Convention Pin Contest

MOS CONVENTION PIN DESIGN CONTEST

For each convention, a pin design is selected and a pin given to each participant. Convention pins illustrate the convention year and a bird species appropriate to the convention site. Pin designs are selected by competition and are highly treasured convention souvenirs. Many convention attendees proudly display their colorful collection of pins going back many years.

---

RULES SUMMARY FOR 2026

Download the complete rules and information here

1. Entrants must be members of MOS.
2. Designs shall include a bird and the phrases “MOS” and the year of the convention in four-digit format (i.e, 2026). No other wording can appear on the front of the entry (species, entrant’s name, etc.).
3. The bird must be a representative bird for the area for that time of year for the convention site – in 2026 the convention will be held during May 15 – 17 in Solomons, Maryland. 
4. Each entrant may submit more than one design but is limited to three (3) entries.
5. The border or overall shape of the proposed pin shall be clearly indicated.
6. Each submission must be a photograph of the artwork itself. All designs should be in color.
7. The entrant’s name, address, chapter affiliation, phone number and email address and the species of bird must be included with each submission.
8. Entrants may not use others’ work or material copyrighted by others.
9. For the pin contest, photos of birds are not considered original artwork.
10. By entering the contest, the entrants agree that if their design wins it becomes the property of MOS, which has the right to use the design to promote the convention and for other MOS promotional and historical uses.
11. The winner will receive several of the finished pins for a personal portfolio.
12. The winner will not announce or mention the results of the contest until he/she is officially announced in the MD Yellowthroat, at the convention, or on the convention website.
13. The contest coordinator works closely with the pin company to ensure that the final pin is an accurate representation of the winning entry and of the species depicted. Decisions regarding the company’s draft design are made by the pin coordinator. On rare occasions the company may want us to ask the winning entrant for permission to make minor changes in the design, in order to accommodate the manufacturing process. If the entrant is unwilling to make these minor accommodations, we will select another design.
14. The contest opens on January 7, 2026, and ends on March 31, 2026. 
15. The contest coordinator is not one of the judges. The names of the judges are not revealed publicly, and a judge does not know the identities of the other judges.
16. Upload entries to: https://mdbirds.org/convention/convention-pin-design-submission/
17. Additional information: The following information may help you with your pin design. The final design will be made in the cloisonné process. The pins are stamped in metal and then given a shiny gold finish. The colors, in the form of liquid enamel, are injected into pockets in the design and the pins are then baked to harden the enamel. As each pocket (and therefore each color) is separated from surrounding pockets by a metal ridge, it is difficult to have tiny details and tiny areas of color in the pin. Also, shading within areas of color will be accomplished by color blocks, as you can see below how the red shading in the cardinal was implemented in the final design using two shades of red. The final size of the pin will be 1 1/8th inch in the largest dimension. Pins can be made in any shape so the final shape will be the shape of the winning design. Generally, the pins will be printed in 6 colors. See below for side-by-side photos of the winning design from the 2021 virtual convention contest and the resulting pin!
18. If you have questions contact Kathy Brown, the coordinator, at [email protected].

---

The contest opens January 7, 2026, and closes March 31, 2026

Submit pin designs here.

---

Prior year pin designs are available here.