Young Drummers Competition 2025

Mastercard Slovenia and Golden Drum invite you to participate in the Young Drummers Competition for the most creative idea and poster/poster series on the topic:

Jump into a World Where Everybody Belongs 

 

Young Drummers Competition opening: 6 June 2025
Deadline for submissions:
12 September 2025
Shortlist announced: 30 September 2025 at 8 AM (CET)
Winner/s announced: 14 October 2025
Entry format: creative idea and poster
Entry fee: 70 EUR (VAT not included)

 

ENTER WORK

 

Brief

Design a poster/poster series supported by a written explanation of the creative idea for Mastercard Slovenia on the topic:

Jump into a World Where Everyone Belongs

Since 1934 Planica has held the record of being the most important sports event in Slovenia (home of Golden Drum Festival), while Ski jumping/Ski flying is one of the Top-5 sports in Europe. In past years Mastercard has done many projects supporting different activities in sport, the biggest and most important one in Slovenia is World cup in Ski Flying in Planica, each year organized at the end of March. The event connects people/families with Priceless possibilities and it is logical that Mastercard is part of Slovenia’s most important sports story. 
 
CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Design a poster or a series of up to three posters supported by a written explanation of the creative idea for Mastercard Slovenia on the topic “Jump into a World Where Everyone Belongs.”
 
This year’s creative challenge invites you to write and design an invitation to one of the most extraordinary sporting events in the world – the Ski Jumping World Cup in Planica – but through the lens of Mastercard's values: inclusion, accessibility, sustainability and shared experience.
 
How would you inspire people to experience Planica as more than just a sports event? How would you visually invite the next generation to a place where technology connects, the planet matters, everyone is welcome, and the energy is shared?
 
We challenge you to combine the spirit of ski jumping and collective excitement with a deep emotional and visual message of belonging. Whether it’s through metaphor, movement, typography, or interaction – invite the world to Planica with a poster that makes everyone feel welcome.
 
TARGET GROUPS
The poster should target a new generation of sport experience seekers — young, socially conscious individuals (ages 18–35).
 
They care about inclusion, sustainability, shared energy, and the stories behind the moment.
They are digitally connected, environmentally aware, and culturally curious. They value events that reflect their beliefs and where they feel they belong — regardless of background, ability, or language.
 
COMMUNICATION GOALS
  • Portray Mastercard as a brand that empowers the next generation to lead with purpose.
  • Visually express the values of accessibility, sustainability, and connection in a sporting context.
  • Create excitement for the World Cup in Planica and present it as a modern, inclusive event.
  • Inspire international audiences to participate in events that create positive social and environmental impact.
TONE AND APPROACH
  • Bold, emotional, authentic.
  • Modern, youthful, purpose-driven.
  • Open to diverse artistic styles – illustration, photography, typography, AI-generated – as long as the story is clear.
IMPORTANT
The usage of the logo of the client (Mastercard Slovenia) in line with the brand name manual is mandatory. For additional inspiration follow Mastercard’s "Priceless" philosophy. All materials are available at the Mastercard’s Brand Center.
 
Also using AI tools is allowed, but please be aware of the copyright.
 
Should you use AI tools, you must respect the copyrights and also acknowledge this in a special field in the Golden Drum’s entry system.
 
All the rules and legal terms and conditions that apply to the competition should be carefully read.
 
Young Drummers Competition opening: June 2025
Deadline for submissions: 12 September 2025

Award

The author or authors of the best creative idea and poster/poster series will be awarded 1,000 EUR* prize by Mastercard Slovenia and Golden Drum Festival. The Golden Drum Festival will grant the winner/winners a free pass to attend the Golden Drum Festival with Golden Drum Awards Show from 13 to 14 October 2025. The winner/winners and its work will also be highlighted at the Golden Drum Festival 2025.
 
The prize will be awarded live at the Golden Drum on 14 October 2025 during the Festival program.
 
Authors of the shortlisted works will receive a free pass to attend the Golden Drum Festival 2025. Shortlisted posters and winner will be presented on the website www.goldendrum.com.

Jury

Young Drummers Competition Jury

  • Alexis Champa, Freelance Executive Creative Director – Jury President
  • Jessica Claar, Senior Vice President Marketing Communications, Mastercard Central Europe
  • Bianca Geater, Design Director, Dentsu Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Viktor Shkurba, Founder and Managing Partner, ISD Group, Ukraine
  • Adam Zdeb, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Warsaw, Poland

How to register & Technical requirements

SPECIAL CONDITION: PARTICIPANTS MUST BE YOUNGER THAN 30 YEARS OF AGE! 
 
The competition is open worldwide!*
 
*Golden Drum, international festival of creativity, has suspended Russia and Belarus from submitting entries into this year’s competition and from having representatives in the juries. 

 
 
 
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE YOUNG DRUMMERS COMPETITION:
 
  1. Registration and the submission of works: All works must be registered via the online registration system at engine.goldendrum.com 
  2. Registration fee: the registration fee is 70 EUR (VAT not included) per entry (series of posters can be considered as one entry or each of the posters can be entered individually and considered as separate entries). 
  3. Where and how to submit works: your work must be uploaded to the online registration system. Please observe the technical instructions for the submission of works carefully.
  4. Creative concept: one creative concept may include a creative idea and a poster/series of up to 3 posters (all parts/materials of the series must be included in one registration form). Each new creative concept must be registered and paid as a new entry. During judging, the following criteria will be considered: 60 % creative idea and 40 % poster/poster series design.
  5. Entrant: Creative idea and poster/poster series can have one or a maximum of two authors.
 
The entrant can enter 1 poster or a series of max. 3 posters.
 

LANGUAGE OF ENTRIES

All poster entry materials have to be submitted in English.
 

FORMATS OF THE SUBMITTED MATERIALS

Poster:
Poster materials must be submitted as JPEG files only. One picture file is mandatory. The name of the file must be identical to the name of the work. 
FORMATJPEG
Colour spaceRGB
DPI300 dpi
SizeThe longest side must be at least 420 mm.
File sizeup to 6 MB
 
Creative idea:
Submitted in a written form (from 1.500 to 2.000 characters with spacing).
 
If the candidate decides to enter a series of posters (max. 3), this should be specified in the creative idea that is submitted in the online entry system. 
 
All works submitted in the framework of the Young Drummers competition will be open for votes and published in the catalogue of works at www.goldendrum.com.
 
The awarded work or series will be shown at the Golden Drum on 14 October 2025 during the Festival program.
 
For more information, please write us at: [email protected].

Entry Fee Young Drummers

Entry FeeNET Price
Young Drummers Competition Entry70,00 €


* PRICE of the entry does not include 22% VAT.

VAT rules

In accordance with the Slovenian / EU rules and regulations on VAT, there are specific rules that we, as the organizer, need to apply:

  • VAT to be charged to all Slovenian legal persons and individuals.
  • VAT reverse charge procedure under Article 44 of VAT Directive for taxable person from EU having VAT identification number or taxable person from a third country possessing confirmation of being an economic operator.
  • VAT charged under Article 45 of VAT Directive for non-taxable person from EU or a third country.  
VAT number – a VAT rate of 22% applies in Slovenia. In order to correctly apply VAT on an invoice, we need your VAT number as well as your status of taxable or non-taxable person. Especially, this applies to the EU countries in relation to VAT reverse charge rule.
Please, do not enter any characters, other than numbers and letters. In case of wrong VAT number, the invoice will have to be cancelled and new one generated.

Competition rules

  • Only Young Drummers that are younger than 30 years (born after 14 October 1995) may take part, from all parts of the world.
  • Creative idea and poster/poster series can have one or a maximum of two authors.
  • One creative concept may include a series of posters (max. 3) with the same concept/idea (all parts/materials of the series must be included in one registration form). Each new creative concept must be registered and paid as a new entry.
  • No legal proceedings may be initiated against the jury.
  • The author/s declares that their work has never been published and that they are the owner of the copyrights thereof. It is the sole responsibility of the participants for the quality and ownership of copyrights for the submitted works. The participants shall hold the festival’s organiser harmless from any and all liabilities against any third parties.
  • Mastercard Slovenia shall receive a non-exclusive copyright to use the winning poster or poster series created for the competition Jump into a World Where Everyone Belongs – Young Drummers Competition. The creative idea and poster/posters will be used exclusively for the purposes of Mastercard Slovenia and material copyrights, which cannot be transferred to third parties. For all other entered works, Mastercard Slovenia can secure material copyrights themself, while the festival’s organiser arranges direct contact with the author.
  • Copyrights shall be valid without geographical constraints for the duration of the copyrights and shall include the right to adaptation.
  • The author/s of the winning creative idea and poster/poster series in the competition will transfer his/her material copyrights of the created works to Mastercard Slovenia without additional payment, namely:
    • the right of reproduction, which also includes the right to save in electronic form and to audio and visual recording,
    • the right of distribution,
    • rental right,
    • the right of public communication by means of phonograms and videograms,
    • the right of making available to the public, in the full and widest possible scope, as provided for and enabled by the applicable Copyright and Related Rights Act, including making it available to the public via a computer network (including the transfer or broadcasting of the author's work or its parts by means of reception and display, including computer video screens, monitors, namely via a global computer network that is used via the TCP/IP protocol - also known as the Internet or the World Wide Web) or some other network (including teletext distribution services, radio text and similar services, such as: pay-per channel, pay-per view, near video-on-demand and other forms of distribution or carriers) or using the telecommunications network (including WAP, UMTS, SMS, 3G and other services well-known telecommunication services, including so-called 'mobile telephony' services via GSM, GPRS, etc., with which the author's work can be made available to the public; landlines on services); the so-called multimedia rights that enable the simultaneous use of the author's work through several distribution systems or some other new technology systems that enable the communication of the author's works to the public;
    • the right of public presentation,
    • the right of broadcasting,
    • the right of rebroadcasting,
    • the right of secondary broadcasting,
    • the right of transformation,
    • the right of audiovisual adaptation.
  • The author/s agrees to have the submitted works published on www.goldendrum.com, used in press releases and, providing the works are shortlisted, to have them presented during the festival.
  • The participant authorises the festival’s organiser to show or publish their creative idea and poster solutions for the purposes of promoting the festival free of charge. The above authorisation shall be valid from 14 October 2025 to 14 October 2035 and may be used all over the world exclusively for the purposes of presenting the Golden Drum festival.
  • The participants must strictly comply with the registration rules. By completing and submitting the registration form, it is assumed that the participant fully accepts the terms and conditions of the competition. A breach of any of the registration rules shall lead to an automatic disqualification of the registered work. 
 
* The prize amount (1,000 EUR) is the gross value. The prize is taxed in line with Slovenian legislation, thus the appropriate amount for the advance tax payment shall be deducted. In case there are more than one author of the winning work, the monetary prize of 1,000 EUR is split between the authors.
 
Also see Judging rules & regulations.
 
For more information or questions about copyrights, please get in touch at: [email protected].

Judging rules and regulations

Judging Rules and Regulations for Young Drummers Competition

  1. Award-winning entry/ies will be selected by an international Jury.
  2. Members of the Jury and Secretary to the Jury are appointed by the Organizer.
  3. Each juror shall form his or her own opinion about the creativity and quality of entries independently, on the basis of his or her expertise, and shall award marks accordingly.
  4. The president of the Jury is responsible for the fairness of the judging and is appointed by the Organizer.
  5. All jury activities related to the judging of the Festival are coordinated by the Secretary to the Jury and supported by the necessary computer software and other technical equipment.
  6. All communication among the jurors and the Secretary shall be in English.
  7. The president of the Jury shall propose the judging and awarding criteria to the Jury before the judging process begins. Both the creative idea and the poster/poster series design will be considered during this time. Criteria for evaluation:  60 % creative idea and 40 % poster/poster series design.
  8. All members and the president of the jury shall have equal voting rights, and participate in the judging of registered entries. Each jury member shall make decisions independently and autonomously on the basis of his or her expertise, reputation and authority.
  9. The judging of entries in Young Drummers Competition shall be done on the basis of the entry presentations available to each jury member with the aid of online judging system. The first round of judging shall be done remotely online prior to the start of the Festival. Each jury member shall receive a list of entries and precise instructions prior to judging. Jury members shall examine all registered entries, mark each with a vote of YES or NO for inclusion on the shortlist. The shortlist shall tentatively include up to 20 % of top-ranked entries from which the winner will be selected in the second round of judging. The second round of judging shall be done online. Each jury will be brought together to judge the entries via online / video conference system at the same time to ensure a live debate and a fair evaluation of the work. Jury members shall discuss and present the winner on the basis of the consensus between jury members.
  10. Any juror who is in any way associated with the creation of an entry or its agency shall not judge that entry.
  11. Each juror may make objections and raise questions during the selection of the winner. At the request of the Jury president, he/she must provide reasons for his or her opinion.
  12. The decision of the Jury in all matters related to the awards is final and binding.
  13. Members of the jury are sworn to silence about their work as a juror and are prohibited from discussing the results with anyone prior to the official announcement in the festival’s program and at the award ceremony.
  14. Members of the Jury should take part in the presentation of shortlisted and awarded entries, organized in a form of public debate – if so proposed by the Organizer.
  15. The President of the Jury should also take part in the ceremony of the Festival where the Young Drummer prize will be given.
  16. Upon accepting membership on the Jury, each juror agrees to abide by the above rules.

For more information, please write us at: [email protected].

 

 

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