah, Warsaw and Barcelona

How Judging Works

Each discipline is overseen by a Jury President, supported by an advisory board and an international jury of typography experts. Judging is anonymous: the names of designers, foundries and typefaces must not appear in submission images or PDFs.

Why Enter the Type Directors Club Competition?

Founded in 1946, the club has recognised typographic excellence for eight decades. A TDC win is respected by art directors, publishers and foundries around the world, and is a strong signal on a portfolio or foundry website.

Tips for Entering

Choose the discipline that best fits the dominant element of your work. Show typography clearly: close-up details and in-context images help jurors understand scale and craft. For type design, demonstrate range with specimens across weights, sizes and languages. Write short, specific descriptions explaining the brief and your typographic decisions.

Preparing Your Entry

Gather clear photographs or screen captures of your work, including details that show craft, such as spacing, kerning or custom letterforms. For physical entries in Communication Design, plan time for shipping. Write down the writing systems used in each project, as the entry form now asks for them, and check that no names appear on the images.

Things to Consider

• Three deadlines, with fees rising after each.
• Anonymous judging: remove names from images.
• Students: use Young Ones TDC.
• Final deadline: 5 March 2027.

Enter the Competition

Ready to enter your typographic work?

Enter TDC73

Categories, fees and the entry form are on the official TDC entry site.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: November 2, 2026