2026 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

Design Contest

Thank You to Everyone Who Participated in Our Design Contest!

We are thrilled to share how inspired and impressed we were by the creativity and talent shown in our recent Design Contest! A huge thank you goes out to everyone who submitted their work, shared their ideas, and contributed their artistic energy to our community.

From bold and colorful concepts to thoughtful, meaningful designs, each submission reflected the heart and spirit of Colorado Dragon Boat. It was no easy task for our judges to narrow down the choices — every entry brought something special to the table.

**Meet Our Esteemed Panel of Judges**

Joann Asakawa - (Community Impact Coordinator, Rose Community Foundation)

Courtney Ozaki - (Founder, Japanese Arts Network)

Annie Guo VanDan - (President, Asian Avenue Magazine)

Sean Koto - (Visual Arts Section Administrator, CU Denver - CAM)

Tara Brickell -(Executive Diretor and CEO, Cherry Arts)

Nick Elias - (Senior Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Denver Botanic Gardens)

We extend our sincerest gratitude to each of our judges for their invaluable contribution to the CDBF Design Contest and their commitment to upholding the highest standards of excellence.

And now, we are pleased to announce the overall winner of this year’s design contest…

…AND THE WINNER IS…

Congratulations Yun Tran!!!

Congratulations to Our 2026 Design Contest Winner:

Yun Tran!

We are excited to announce that Yun, a recent high school graduate from Tacoma, Washington, has been selected as the winner of our 2026 Design Contest!

Yun’s winning design stood out for its bright, welcoming aesthetic and clear visual storytelling. While many recent contest-winning posters featured darker tones, Yun intentionally created something “light and airy that captures eyes of all ages alike.” The result is a vibrant and accessible design that perfectly reflects the energy and spirit of the festival.

An aspiring motion designer with a growing passion for graphic design, Yun shared that illustration has been a lifelong creative outlet. In developing the poster, Yun focused on balancing simplicity with meaningful detail, ensuring the silhouettes and imagery remained visually engaging while keeping the event information clear and concise.

Most importantly, Yun wanted to strongly emphasize the spirit of the Dragon Boat Festival itself by placing the festival graphics front and center, making the message immediately recognizable and impactful.

We are incredibly grateful to all of the talented artists who participated in this year’s contest, and we proudly congratulate Yun on this outstanding achievement!