Window mural design competition

Loughborough University is committed to improving and protecting the wellbeing and mental health of the community. To support this, the University has been working in partnership with Loughborough Wellbeing Centre, helping to promote the centre’s work and running a series of events there for students who live off campus.

We are now inviting students to design window displays for Loughborough Wellbeing Centre to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing and encourage individuals to play their part in supporting a local charity. The winning design will be produced in vinyl and installed semi-permanently on the windows of Loughborough Wellbeing Centre.

There are three cash prizes to be won, and we will showcase the winning designs online in the spring term 2025.

This competition is supported by the University’s Vibrant and Inclusive Communities strategic theme.

The competition

What can I win?

First prize           £450 and your design produced as a semi-permanent mural at Loughborough Wellbeing Centre

Second prize    £200

Third prize         £100

The second and third prize winners will have their designs displayed on campus for a short period of time; this may include digital screens, poster frames and noticeboards.

Timescales

Deadline for applications – 11pm on Monday 3 February 2025

The winning entries will be selected by the end of February 2025.

The judging panel will include representatives from Loughborough Wellbeing Centre and Loughborough University.

The winning work will be installed by summer 2025.

If you have any queries relating to this competition, then please email LUArts@lboro.ac.uk.

How do I enter?

Please submit your preliminary design via the online form. At this stage, your entry should be an outline of your intended design rather than a fully polished artwork. You may choose to submit a design in black and white but provide details of the colour palette you would use. The winner will then be asked to work their design up before it is turned into a mural. This will require resizing the design and could also involve taking on board feedback from the judging panel and working up the design across multiple window panels. Please upload your design as part of the application and make sure the filename includes your name.

Any use of AI or artwork from other sources must be acknowledged when asked to explain the concept behind your design on the entry form.

The following artwork formats can be accepted:

• Pixel-based e.g. Photoshop/image-based artwork
• Vector-based e.g. Illustrator vector EPS

You must read the full design brief and supporting information below before entering the competition.

The centre is a large building with glass fronted windows (see banner image at the top of this page). The nature of the work and variety of users means privacy is important; but it is an attractive space, and welcoming signage is also required. 

We are looking for imaginative and powerful designs that:

• raise awareness and understanding of wellbeing, mental health and reducing social isolation; and
• encourage the University and local community to act to help reduce stigma around mental health.

Your design should clearly communicate what the centre does as part of their output and work for the community. This could be a combination of graphics and text or graphics alone. 

You could imagine what a future Loughborough might look like if we help each other and encourage our friends/family to get the help they need. The theme the centre follows normally focuses on reducing isolation with a tea/coffee and a chat. 

We recommend you visit Loughborough Wellbeing Centre to take a look at the windows and the space for yourself before submitting a design. The centre is located on a pedestrian walkway that connects Woodgate to Ward's End/Granby Street. The full address is Ground Floor, Asha House, 63 Woodgate, Loughborough, LE11 2TZ. 

View Loughborough Wellbeing Centre on Google maps

Window measurements

As a guide, the windows are split into sections that are three panels high. We are looking for the vinyl design to be installed on the bottom and middle panels. There are three sections that are four panels wide and one section that is two panels wide. 

The middle panels are approx 108cm wide x 107cm high except for the furthest left panel (91cm x 68cm). The bottom panels are approx 108cm wide x 75cm high. Where the panel is part of a fire exit door the dimensions do vary and there are 3 fire exit doors in total. The measurements are shown on the image below and can be requested in full by emailing LUArts@lboro.ac.uk.

About Loughborough Wellbeing Centre

Loughborough Wellbeing Centre provides a safe, supportive and welcoming place for the people of Loughborough to go to for the benefit of their mental health and wellbeing. They run regular free drop-in sessions which are open to adults aged 18+ and students are very welcome to attend these sessions.

Visit Loughborough Wellbeing Centre's website

Who can enter?

This competition is open to all current students at Loughborough University (UG, PGT and PGR), including Loughborough London students. It does not matter what course or subject you are studying.

We are committed to inclusivity and representing the student community we serve. We welcome applications from students of all backgrounds.

Accessibility

We want this opportunity to be accessible to all students. If you would like to discuss any accessibility issues in advance of applying or to discuss how the opportunity can be made inclusive for you, then please email LUArts@lboro.ac.uk or call 01509 222948.