Helmut Kipphan Student Chapter Competition

Since 1987 TAGA has recognized the research achievements of TAGA Student Members and Chapters by bestowing awards for exceptional work. All active students are encouraged to participate in these competitions to showcase their abilities in technical writing, design, and production. We have updated the competition rules in 2024 to better reflect how industry and education have changed in recent years and to allow for greater participation from different schools and universities. This is also reducing the barrier to entry. It is now possible for groups to be selective about the areas that they wish to submit and do not need to do all the categories.

Helmut Kipphan Student Chapter Competition

Welcome to an overview of the Kipphan Cup competition. The new structure has seven unique categories that will be judged with each of these being awarded a first prize based on the judge's evaluation, four of these will be judged prior to the conference and three will be at the conference. The winner of the Kipphan Cup will be selected from the best three scores from any participating chapter. There is no limit on the number of categories that a chapter can enter, being from a single category through to all seven.

Each category could be entered individually and there is absolutely no need to produce a full journal as in previous years. For instance, a chapter could produce a package for personal care, technical paper publication, publication production and t-shirt design as four separate items and their best three results would be used for the Kipphan Cup competition. Each category is scored equally with a total of 25 points available.

We have outlined the different rubrics below for each of the seven categories, each gives the deliverable, due date, criteria for judging and if part of the “traditional” journal could be used in this category. If people have questions about these please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected]. Please ensure that you read these to ensure that you are not penalized for missing a part of the criteria.

Each student chapter needs to submit a digital document inclusive of the digital files for each competition (t-shirt and package) they are entering and the designs they submit. The document must include production note sheets that detail the process used for production of each design/product.

To participate in the competitions at least one student from the chapter must attend the conference, though we encourage more as significant value is gained from attending the event. The TAGA student chapters will present their entries on the main stage at the conference, the timing will depend on the number of categories and chapters participating.

TAGA is introducing the two awards that will be voted for by the conference registrants:

  • Attendee’s Choice - voted on by all non-student conference attendees excluding the board.
  • Student’s Choice - voted on by students only! Students will not be allowed to vote for their own chapter’s piece, but must recognize the efforts of one of their peer institutions.

The Student Chapters are able to select one of their entries for these awards. An additional sample of this is required for this, along with a one page description, that will be placed on a judging table allowing everyone to review and then place their vote.

Categories

Package Production

Personal care, food, beverage, electronics, toy, entertainment, etc; any material. This could also be the box that is used to hold a traditional journal.

Due date: At the conference, Digital File March 11, 2026

Deliverable:

  • Digital file of graphics and dieline, physical prototype or product (minimum number of copies is 20, enough for all judges)
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Physical Design and Aesthetics (9 pts) - includes visual appeal, innovation and engagement, typography and labeling, and use of color and printing quality.
  • Structural Design and Material Quality (7 pts) - includes packaging construction, material choice and sustainability, usability and unboxing experience, and information clarity.
  • Digital Interactive Component (6 pts) - includes integration of digital element, functionality and user experience, digital-physical cohesion, and innovation and engagement.
  • Professionalism and Final Finish (3 pts) - includes quality control and finishing touches.

Review of Existing Technologies

This would have been content for the traditional journal.

Due date: February 2, 2026

Deliverable:

  • One PDF file of three white papers based on certain topics (ECG, packaging, sustainability, etc.) from peer-reviewed technical journals or books, including previous TAGA papers.
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Quality of Writing (5 pts) - includes grammar/spelling, style, organization and tone.
  • Clarity of Writing (5 pts) - includes clarity of technical content, defined terminology, and explanation of technical content.
  • Relevance to Graphic Communications (3 pts) - includes connections to graphic communications, focus on topic, and clear application.
  • Accuracy of Research and Content (8 pts) - includes evidence of understanding the topic and accurate representation of information.
  • Use and Quality of References (4 pts) - includes relevant and up to date research and proper* citation of sources.

Note: we do not specify a citation format (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). Use what is most familiar to you or common in your educational institution. What we are most concerned with is ensuring proper credit is given for used materials both in-text and in a reference list. It should also be consistent between all papers.

Journal Design

This would have been the content from traditional journal production.

Due date: February 2, 2026

Deliverable:

  • Submitted as a PDF. The design of a digital journal with three to six papers of original student research (technical paper publication or review of existing technologies) OR previous TAGA papers.
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Visual Design and Aesthetics (11 pts) - includes cover design and visual impact, page layout and composition, typography, and design flow.
  • Content Presentation and User Experience (8 pts) - includes content organization and flow, visual-text balance, readability and accessibility.
  • Design Difficulty and Innovation (6 pts) - includes complexity of design system, creativity and originality, and design process and problem solving.

Website Design

Students should build out new or add to an existing TAGA Chapter specific website that features updated and interactive content. Be sure to include a page/tab with in depth content about the current year's production processes, categories entered, etc. This should include pictures, notes that discuss chapter engagement in each process, how production was completed, etc.

Due date: February 27, 2026

Deliverable:

  • Functional prototype in Figma, Adobe XD, website subscription (squarespace, wix, etc.), or coding (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.).
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Visual Design and Aesthetics (6 pts) - includes visual appeal and branding, layout and visual hierarchy, and typography and color use.
  • User Experience and Navigation (6 pts) - includes ease of navigation, accessibility and inclusivity, and content clarity and readability.
  • Functionality and Technical Performance (7 pts) - includes page speed and load time, functional elements, error handling and feedback, and security and data protection.
  • Cross Platform and Responsive Design (6 pts) - includes mobile optimization, browser compatibility, and device interoperability.

Technical Paper Publication

This would have been content for the traditional journal.

Due date: February 2, 2026

Deliverable:

  • One PDF file of three to five original student research papers that reflect the current creative and research activities in the graphic arts field. The student research papers could be part of course projects or assignments.
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Quality of Writing (5 pts) - includes grammar/spelling, style, organization and tone.
  • Clarity of Writing (5 pts) - includes clarity of technical content, defined terminology, and explanation of technical content.
  • Relevance to Graphic Communications (3 pts) - includes connections to graphic communications, focus on topic, and clear application.
  • Accuracy of Research and Content (8 pts) - includes evidence of understanding the topic, accurate data analysis, and accurate/consistent analysis interpretation.
  • Use and Quality of References (4 pts) - includes relevant and up to date research and proper* citation of sources.

Note: we do not specify a citation format (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). Use what is most familiar to you or common in your educational institution. What we are most concerned with is ensuring proper credit is given for used materials both in-text and in a reference list. It should also be consistent between all papers.

Publication Production

This would have been the traditional journal production.

Due date: At the conference, Digital File March 11, 2026

Deliverable:

  • A physical journal with three to six technical papers, white papers, OR previous TAGA papers (or a combination of the above). The minimum number of copies is 20, enough for all judges.
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Material Quality (4 pts) - includes paper quality and cover durability.
  • Printing and Reproduction Quality (6 pts) - includes print clarity and registration and color accuracy and ink quality.
  • Binding and Assembly (9 pts) - includes binding strength and precision, trimming, folding, bleed, and page alignment, and quality control.
  • Difficulty and Student Participation (6 pts) - includes production difficulty and student involvement in production.

T-shirt Design and Production

New category!

Due date: At the conference, Digital File March 11, 2026.

Deliverable:

  • T-shirt with a maximum of 3 entries per school, minimum of 20 t-shirts of various sizes per entry for all judges to evaluate.
  • If multiple T-shirts are submitted from a single institution, the average of all the scores will be taken for the entry, thus receiving a single overall score.
  • Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Design (10 pts) - includes creativity and originality, aesthetic appeal, color usage and harmony, typography and legibility, and target audience relevance (you need to specify in submission).
  • Print Quality (15 pts) - includes print sharpness and detail, print alignment and placement, ink consistency, wearability, fabric quality, and production complexity.

Awards

The Helmut Kipphan Cup. This is a traveling trophy that will be inscribed with the school names and years of all previous winners. The winning school will also receive a certificate that indicates its Grand Prize Award. The Cup will be awarded to the winning chapter during the TAGA NextGen Annual Conference. The student chapter representatives will be able to bring the Cup back to their school for display and promotion for the following academic year. The security and safe return of the Cup will be the responsibility of the school (loss or damage will be the responsibility of the school). The Cup must be brought to the following year's TAGA Annual Conference; if the school does not plan to attend, then the Cup must be returned to the TAGA office (at WhatTheyThink) prior to the TAGA NextGen Annual Conference the following year.

Individual Competition Awards. Seven awards will be presented to schools who achieve high marks in each of the following categories:

  • Packaging Production
  • Technical Paper Publication
  • Review of Existing Technologies
  • Publication Production
  • Journal Design
  • T-shirt Design and Production
  • Website Design

*The Kipphan Cup recipient is eligible for all awards.

Helmut Kipphan Cup

Student Competition Recipients

Conf. # Year Harvey Levenson
Undergradute
Student Paper Award 		Dusty Rhodes
Graduate
Student Paper Award 		Helmut Kipphan Student Publication Award
#77 2025 Jasmine Dawdy
Toronto Metropolitan University 		David Jaucian Alcarde
Rochester Institute Of Technology 		Toronto Metropolitan University
#76 2024 David Yu
Toronto Metropolitan University 		Chuqi Su
Rochester Institute Of Technology 		California Polytechnic State University
#75 2023 Hayden McGreal
Toronto Metropolitan University 		No Recipient California Polytechnic State University
#74 2022 Eloïse Dutauzia and Hugo Pisaroni;
Grenoble INP-Pagora 		Bethany Wheeler;
Clemson University 		Toronto Metropolitan University
#73 2021 Samantha Stante;
Ryerson University 		Maayane Lugassy;
Grenoble INP Pagora 		n/a
#72 2020 Mila Khatri;
Ryerson University 		Himanshu Rana;
Clemson University 		Ryerson University
#71 2019 Julia Forrester;
Ryerson University 		Chandramohan Seetharamiah Srinivasaraju;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		California Polytechnic State University
#70 2018 Kelsey Burgett;
California Polytechnic State University 		Bilge Altay;
Western Michigan University 		Ryerson University
#69 2017 Justin Furgurson;
Clemson University 		No Recipient California Polytechnic State University
#68 2016 Diondra Filicetti;
Ryerson University 		Michael J. Joyce;
Western Michigan University 		Ryerson University
#67 2015 Alex Chheun and Amy Nguyen;
Ryerson University 		No Recipient Ryerson University
#66 2014 Emily Wong & Lisa Carley;
Ryerson University 		Vickrant Zunjarrao;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Ryerson University
#65 2013 Trey Riedmeyer;
Clemson University 		No Recipient Grenoble INP Pagora
#64 2012 C. Michael Shedd & Nathan Ostrout;
California Polytechnic State University 		Alexandra Hartman;
Clemson University 		Clemson University
#63 2011 R. Tupe, M. Kosterina & R. Luksiarto;
Ryerson University 		No Recipient Rochester Institute of Technology
#62 2010 Rebecca Dykopf, Gloria Leung, Pauline Wut;
Ryerson University 		John Jay Jacobs, Sarah Stafford, Andy Walker;
Clemson University 		Ryerson University
#61 2009 Saleh Abdel Motaal / Samee Sikander;
Ryerson University 		John Jay Jacobs / Joanna Church / Jen Olberding;
Clemson University 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#60 2008 Zeinab Panahi;
Ryerson University 		Kathryn O. Cole;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Ryerson University
#59 2007 Ashley Childers;
Clemson University 		Erika Hrehorova;
Western Michigan University 		California Polytechnic State University
#58 2006 No Recipient Dimitrios Ploumidis;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#57 2005 Christine Wheatley;
Western Michigan University 		Kang Ha;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#56 2004 Franck Medlege;
EFPG 		Hrishikesh Bhide;
Western Michigan University 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#55 2003 Dustin LeFebvre;
Western Michigan University 		Andrea Frimova;
Western Michigan University 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#54 2002 Kathleen Edwards/Kris Finnen;
California Polytechnic State University 		Hrishikesh Bhide;
Western Michigan University 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#53 2001 Eliot Harper;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Sebastien Arnaud;
EFPG 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#52 2000 Alex Castellanos/Paul Haak;
California Polytechnic State University 		Ludovic Fouche;
EFPG 		Clemson University
#51 1999 Veronika Pekarocicova;
Western Michigan University 		Rodrigo Sosa;
Western Michigan University 		Clemson University
#50 1998 Gilles Gonzalez;
EFPG 		Bruno J. Schrappe;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Clemson University
#49 1997 Sharron Henley/Mark Shaw;
West Herts College 		Michelle Warfford;
Clemson University 		Clemson University
#48 1996 Melynda Stewart;
Clemson University 		Lambros Protopapas;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Rochester Institute of Technology
#47 1995 Maureen Armstrong;
California Polytechnic State University 		David Romano;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		Clemson University
#46 1994 Todd Skidmore;
Clemson University 		– Clemson University
#45 1993 Susan T. Fennell;
Clemson University 		– California Polytechnic State University
#40 1992 Keshav Sharma;
Western Michigan University 		– –
#39 1991 Mark J. Montecalvo;
Rochester Institute of Technology
Derek Seaton/Tracy Visser;
Ryerson University 		– –
#38 1990 James C. Hook;
Clemson University 		– –
#37 1989 William W. Pope;
Rochester Institute of Technology 		– –
#36 1988 Simons Ann Bryan;
Clemson University 		– –
#35 1987 Dean K. Freeman;
California Polytechnic State University 		– –