In 1912, the original Hattiesburg “slogan sign” now known as the Hub Sign was illuminated on Thanksgiving Day. As a gift to the Commercial Club to benefit the city by the Henry L. Doherty & Company, the sign was 42-feet in diameter, with 1,142 lights, rising 50-feet above the Ross Building (now the American Building on Front Street) and 140-feet from the sidewalk.
In 2018, Mayor Toby Barker ushered in 2019 by “dropping” a three-sided replica of the Hub Sign, outfitted with LED lights and suspended approximately 90 feet in the air from a Hattiesburg Fire Truck at Midnight on Front Street, the city’s inaugural New Year’s Eve Celebration.
To honor the Hub Sign’s rich history and to look forward to the great future of many, many celebrations at Midnight on Front Street, the City of Hattiesburg is proudly partnering with VisitHATTIESBURG, Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art and the Hattiesburg Downtown Association to create Midnight on Front Street’s official event poster.
The winning poster will then be printed (a limited quantity), signed and numbered. They will be used as a promotional item in helping bring more to Downtown Hattiesburg for Midnight on Front Street. The winning artist will be featured on hburgnye.com, in statewide/regional news media and social media across the City of Hattiesburg’s social media accounts, as well as partnering channels.
Content
All content must be the entrant’s original creation and must be unpublished. The entrant must have all rights to images and graphics used in the final artwork and during the design process. All subject matter must be in good taste. No profanity or sexually explicit content allowed.
The event information, including date, location, sponsors, logos and any additional information will be added to the poster in the graphic production process. There is no need to include this information within the artwork.
Technical Guidelines
- Size: 18×24 (portrait)
- Any mixed media suitable for two-dimensional mechanical reproduction is allowed, including both hand-drawn and computer-generated graphics.
- Artwork can be submitted digitally (via the button on this page) or in person at the Mayor’s Office (City Hall, 3rd Floor — 200 Forrest Street).
- All work must be submitted by 5 p.m. on 12/12.
Judging
All artwork will be judged by a panel to include Mayor Toby Barker and partner representatives. A winner will be announced publicly during the week of December 15 at a press event.
Timeline
- Call for Artists: 12/2 – 12/12
- Announcement: Week of 12/15
A limited quantity of the poster will be printed, signed and numbered. These will be for sale through the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art. The winning artist will be featured on the promotional website (hburgnye.com), news media and on social media across the City’s social media channels – as well as VisitHATTIESBURG and DHA.
Eligibility
- The contest is open to residents of the City of Hattiesburg.
- There is no age limitation.
- One entry per entrant.
Theme & Prompt
From then to now. Artists can submit a work of art around their interpretation of the 1912 Hub Sign Illumination event, the 2018 Inaugural Hub Sign Drop, a meshing of the two OR pieces and parts of events from past years.
Previous Selections
