Yearbook contests

With Proclamation 5703, former President Ronald Reagan made yearbooks even more celebration-worthy by setting apart the first week of October for “appropriate ceremonies and activities” to recognize the creators and the power of a yearbook program. Treering intends to do just that during National School Yearbook Week, October 6-10, 2025.

Download the 2025 schedule

This National School Yearbook Week, we will crack the code on yearbook design, sales, and organization. Here’s your briefing.

‍Yearbook Confidential: your briefing

Yearbook creators will have declassified access to live training, photo contests, and giveaways. (If you’re super in love with the vibe, check out the Top Secret theme that just dropped for your yearbook.)

‍Yearbook contests

There are six ways to win: one week-long yearbook Bingo game and five daily Facebook giveaways. 

‍Monday, October 6

Bingo begins. Download your unique bingo card and play along. We’ll “call” words via Meta stories (see them on Facebook and Instagram). The first verified Bingo winner will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR camera with an 18-55mm lens. Get the full Bingo rules here.

Additionally, yearbook creators can share their favorite fall photo to our “Operation Autumn Aesthetic” Facebook photo contest. The strongest storytelling photo will win a $50 gift card.

‍Tuesday, October 7

Share your insider ideas for photo organization on our daily Facebook giveaway post. HQ (aka Treering’s marketing department) will reward one adviser at random with a $50 gift card.

Meta stories for our week-long Bingo game will continue.

‍Wednesday, October 8

Another $50 gift card is up for grabs. We want to see your yearbook squad. The most creative team photo wins the daily Facebook post challenge. 

If a verified Bingo winner has not come forward, we will increase the calls. 

‍Thursday, October 9

Share your yearbook space, class, or desk on our daily Facebook post for the chance to win. The type-A, TikTok-inspired, and completely unhinged–we want to see them all.

‍Friday, October 10

Close National School Yearbook Week 2025 with your best sales tips or ideas for a chance to score a $50 gift card on our Facebook post.

‍Live training

Treering Live (TRL) is Treering’s flagship event. During National School Yearbook Week, TRL will have all the design training, coveted prizes, and organization inspiration that yearbook advisers have come to expect. 

‍What to expect at Treering Live: not-so-top-secret training

With your free registration, Treering Live: Yearbook Confidential features 19 sessions over two days. The programming spans from adviser basics to an interactive photography session. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join HQ for intel, ideas, and a little undercover fun. 

The schedule, like Treering, is fully customizable. 

‍Tuesday Sessions

1:00 pm PT: Opening session

1:10 pm PT: Session 1 - choose one session to attend

• Top 10 questions new advisers ask
• Yearbook design trends
• Teaching yearbook: curriculum overview

1:50 pm PT: Session 2 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Live demo: portraits
• Adviser roundtable

2:30 pm PT: Session 3  - choose one breakout session to attend

• Photo tips
• Live demo: yearbook style guides
• Getting more students in the book

3:10 pm PT: Session 4 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Anatomy of a yearbook 
• Teaching yearbook: theme

3:45 pm PT: Closing session 

Wednesday Sessions

1:00 pm PT: Opening session

1:10 pm PT: Session 1 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Building your team: yearbook jobs and recruitment 
• Treering design tools
• Photo journalism (interactive session)

1:50 pm PT: Session 2 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Yearbook mistakes to avoid
• Live demo: upgrading portrait pages

2:30 pm PT: Session 3  - choose one breakout session to attend

• Top 10 questions parents ask
• Live demo: from good to great

3:10 pm PT: Session 4 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Live demo: page templates
• Teaching yearbook: writing

3:45 pm PT: Closing session 

All sessions will be available on the Yearbook Club Replay, so you can re-watch those a-ha moments and catch any sessions you missed through May 2026.

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Mission parameters: Bingo rules and FAQs

The National School Yearbook Week 2025 Bingo winner must be 18 or older and a Primary Chief Editor or Chief Editor at a US Treering school for the 2025-2026 school year. No purchase is necessary to participate.

By participating, you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to treering.com, social media, and mass media.

1. How do I get my Bingo card?

On Monday, October 6, each player will receive an email to download a card. Each one is a unique card with a number. Save your card—you’ll need it to claim a win.

2. How will clues be called?

A third-party Bingo randomizer will randomly select words, which will be announced via Meta stories (Facebook and Instagram) and in the Zoom Events lobby during Treering Live.

3. How do I mark my card?

Print your card or track digitally. Mark off words as they are called. 

4. What counts as a Bingo?

We are playing classic Bingo: a straight line of five words (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal).

5. How do I claim a win?

Email marketing@treering.com immediately with your name, Treering school, and card number. The first valid email received is the winner.

6. What happens after I email my win?

We’ll verify your card against our called words. The first valid email received is the winner.

7. Can more than one person win?

No, only the first verified winner counts.

8. What if I lose my card?

No problem, just download your card again. You may have missed some words; jump on our socials to get caught up.

9. How many rounds will we play?

There will be one round of Bingo from October 6-10, 2025.

10. What are the prizes?

The winner will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR camera with an 18-55mm lens. Treering will ship the camera directly to the school address associated with the winner’s Treering account.

11. Do I have to shout, “Bingo?”

We aren’t going to stand in your way if you want to do the Bingo Boogie. Just remember to be the first to send an email marketing@treering.com with your name, Treering school,  and card number to claim the prize.

12. Can I play if I join late?

Yes! All of the words announced via Meta stories will remain for 24 hours. You’ll just start marking from the current clue onward. 

13. I’m a content creator. How can I share what I’m doing for National School Yearbook Week on social media?

Tag Treering Yearbooks (@treering on Facebook, @treeringcorp on Instagram and TikTok) and use the hashtags #NationalSchoolYearbookWeek, #NationalYearbookWeek, #YearbookWeek, #YearbookBingo

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Social Contest Rules

The National School Yearbook Week 2025 photo contest winners must be 18 or older and a member of a Treering school for the 2025-2026 school year. No purchase is necessary to participate.

Valid posts must include an original photo. No AI images allowed. By participating, you have verified the approval of others pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to showcasing on www.treering.com, sharing on social media, and sharing with media.

The photo criteria will be based on its creativity, relevant emotional impact (humor is more than acceptable), and overall aesthetic appeal.

If you have any questions, contact us at marketing@treering.com.

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Nearly 30 years later, National School Yearbook Week remains a time to reminisce and a time to look forward, hopefully with a few wins for you and your yearbook program.

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In Treering’s inaugural Cover Design Contest, which—if we’re being real—was three concurrent contests, schools submitted their covers to one of three categories:

1. School Spirit – mascots, school colors, and anything else that shows off your community
2. Theme Development – an introduction to your visual and verbal theme
3. Elementary Student Art – original art by K-6 students

Our team explored over 300 submissions, and the ones that stood out introduced their theme on the front and back cover, then expanded it inside throughout the book. Each of the themes below are specific to the time and place in which they exist. While the concept may work for the school across town, the execution would not.

Grand Prize Winner: Easterbrook Discovery School, San Jose, CA

Theme: Once Upon a Time

This year was extra special. It’s EDS’ 20th anniversary and the tenth year in its building. These once in a lifetime moments became an obvious connection for the yearbook theme.

Pre-pandemic, a middle school yearbook club produced the book. The PTO wanted to continue to showcase student perspectives with a cover contest. “It celebrates creativity, individuality, and the shared ownership that makes our yearbook and our school so special,” said Bai-Lim.

This year, they gave little guidance: “Your design should relate to the ‘Once Upon a Time’ theme (e.g. fairy tales, dragons, fairies, wizards, enchanted creatures, etc.).” The faculty and staff chose the winning cover in an anonymous vote.

Winner Helena Kao created a design rich in symbolism:

• Castle: community, teachers, and parents that made our school a story worth telling
• Bricks: depicted fundraisers, music concerts, and field trips that were the building blocks to a safe and welcoming space for students to learn and grow
• Flags: the husky spirit that defines EDS
• Closed door: an end of a chapter for the graduating class of 2025
• Howling Husky: singing and celebrating the school it proudly represents

The cover art contest led to another “once” moment: ninety pieces of student art throughout the yearbook. “Each piece felt like part of the story of the school year,” said Bai-Lim, “and we didn’t want to leave that out.”

Bai-Lim’s team used a Treering vintage blue background, various story-inspired borders, and the lunchbox font for titles. She said, “Treering made it so easy to bring our ideas to life.”

The Final Five Six

Blue Grass Elementary School, Knoxville, TN

Theme: A School of Pure Imagination

The sweet cover made us melt. (It’s a contest for a back to school ice cream bash with cool puns, how could we not go there?) What’s more, is the yearbook theme and the school’s theme were one.

The team at Blue Grass used “a school of pure imagination” to guide their year. It was a “perfect match for capturing the magic, curiosity, and creativity that define our school community,” yearbook chair Becky O’Hatnick said.

She and her team of parent volunteers sprinkled each page with “candy-colored hues” and created titles on candy wrappers and golden tickets.

“From cover to cover, our yearbook is a vibrant celebration of childhood wonder and the boundless possibilities of imagination,” O’Hatnick said.

Coronado Middle School, Coronado, CA

Theme: Golden Hour

This coastal school embraced their SoCal vibe by using the colors of the golden hour to progress through the book. The students studied the sun, and used it for theme copy: “At the end of each day, and each Golden Hour, the sun must set. This is an opportunity to begin anew, never forgetting the last chapter, but anticipating the beauty of the next.”

“The edges of the book had a gradient,” adviser Heidi Frampton said, “so that as you flipped through the book you would see the sunset colors.”

Maywood Center for Enriched Studies, Maywood, CA

Theme: A Piece of Us

Every single one of us has a mosaic of experiences that makes us who we are,” adviser Nora Torres said. Her team built on that concept by piecing together textures and colors to create the layered cover. The more you look at it, the more details emerge.

They brought their theme into the book by using graphic pieces, such as scrap paper, tape, and cut-out letters to accent the content. Divider pages, especially, looked as if they were hand-designed. To make it even more personal, the yearbook staff added “yerd* doodles” throughout the book.

*Yerd = yearbook nerd

Mt. Everett Regional School, Sheffield, MA

Theme: Ripping Through Tradition

Students chose to blend nostalgia and tech by using newspaper graphics at an angle to chronicle their year. It’s a “blend of past, present, and future,” said adviser Kari Giordano.

“This theme visually represented the senior class ‘shredding expectations,’” said Giordano, “and boldly stepping into the next phase of their lives.”

Philip Reilly Elementary, Mission Viejo, CA

Theme: Dive Into Learning

Yearbook chair Kristin Keller said she “created an underwater world where our theme could truly swim.”

From using circular photos as bubbles to adding sea-sational puns, her designs were focused. Keller used design hierarchy and contrast to keep each afloat in a sea of color.

Wilson Creek Elementary School, Duluth, GA

Theme: Wildcats Stick Together

At first glance, this cover was familiar. Then, we looked closer.

“This hybrid theme enhances the Treering-designed theme ‘Stick Together’ with totally unique Wilson Creek graphics and vibes that show off how Wilson Creek Wildcats learn, live, and laugh,” said yearbook co-chair Holly McCallum.

She designed the sticker pack to include interactions of the wildcat, WCES, and their anniversary crest. The brown paper background takes us back to the first day of school, when you’d cover your textbooks with grocery sacks. Considering this is Wilson Creek’s 20th anniversary, it’s an emotive design decision.

McCallum also added frames to photos to make them look like stickers and she added positive messages “to emphasize the creative spirit and collaborative dynamic” of her school community.

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In Treering’s inaugural Cover Design Contest, which—if we’re being real—was three concurrent contests, schools submitted their covers to one of three categories:

1. School Spirit – mascots, school colors, and anything else that shows off your community
2. Theme Development – an introduction to your visual and verbal theme
3. Elementary Student Art – original art by K-6 students

Students created original yearbook covers using paint, AI, colored pencils, crayons, mixed media, digital media, and pen and ink. Yearbook committees gave prompts that were open-ended, fixed, and everything in between. While many submissions were the result of a yearbook cover art contest, others were collaborative projects. All were steeped in the tradition of promoting student perspectives and community. 

Grand Prize Winner: Peace Valley Charter School, Boise, ID

“Waldorf schools instill a deep respect for the natural world, fellow human beings, and the spiritual elements in all beings,” said 6th-grade teacher Nichole Murray, whose students compete annually in the yearbook cover contest.

Murray, PCVS dad Jason Ropp, and yearbook coordinator Gigi Murfitt display the entries in the hallways so all students can see them and begin to dream ahead for their chance in the cover contest. PCVS teachers choose the winners, and first and second place go on the outside cover. All cover contest submissions appear inside the book.

“The elements of nature are expressed, and our mascot, the otter, symbolizes intelligence, playfulness, resilience, and adaptability,” they said.

Both art pieces caught the judges' attention because they used similar colors and exceptional lighting–one judge kept exclaiming, “The shadows!” 

The. Shadows.

The cover art introduces outsiders to the Waldorf philosophy, especially how the art curriculum helps nurture imagination, emotional intelligence, and a well-rounded intellect.

“Our mascot, the otter, symbolizes intelligence, playfulness, resilience, and adaptability,” Murray said.

The Final Five

Ladera Ranch Elementary School, Ladera Ranch, CA

Fifth grader Fiona Martin captivated us with the color explosion and detail on her cover design. PTA president Joya Celik said the yearbook team at LRES asked the students to create a design incorporating their mascot “that reflected courage, perseverance, and attaining [their] goals.”

Their 2024-2025 school theme was “Go for the Gold.” Martin surely did just that.

Normandale Elementary School, Edina, MN

Yearbook team leads Lauren Dickerson and Becky Sertich created a collaborative project for 5th-grade students. Taking their inspiration from water bottles, Chromebooks, and everything else tweens touch, they asked students to create their own “sticker” design.

They “scanned and edited [each submission] to add a white border (like a sticker) and to make the background transparent so the ‘stickers’ could be arranged on the cover like clip-art.”

The result? An on-trend, completely original yearbook cover that shows the personalities and priorities of promoting students.

Strawberry Elementary, Santa Rosa, CA

This one is also collaborative: the front and back covers are creations from 6th graders and the local high school (shout out Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa) helped put it all together. The latter used AI design tools to expand the front cover art to wrap around to the back. On the back, they also created a composite of art.

“The high school students had originally envisioned a variety of student strawberries in the grass and eagles in the sky for this cover design,” yearbook coordinator Pamela Vincent said. “But [a] 6th grade student convinced them that one of the eagles could be arranged to carry a strawberry-filled basket.”

“In total, seven high school students and 11 elementary school students collaborated to make this cover a reality,” Vincent said.

Watchung Elementary School, Middlesex, NJ

Wrap-around cover, check. Multiple students’ art, check. This cover ticked all the boxes, and once we learned about the five-week process to create each self-portrait, we were even more in awe of what a PK-3 school produced.

“Students are placed in Polaroid frames to remind the third graders that no matter how much time goes by, their 3rd grade memories will remain the same,” Librarian Anne Erchicks said.

West Side Elementary School, Marietta, GA

The team at WSES made their 75th anniversary book an homage to late Principal Reid Brown's first yearbook theme. To convey “Shine Bright like a Diamond and Be the Best Bee You Can Be,” each student from kindergarten through 5th grade created their own bee and drew a diamond.

“Our yearbook team voted on using student art as the cover,” said yearbook coordinator Shelley Strack. “We also used the additional bees and diamonds throughout the yearbook as graphics.”

Strack and her team created contemporary art to celebrate Brown’s message. “I loved the use of new and old as a part of our yearbook,” she said.

In Treering’s inaugural Cover Design Contest, which—if we’re being real—was three concurrent contests, schools submitted their covers to one of three categories:

1. School Spirit – mascots, school colors, and anything else that shows off your community
2. Theme Development – an introduction to your visual and verbal theme
3. Elementary Student Art – original art by K-6 students

We said, “School,” you said, “Spirit.” Pride in your community shone through on every cover. 

Grand Prize Winner: Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Mascot: Rainbow dragon
School colors: 15 colors representing 15 art departments

“Each of the dragon's colors represents one of the school's 15 arts departments. Those colors are carried through the rest of the design, appearing in the colorful garden that spans the bottom of the front and back cover, and in the text on the back cover where each department's name is written in its unique color,” said adviser Jeff Castleman, who also teaches drawing, painting, photography, and computer art.

This cover illustrates the adage, “Know the [design] rules, and break them.” Generally, we’d encourage a yearbook creator to avoid using 15 colors. Not Asawa Arts. 

They grouped warm colors for the sunset-inspired swirls, sandwiched between greens as grasses and blues in the skies. Each piece of flora has the base of the blues or pinks with pops of contrasting colors. Black lines hem it in.

A group of eight yearbook club students collaborated on the original illustration. The lead designers, both seniors, at Asawa Arts’ yearbook club developed the visual identity of the yearbook. They went from pencil sketches to creating their own computer-based line art. Six supporting designers (all juniors) filled it in with flowers, leaves, mushrooms, and butterflies. 

On the spine and in the dragon’s hands are roses. “The rainbow dragon symbolizes our school spirit,” Castleman said, “and the rose it holds represents our guiding principles.”

The acronym representing Respect, Openness, Safety, and Engagement is part of the campus as much as it is part of the culture.

Castleman appreciated the flexibility of working with his students to create the vision and fully customize the yearbook cover. He said each year, the yearbook team re-imagines the dragon, giving it a different feel, from East Asian and Medieval to this year’s psychedelic interpretation.

“We think of [the cover] as the crowning jewel on a bespoke book,” Castleman said.

Castleman's team earned a Treering-sponsored back-to-school ice cream bash for their campus.

The Final Five

Brooklyn International School, Brooklyn, NY

Mascot: none

“Our school is a very tight community as our students come from many backgrounds trying to achieve the American Dream, but not forgetting their roots,” Norma Gaytan said.

Gaytan’s students represented their classmates with flags and artifacts from their home countries.

Gloria Deo Academy, Springfield, MO

Mascot: Lion

This is the cover we expected: school colors and a mascot boldly proclaiming school spirit. The texture in the mane and near-watermark incarnations of the lion on the back adds texture.

Mid-Pacific Institute Preschool and Elementary, Honolulu, HI

Mascot: Pueo (Hawaiian Owl)

The drone photo in honor of Mid-Pacific’s 20th anniversary is impressive enough. We loved the before and after images.

Adviser Abbey said, “The students learned about how to use a grid to scale an image, practicing in art. We then applied the math to create a giant grid on our courtyard and replicated our school mascot with field paint.”

Montera Middle School, Oakland, CA

Mascot: Toro

Student art always holds a special place in our hearts. Montera’s cover art extended from the front to the back cover, making a bold statement of school spirit.

Olympia Regional Learning Academy, Olympia, WA

Mascot: Orca

The symbolism in the student art evokes powerful sentiments of school spirit. Both contest winners captured the essence of the K-12 campus’ mentoring ethos. On the front, a mother and baby orca represent the cooperative role ORLA provides. 

“We take our cooperative role with the families very seriously and we could not have the kind of school or kind of students we have without the role the caregivers provide, both at home and at our school,” adviser Rachel McKaughan said.

“The back cover also represents the playful spirit we have at the school with our many hands-on electives, she said, “where students are able to discover and express many different talents.”

From each submission, we learned school spirit is more than a sports team or school song steeped in tradition. It is comprised of community features: shared values and overarching identity. Thank you to the 300+ schools that shared their story with us.

Scoop, there it is! You covered the year, and now it's time to show off your work. With the books printed, passed out, and signed, we're kicking off our first-ever cover design contest. What's even cooler: Three yearbook teams will win Back to School Bashes for their entire school!

Cover Contest Entry Period

Treering will accept submissions in each of the three categories from May 27 to June 10, 2025. The submission window closes at 11:59 PM PT.

Who Can Enter?

Entrants must be 18 or older and a Primary Chief Editor or Chief Editor at a US Treering school for the 2024-2025 school year. The school must also have an active Treering account for the 2025-2026 school year to redeem the prize package.

The winning schools must also submit three videos and six photos using a provided shot list for use on Treering's social media. A school official must sign a release to redeem the prize package.

To participate, complete the submission form and share a screenshot or photograph of the front and back of your yearbook cover.

Incomplete and multiple entries will not be considered.

Winner Selection and Notification

A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and graphic designers will select the winners. Judging criteria include wow factor and creativity in one of the following three areas:

1. School Spirit - mascots, school colors, and anything else that shows off your community
2. Theme Development - an introduction to your visual and verbal theme
3. Elementary Student Art - original art by K-6 students

We will notify all the finalists via email and phone on Monday, June 16, 2025. To meet prize eligibility, a representative from each school must complete the media release and agree to share video and still photos from their Back to School Bash.

Winners must redeem their prizes by October 31, 2025.

Prizes

All winners and finalists will receive 10 free yearbooks for the 2025-2026 school year.

The grand prize winner in each category (School Spirit, Theme Development, and Elementary Student Art) will also win a Treering-sponsored Back to School Bash.

*Quantities based on the enrollment reported in your 25-26 Treering account.

Release

By submitting your yearbook cover, you have verified the approval of the original artist and anyone pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to treering.com, social media, and mass media.

Contest FAQs

Your Kid. Your Design. Their Spotlight. Whether they’re sports MVPs, creative geniuses, or the kindest hearts around—we want to see it all! Share your Treering custom pages for a chance to win.

Entry Period

The submission period is April 1-15, 2025. Submissions will close at 11:59 PM PDT.

Eligibility

Entrants must be 18 years or older and current members of a US Treering school for the 2024-2025 school year.

To participate, complete the submission form and include a screenshot of your favorite yearbook spread. A yearbook spread is two-facing pages. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Winner Selection and Notification

A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and graphic designers will select the winners. Judging criteria include visual interest and originality.

We will notify all the winners via email and phone on Monday, April 22, 2025.

Prizes

One Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 Amazon gift card, and ten Runners Up will each receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

By Friday, May 2, winners will receive gift cards via the email provided in the form.

Release

By submitting your custom pages, you have verified the approval of others pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to treering.com, social media, and mass media.

Contest FAQs

We asked you to “show us what you got” and you understood the assignment. The diversity of subjects—portrait, divider, baby photo, staff, senior tributes, superlatives, arts, and athletics spreads—coupled with the styles, themes, and narratives left us inspired. 

Thank you.

It sounds cliche to say it was tough to comb through hundreds of submissions, read your stories, and examine everything from how photos were cropped to how they balanced across the spread. But you delivered quite the challenge.

A panel of yearbook and design professionals, PTA parents, and journalists looked through every submission in a blind judging. They evaluated your submissions on

• Layout design
• Storytelling
• Visual elements and their relevance to content

Grand Prize Winner: Northern High School, Durham, NC

Remember those prom dress-I’ll-know-when-I-see-it vibes? That was our impression of Northern High’s homecoming spread. It was unanimous. As soon as the panel saw this spread, “This is it.” 

The “Polaris” staff at Northern High earned ten free yearbooks, a $500 Amazon gift card, and a $200 pizza party to enjoy as a staff.

“Our goal is twofold: To show that we are all part of our school community and school culture and to illustrate that there's more to us than meets the eye,” junior Nourriah Scott said.

Their yearbook theme, “All 'N' the Details," is both traditional (check out the classic typography) while adding modern design elements. Their theme goes beyond the visual and uses the narrative to showcase all aspects of an event.

“As the viewer travels through the spread,” Scott said, “they learn there's more to it: the court, the cheerleaders, the band, the crowd. Homecoming is just a single event in the course of an entire school year, and look how many people and parts of our school are involved in making it magical.”

Why we Loved this Design:

The details emerge once you get beyond the wow factor from the colors. Homecoming is written in a font similar to a letterman’s jacket and, as the main entry point to the spread, is behind the football team. This is a student-first design.

Additionally, the use of COB (cut-out background) photos enhances the design. The yearbook team positioned the sharp edge in the gutter and used a gradient to fade out the other.

Design hierarchy also played a key role. The story crosses both pages, bolded ledes give the reader even more entry points, and candid photos highlight all the participant groups. They indeed are “All ‘N.”

Bonus: As a Title I school, the “Polaris” staff does not have access to Adobe or other paid design tools. They created their winning spread using the Treering yearbook builder and free, web-based photo editing tools.

Runners Up

For hours, we had a solid 26 spreads on display and our panel highlighted the merits of each. When we returned to the original judging criteria, five emerged. In alphabetical order by school name, the following schools each earned three free yearbooks and a $50 Amazon gift card.

Finalist: East Stroudsburg High School North, Dingmans Ferry, PA

While this isn't the first time we've seen a streaming media look, it is one of the best iterations. The team at ESHSN used the cheer individual photos to create a movie poster on the right and recapped the season as the program description. 

Across the top are the TWOLF values “intended to promote the application of knowledge, develop healthy identities and decision-making skills, achieve goals, manage emotions, show empathy, and establish healthy relationships,” Adviser Keisha Agard-Thomassine said.

Why we Loved this Design

One word: color. The school color is front and center in a spread centered around the spirit-makers. Timberwolf blue is used on the yearbook logo and as a button. The analogous purple makes it pop further.

“We beam with pride over here,” Agard-Thomassine said.

The subtle detail of the group photo in the background adds another layer of complexity to a bold and balanced spread.

Finalist: North Star Academy, Redwood City, CA

Without seeing the entire book, you know there is a strong connection to theme: the aqua and goldenrod ovals and bold typeface are evidence of a solid style guide. 

Adviser Carol Landers has a class of 30 students in grades 4-8 who help work on the book. She reserved this tribute to promoting students for herself.

Why we Loved this Design

Each eighth grader had their moment to shine with both a personality photo and a baby photo. Landers said parents contributed “photos of their students holding an object or pet or doing an activity that is important to [them].”

This highlights each student individually while using the promotion year 25 as the thread that connects them. Brilliant.

Landers employed a Google Form to solicit submissions from parents, and she’s planning ahead: “I just learned about Treering’s ‘secondary photo’ feature, so I look forward to trying that out next year.”

Finalist: Seabury Hall, Makawao, HI

“This spread is not just a collection of memories but a tribute to the dedication and creativity of Seabury Hall’s performing arts program,” designer Ethan Berry said, “preserving moments that will inspire future generations.”

Adviser Dakota Grossman is proud of Berry, a sophomore, who worked on this page solo. She said she helped in the brainstorming phase, and this is just one of his designs for Seabury Hall’s scrapbook-themed yearbook.

Why we Loved this Design:

Grossman said, “[Berry] truly paid attention to every detail—there's meaning behind every photo, graphic, and sentence on that page.”

That intentionality appears in the second, third, and fourth looks: beyond the colors, layers, and texture are student voices, photos of the cast in action, and a passionate narrative from the program director. 

Visually, it is stunning. The narrative is compelling. 

We wholeheartedly echo Grossman’s pride in Berry. 

Finalist: Vanguard Beethoven Secondary, Pharr, TX

Bright, nostalgic, and playful, this spread is a showstopper. Baby photos capture the earliest moments of every senior’s journey, making this spread a heartfelt tribute.

Why we Loved this Design:

Aguilar’s vision is to blend a traditional yearbook with a multimedia presentation for the 58 seniors on their growing campus. 

“The plan was to scatter all senior baby pictures,” Aguilar said. “I took it to the next level and created a media slideshow and have a QR [code] for everyone to view.”

It’s an elevated take on a yearbook classic. And we’re here for it.

Finalist: Washington Montessori Public Charter School, Washington, NC

Senior Cadence Mallette’s creation could not go in any yearbook. This is uniquely WMPCS. She organized the yearbook team to capture student art, photos of the school and students interacting with their environment, student quotes, and a campus map. If that were a to-do list, it would look overwhelming.

Mallard made it work.

Why we Loved this Design:

We loved the mixed-media approach to this spread. Students in grades kindergarten through 11 submitted animals that share their habitat with WMPCS. Seniors drew the school mascot, a bald eagle. The winners made it on the spread.

Adviser Meredith Loughlin said this approach “united our yearbook group members while connecting them with our local ecosystem.”

This focus on unity also made it a winner. Sometimes, K-12 communities create separate upper and lower school content. Mallette’s design gives us a picture of whole-school approach.

Honorable Mentions

Because that’s not enough yearbook design inspiration, we want to call out these brilliant designs from elementary, middle, high, charter, and home schools.

Academy Days Co-op, Alliance Ouchi-O'Donovan 6-12 Complex, Alliance Renee and Meyer Luskin, Academy High School, Alma d'arte Charter High School, American Community School, Ancheta Academy, Assumption Catholic School, Atlanta Speech School - Stepping Stones, Atsa' Biya' A'ZH Community School, Auburn Hills Christian School, Avalon Middle School, Azle Christian School, Brush Middle School, Camas Connect Academy, Carencro High, CHESS Christian School, Chesterton Elementary School, City Garden School, Classical Conversations Folsom, Coconut Creek Elementary School, Cranberry Area High School, Cunha Intermediate School, Davis Intermediate School, Delhi High School, East Moline Early Learning Center, El Sobrante Christian School, El Tejon Middle School, Foothills Community Christian School, Fort Fairfield High School, Frank Bergman Elementary, Franklin Elementary School, Frederick Douglass High School, Frost ISD, Gate City Elementary, GEMS World Academy, Ghidotti Early College High School, Glencliff High School, Global Impact Academy, Global Impact Academy STEM High School, Heritage Christian School, Hilger Higher Learning, Hinsdale Elementary School, HomeWorks, HOPE Christian Academy, Indian Prairie Elementary School, John Glenn High School, Joyful Journey, Kennedy Middle School, Lakeside Christian School, Lakeside Elementary, Liberty Christian School, Maple Manor, Marfa, Marsh Grammar School, Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, Mary Morgan Elementary School, Maywood Center for Enriched Studies, Meiklejohn Elementary, Midland Elementary, Miraglia's Globetrotters, Mt. Everett Regional, NJWT New Jerusalem Worship Temple, North Bergen High School, O'Farrell Charter School, Options For Youth, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Pinewood Intermediate, Pioneer Junior High, PRCES, Prune Hill Elementary, Quail Run Elementary, Rincon, University Marching Band, RISE HS, Rocky Mountain Classical Academy, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, Roseville Pathways, Ruth Batson Academy, Sacred Hearts School, Shatekon Elementary School, Shirley Hills Primary School, Smith Community Christian Co-Op, Soldier Hollow Charter School, Soldotna High School, South Orangetown Middle School, St. Jude Catholic School, Stratford Schools Fremont Boulevard, Stuart Paddock, Students On Academic Rise (S.O.A.R. High School), Swansea High Freshman Academy, Tandem Friends School, Tenor High School, Tenor High School | Cathedral Square Campus, TGU Granville, The Learning Connection (TLC), The Nova Center, Thomas J. McMahon Elementary School, Thomas Russell Middle School, Tri-County Homeschoolers, Victor H. Hexter Elementary, Vista del Mar, Wallace Elementary, Washington Middle School, Westlake Elementary, Westmont Jr. High School, Westside Global Awareness Magnet, Willett Elementary School

Calling all Treering yearbook creators! It is contest time. Share your best designs for the 2025 design contest—collage, academics, athletics, modular, portrait pages, superlatives—we want to see them all.

Entry Period

The submission period is March 4-18, 2025. Submissions will close at 11:59 PM PDT.

Eligibility

Entrants must be 18 or older and a current editor at a US Treering school for the 2024-2025 school year.

To participate, complete the submission form and include a screenshot of your favorite yearbook spread. A yearbook spread is two-facing pages. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Winner Selection and Notification

A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and graphic designers will select the winners. Judging criteria include:

• Layout design
• Storytelling
• Visual elements and their relevance to content

We will notify all the winners via email and phone on Monday, March 24, 2025.

Prizes

One Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 Amazon gift card, a $200 pizza party, and 10 free yearbooks for their school.

Five Runners Up will each receive a $50 Amazon gift card and three free yearbooks for their school.

By Friday, April 4, winners will receive gift cards via the email provided in the form. The free book code will be under “free books” on your school’s editor dashboard.

Release

By submitting your yearbook spread, you have verified the approval of others pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to treering.com, social media, and mass media.

Contest FAQs

Your precious memories deserve more than just floating in the digital ether! It's time to bring your favorite moments to life all year long with our new customizable photo gift line. Join our contest and give your cherished memories the tangible presence they deserve.

For Treering's Cloud Breakout, share a photo of a special memory that's been trapped in your Cloud storage, yearning to break free. Tell us why this moment deserves to escape the digital realm and become a physical keepsake. Your liberated memory could win you a $100 holiday shopping spree with our new customizable photo gift products!

Official Participation Rules and Steps to Enter

1. You must be at least 18 years old and a parent, faculty/staff member, or student at a Treering school to participate.
2. Valid posts must include an original photo and a caption on what makes this memory special.
3. To participate, you must have a public Instagram account. Entries open from October 14 to November 1, 2024.
4. Share your photo on Instagram with #TreeringCloudBreakout and tag us @TreeringCorp
5. Instagram photo posts are due by November 1, 2024 by 11:59 PM PT. No late or incomplete entries will be accepted.

Judging and Finalist Selection

A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and social media managers will select five winners. Photo criteria will be based on: the creativity of the photo, emotional impact of the accompanying caption, and overall aesthetic appeal.

Winning photo designs will appear on Instagram on November 8, 2024.

Prizes

Treering will notify #TreeringCloudBreakout Contest Winners via Instagram stories and posts by Friday, November 8, 2024.

A total of five individual winners will receive a $100 Treering product credit (yearbooks are not eligible purchases). Use on canvas enlargements, blankets, ornaments, yard signs, apparel, and more.

Ownership

By submitting your photo memory, you have verified the approval of others pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to showcasing on www.treering.com, sharing on social media, and sharing with media.
If you have any questions, contact us at marketing@treering.com.

We love nothing more than seeing yearbooks personalized with each student's memories. Custom pages embedded within the pages of classmates, activities, and school-wide celebrations deliver more than memories. They celebrate the uniqueness of the individual holding the yearbook. Congratulations to all the parents who created and shared their designs. The following six wowed our panel of designers and yearbook parents to earn the top honors in either the K-8 category or high school one.

K-8 Custom Page Winners

First Place: Laura Dauley, IL

"I wanted to honor Harper’s eleven years at Mayer with custom pages that show her journey from beginning to end," Dauley said.

Why we loved it: this spread looks like it could be a magazine ad. It's clean. The photos have a strong alignment. Dauley's use of the canary for both Harper's name and the years adds balance where the polo shirt could have been a distraction. The negative space in the parent message is a place of rest for the eyes among the thirteen photographs.

Second Place: Nicki Prettol, TX

Since her son loves baseball, "it seemed fitting to give him baseball-themed custom pages," Prettol said.

Why we loved it: Again, the use of color made the designers on the judging panel smile: the orange is in both photos and text, unifying the design. From the stats on the left-facing page, to the highlights on the right, Prettol used a little text to make a big impact.

Third Place: Colleen Packman, TX

"As his elementary 'mission' comes to an end," said Packman, "I couldn't think of a better way to represent his time than to relate it to one of his favorite hobbies."

Why we loved it: E-sports and cyberpunk are trending in the design world. That alone made us take a second, third, fourth (you get it) look. She used subheadings to organize the content in a game UI.

High School Custom Page Winners

First Place: Ethan Scrogham, IL

"This year I am a senior and wanted to put something to show all of my accomplishments and activities," said Scrogham. He compiled this spread using photos from the past four years.

Why we loved it: The story. Scrogham's involvement increased each year (as did his smile). Seeing a freshman on the court wearing a mask grow into a campus leader is a portrait of resilience.

Second Place: Amie Kelp, MI

"This [creating a custom page] is the best way to personalize a book possible," Kelp said. She created over ten to celebrate her daughter and the memories they made.

Why we loved it: The title made us smile, as did the pet photos. Kelp used the border color to visually connect related adventures, which brought some order to the collages.

Third Place: Kirsten Megaro, NJ

Megaro said, "As homeschoolers, most of life is part of our learning. This first spread gives an overview of our year." Each child also has their own spotlight custom pages spread for their personal memories.

Why we loved it: This spread shows the impact three people can have on their family and community. Megaro matched the photo styles bringing unity to the various backgrounds and locales. She also made the busy background work by using white text blocks with transparency.

We took to Instagram and you told us what you want to include; now show us your creations! Treering’s custom pages design contest is back! And since it’s Treering’s 15th birthday, we’re stuffing the winner’s goodie bags with even more custom pages and Amazon gift cards.

Official Participation Rules and Steps to Enter

1. You must be at least 18 years old and a parent, faculty/staff member, or student at a Treering school to participate. 
2. To participate, complete the submission form. Entries are open from April 3rd to April 17, 2024.
3. Share your custom page designs on social with #treeringmemorymaker for a bonus point.
4. Submissions are due by Wednesday, April 17, 2024, by 8 PM PT. No late or incomplete entries will be accepted.

Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Social Sharing

To share the post using your personal Facebook and/or Instagram account,

• Include the screenshot of your custom pages in your post.
• Tag @treering on Facebook and @treeringcorp on Instagram in your post.
• Use the hashtag #treeringmemorymaker in your post.
• Ensure this post is shared publicly so we can see it and include your submission.

Judging and Finalist Selection

A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and graphic designers will select first, second, and third-place winners from two categories: 

• K-8 Parents
• High School

Winning spread designs will appear on the blog, Facebook, and Instagram on April 23, 2024.

Prizes

Treering will send Memory Marvel: 2024 Custom Page Design Contest Winners prizes by Friday, April 26, 2024.

K-8 Parents

High School

Ownership

By submitting your custom page designs, you have verified the approval of others pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to showcasing on www.treering.com, sharing on social media, and sharing with media. 

If you have any questions, contact us at marketing@treering.com.

The 2024 Design Contest Winners are the most diverse collection to date. 

“Every year, our editors craft spreads that wow and inspire our judging staff.” said Marketing Manager Megan P.

With nearly 50 creatives combing through the submissions, each looked for their ideal. Purists advocated for hierarchy and balance, journalists dug through each piece of copy for the stories, graphic designers sought out-of-the-box applications, and empaths soaked in every moment. The three winners for each category are below, plus some favorites we had to showcase.

Lone Rangers (Teams of One or Two)

Solo yearbook coordinators hold a special place in our hearts; that’s why they have their own category. They tackle both administrative and creative tasks. They are the face and hands of their yearbook programs. And they shared some legendary spreads.

First Place Winner: Arianna Fang, Thomas Russell Middle School

Arianna Fang displays an understanding of how repetition and consistency enhance design. Fang uses several colors in the swirls and accents. They all share a palette, bringing harmony. One judge called out the “pop” the palette brings to each page.

“I love the use of color and design throughout this spread,” a second judge said. “It immediately sucked me in and made me want to read the page.”

Her spread uses elements of art to showcase students at work. From photo frames that look like brushstrokes to the dotted stroke details on the edging of a few photos, there is a DIY aspect. She also repeats the purple accents as a wash and leopard spots in different levels of transparency, bringing balance. 

“Even with all the elements on the pages, it has good movement and interest,” a judge said.

“Art is expressing ourselves,” Fang said. “And if you believe in the beauty of art, you can achieve wonders.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Second Place Winner: Karen Goodchild, COACH

Karen Goodchild had us at her brilliant use of modular design. Her spread has a variety of stories, excellent hierarchy, and multiple reader entry points. Several judges called out the detail of students holding up the page numbers.

“This entry includes a lot [over 60] of students without overwhelming the spread,” a judge said.

A dark background could be problematic. Goodchild demonstrates mastery of contrast by ensuring all the copy is readable.

“I appreciate the balance of traditional yearbook content with fun graphics and content,” a judge said.

Third Place Winner: Sabrina Reimann, Westmont Junior High School

First day traditions at Westmont Junior High include red carpet and music on campus. “Our 6th graders are always nervous, and we make it welcoming for them,” Sabrina Reimann said.

This spread captures that energy.

The DIY look is a huge graphic design trend. It resonated with several judges who said, “The bulletin board vibes take me right back to the first day of school” and “This looks like my school yearbook.”

The layered effect helps the art and photos work together.

“It is a fantastic representation of what you can design with Treering's available background and graphic options,” a judge said.

Group Gurus (Teams of Three or More)

While yearbook clubs and classes use teamwork to create their books, they do it while balancing delegation, learning communication, and trusting one another. The top three team collaborations had little in common stylistically. Where the won the hearts of the judges is in their storytelling.

First Place: Jensen Ranch Elementary

Many judges-slash-parents had an emotive reaction to seeing these role models and campus influencers on display in this way.

“Students are going to revisit these pages because not only are they able to see their teachers’ photos as a blast from the past, but their words are influential,” a judge said.

These “relatable” and “heartwarming” “pearls” (the judges’ words) are the result of the yearbook team’s efforts. They collected the quotes and photos, a labor-intensive task in itself, and organized them in the winning design with uniform sizing to keep such a content-rich spread from becoming cluttered. 

Adviser Johnetta Maduakolam said, “It captures the essence of our school community from the past to the present.”

Second Place: North Star Academy

Ownership.

“None of the 22 students [in the yearbook program] actually chose to be there,” Adviser Carol Landers said, “Once we got the Treering software, the excitement kicked in, and kids started asking for jobs.”

Now look at them. From theme explanation and the colophon to the stats (hello, 86% in the yearbook 2x or more) and job descriptions, the team at North Star Academy used the space to educate others on their campus about the facets of yearbooking. 

From a visual perspective, there’s so much more to love about this spread:

• “Great mix of images and text to carry the reader’s eye through the spread.”
• “Colors are cohesive and match a beachy theme.”
• “Loved seeing the theme subtly applied to the background, colors, graphics, and text.”
• “Great use of space, equal and consistent spacing, and font choices.”

Third Place: Northern High School

Our love of this spread stems from the fact that everything points back to the theme:

• Wordplay
• Blueprint background “pulls it all together“
• Storytelling

“I love the story that this spread is telling,” a judge said. “You can tell that the school is building and making a positive change for the students.”

The team at Northern took care to design each module to fit the content. For example, the timeline is a graphic quick read, and the first-day saga is a feature story with multiple perspectives. The photography is also diverse: action, headshots, groups, and in-progress views.

“It gives readers a great sense of this school’s big move,” another judge said.

Design Contest Honorable Mentions

The above slidwshow contains designs from

• Karen Goodchild, COACH
• Matt Jones, Mission Oak High School
• Carren Joye, Academy Days Co-op
• Carol Landers, North Star Academy
• Yuri Nwosu, Lennox Middle School
• Brooklyn Vanderhey, Brookings-Harbor High School
• Bri Webb, Rooted Christian Co-op