Contest! Know Any Graphic Designers?

Rebecca Burnham
10 hours ago
4 min read

This week, Summit Stages is launching its first contest! When we officially launch our Eyes Wide Open we-course (a hybrid learning model where you take an e-course together, as a group), we want to have some swag – starting with a T-shirt and some decals..

The we-course is important in and of itself, and we want to build buzz around Eyes Wide Open, The Musical. Our plan is to bring the musical to some school and community stages in the fall.

For the contest, we want to invite graphic artists, high school aged and above, to submit designs for our Eyes Wide Open T-shirts. We are offering two grand prizes of $300 each. One is for designers 18 and under, and the other for designers ages 19+. By submitting an entry, contestants give us permission to use their design on our T-shirts and in marketing, should they win one of the prizes. We will include their name on the graphic (if and as desired).

Would you help us spread the word? Following is some context for what we are looking for.

The design should convey our message about using media discerningly, for peace. To do that, we’re suggesting that designers take inspiration from two of the Eyes Wide Open songs: “Anger” and “Finale.”

“Anger” is sung by Ira Spornova. Born in 1980, she grew up in the Urals, in a highly industrialized city where the economy collapsed under Gorbachev’s economic reforms. She wasn’t yet a teenager. When she was 32 she headed up the Internet Research Agency that spread contention and misinformation on US social media, in hopes of bringing that nation to its knees. In 2020, she undertook a top secret mission and became the first human to travel through time.

She is now in 1950, in the southern California city that is home to Hallelujah College, where she’s sowing seeds of division, hoping to get the US to self-destruct before it can push the USSR to a devastating demise. She is angry. And determined. And if she needs to become a villain to get the job done, then so be it.

Her signature song is currently in professional production in preparation for the launch of our course in Philadelphia. You can hear an earlier version by playing the video above.

The “Finale” is sung by just about the entire rest of the cast, after peace-loving Samuel Carter and the mysterious Lev Demidov (whose story we’ll write about another time) turn Ira’s plans upside down. They convince the rest of the key characters to stop seeing and treating each other as enemies. Following are updated lyrics and who’s singing them. (Many thanks for your feedback that helped with these updates!)

Lev Demidov assists Samuel Carter on a mission of peace

SAMUEL CARTER: World peace begins with a single step, (step, step step)

RUBY RAVENSWOOD: It all comes clear as we lay our weapons down.

SAMUEL CARTER: Seems far away but today all we take is one step, (step, step step)

‘Til we see eye to eye and everyone wears a crown

RUBY RAVENSWOOD: I’m finally tuning-in to my heart

Letting go the anger and shame

I’ve made mistakes. Could we restart?

SAMUEL & RUBY: Heal the breach together, ‘cause we’ve hurt the same.

REV. WALKER: There’s not a soul here that’s whole but we’ll grow step by step, step, step step

CHESTER & MABEL: The walls that we built from our fear; they’re falling down.

RUBY & HAZEL: Drop the disguise and the lies as we rise step by step, step, step step

WEALTHY DONOR: Time to believe what we give out comes around.

SAMUEL, RUBY, CHESTER, MABEL: It’s time to tune in to our hearts.

Put aside the anger and the blame.

We’ve made mistakes. Now we’ll restart.

Heal the breach together, ‘cause we need the same.

LEV DEMIDOV: Eyes open wide to what’s happ’ning inside.

That’s one step, (step)

RUBY & REV WALKER: Question my views on what’s driving you.

That’s two steps, (step, step)

CHESTER & MABEL: Listen and learn, each of us in our turn

That’s three steps, (step, step, step)

SAMUEL CARTER: Claim the embrace of mutual grace

That’s Peace!

ALL: We’ll open wide our eyes and hearts

Let light… dissolve our fear and shame.

We’ll make mistakes and we’ll restart

Let’s heal this breach together ‘cause we dream the same.

World peace begins with a single step, step, step step

World peace begins with a single

STEP

As you have already seen, we play with AI to help create draft and demo tracks for you to experience and give feedback on. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes some of the words are sung by the wrong characters – as is the case with this song. But these messy drafts should be enough for our contest participants to get a basic feel for what Eyes Wide Open hopes to explore.

Deadline:

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm, June 5, 2026. This can be done by posting it on social media and tagging @lift_unite or the page Summit Stages News on Facebook. (We reserve the right to extend the deadline or not distribute an award, if we don’t find a design suitable for use among the entries).

Judging:

If you’d like to help judge these designs, upcoming contests (including choreography) and or give feedback on the developing musical or the course framework, please join our focus group at the Eyes Wide Open Community.

Would you please share this post with anyone you think might enjoy participating in the contest?

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