The Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025 is an award-winning competition inviting young designers from Sub-Saharan Africa to create practical, high-quality design templates that specifically help local small businesses grow and scale. Participants are challenged to use the Canva platform to design essential assets such as WhatsApp product menus, business cards, email templates, and social media posts. The challenge is open to all young people, including first-time designers, who can submit multiple entries (one template per entry). Winners will receive a share of the US$10,000 prize pool, a 3-month subscription to Canva Pro, exclusive Canva Swag, and a valuable 1:1 mentorship session with top Canva designers. The submission period is from October 31 to December 15, 2025.
Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025 Summary Table
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Host Institution | Canva |
| Study Abroad | N/A (Online Competition) |
| Category | Competitions / Awards / Design Training |
| Eligible Countries | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Reward | Share of $10,000 Prize, Mentorship, Canva Pro Subscription |
| Key Criteria | Must be a young African designer, create a practical business template using Canva, first-time designers welcome |
| Application Deadline | December 15, 2025 |
Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025: The $10,000 Award for Young African Designers Details
The Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025 is a major initiative by Canva to empower young, creative talent across Sub-Saharan Africa while fostering the growth of local businesses. This competition invites designers to leverage the power of the Canva platform to create culturally relevant and highly practical design templates that address the specific needs of African entrepreneurs.
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The core objective is to build a vibrant library of “Africa by Africa” design assets. Participants can focus on essential business tools like WhatsApp product menus, email templates, business cards, brand kits, social video templates, and creator rate cards. This challenge is not only a path to financial reward but also a gateway to professional mentorship and global visibility, as winning templates will be officially published on Canva.
Benefits and Specific Awards of the Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025
The rewards package is structured to provide both immediate financial benefit and significant career acceleration through training and professional exposure.
Tier 1: The Grand Prize Monetary Award (Share of US$10,000)
This tier outlines the highly competitive financial reward provided to the winners of the competition.
- Cash Prize: Winners receive a share of the US$10,000 award pool.
- Global Visibility: Winning templates will be officially published on Canva, giving the designers global recognition and professional credit.
- Exclusive Swag: Winners will receive exclusive Canva Swag.
Tier 2: The Professional Mentorship Award
This tier focuses on the high-value career development support provided by Canva’s top design professionals.
- 1:1 Mentorship: Winners receive a 1:1 mentorship session with experienced Canva designers and top professionals, offering personalized feedback and career guidance.
- Professional Feedback: This mentorship provides invaluable insight into professional design standards, template creation best practices, and industry trends.
Tier 3: The Design Subscription Award
This tier provides the essential tools and subscription access necessary for continued high-level design work.
- Canva Pro Subscription: Each winner receives a three (3) month subscription to Canva Pro.
- Subscription Management: If a winner has an existing Pro subscription, the three-month winning period will commence at the expiry of their current subscription period.
Eligibility Requirements for Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025
The Canva Africa Design Challenge is structured to be highly inclusive, welcoming both experienced and novice designers who meet the geographical criteria.
- Geographical Eligibility: The challenge is open to all young people across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Design Experience: First-time designers are welcome and encouraged to submit entries.
- Challenge Focus: Submissions must be a practical template that helps local African businesses grow (e.g., invoices, social media posts, price lists).
- Submission Limits: Participants can submit one template per entry, and multiple entries are welcome.
- Platform Requirement: All designs must be created using Canva.
How to Apply for Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025 (Step-by-Step Process)
Interested and qualified candidates should follow this precise four-step process to ensure their design is submitted correctly.
- Access the Canva Webpage: Click the green button below to go to the official Canva Challenge webpage, where the submission portal and detailed rules are located.
- Design Your Template: Create your design using Canva. The template must be a practical, high-impact asset that directly supports African entrepreneurs (e.g., WhatsApp price lists, invoices, social media content).
- Tell Your Story (Artist Statement): Draft a short artist statement (maximum 150 words) that clearly explains who the template is for and precisely how it helps their business scale or grow.
- Submit Your Entry: Upload your finished template via the official online entry form, including your artist statement.
Submissions Open: October 31 – December 15, 2025
CLICK HERE TO APPLY
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the total prize fund for the Canva Africa Design Challenge?
The competition offers a shared award pool of US$10,000 for the winners.
2. Who is eligible to participate in the Canva Africa Design Challenge?
The challenge is open to all young people across Sub-Saharan Africa, regardless of previous design experience.
3. What is the application deadline for the 2025 Challenge?
The final deadline for submissions is December 15, 2025.
4. Are first-time designers allowed to enter the competition?
Yes, the challenge explicitly welcomes and encourages first-time designers to submit their work.
5. What kind of templates are Canva looking for in the challenge?
Canva is looking for practical templates that help local African businesses grow, such as WhatsApp product menus, business cards, email templates, and social video templates.
6. Can I submit more than one design entry?
Yes, multiple entries are welcome, but you can only submit one template per individual entry form.
7. What do winners receive besides the cash prize?
Winners also receive a 1:1 mentorship session with Canva designers, exclusive Canva Swag, and a three-month subscription to Canva Pro.
8. What is the maximum length for the required artist statement?
The short artist statement about the template’s purpose and benefit must be a maximum of 150 words.
9. Will the winning templates be publicly available?
Yes, the winning templates will be published on Canva, providing global exposure to the winning designers.
10. If I already have a Canva Pro subscription, what happens to the prize subscription?
If you have an existing subscription, the three-month prize subscription will commence automatically at the expiry of your current paid subscription period.
