After four decades of hosting our International Sign Contest, we made significant changes in 2019, including renaming the contest. We created small-, medium- and large-company divisions to encourage small shops to enter without worry of competing against million-dollar megaliths. We also pared the categories down to four: best original signshop designed and fabricated sign, both illuminated and not illuminated; and best client designed-signshop fabricated sign, illuminated and not illuminated.

Our judges tackled the task of weighing nearly 200 entries. Jill Ayers, a member of our Editorial Advisory Board (EAB), is the founder and creative director of Airspace (Brooklyn, NY), a design firm specializing in environmental graphic design, branding, identity and wayfinding. Teresa M. Young, also a member of our EAB, is the president/CEO of Sign Biz Inc. (Dana Point, CA), and founded the ecosignage.org and schoolofsignarts.com websites. Sparky Potter owns and operates Sparky Potter Design Group and Wood & Wood Sign Systems (Waitsfield, VT) and received an assist from Diana Mosher, marketing and sales director at Wood & Wood.

“Shangri La,” a sign for an unassuming bar in Austin, TX, captivated the judges, earning our Best of Show designation. The sign by Blackout Signs and Metalworks (San Marcos, TX), competed in the small-shop category (1-9 employees), evoking the classic Las Vegas style with neon lettering and Sputnik-shaped stars. The rotating sign is the perfect fit for this establishment, which informs customers that it’s open or closed with “Yep” and “Nope” signs.

Congratulations to our winners, thanks to all entrants and we look forward to seeing entrants old and new in 2020. Follow Signs of the Times on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and Twitter for up-to-date entry information