Mark your calendars and start your coffins for the 28th year of the Emma Crawford Coffin Races!
The Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce invites all community members, artists and graphic designers to submit their best T-shirt design for a chance to be the featured artist on the official 28th anniversary Emma Crawford commemorative T-shirt. The community can vote on all entries and the chamber’s board of directors will review entries to ensure the artwork meets technical specifications.
The winner will receive $50 in Manitou Money to be spent at participating local businesses, a 2022 coffin race T-shirt with your design and your name announced from the stage on race day.
Email digital files to coffinraces@manitouchamber.com or drop off original art at 354 Manitou Ave. The deadline for entry is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9. Voting begins the next week, Monday, Sept. 12, and ends Friday, Sept. 23.
Designers are encouraged to consider the canvas when selecting the art. Because this is the 28th year of coffin racing, artists should include the following words in their design, either as added type or incorporated in the artwork itself. They are: “Manitou Springs,” “Emma Crawford Coffin Races” and “28th annual” or “28th anniversary.”
Primary subject matter should be coffin-race related and work must be original. It’s open to all ages and there is no entry fee.
Submit digital designs as an individual JPG, PNG or PDF. Designs should be 16 inches by 20 inches, at 300 dpi. High-resolution files will be needed to print the design. High-quality art equals high-quality shirts.
The winning design will be announced Monday, Sept. 26. The winner will be notified by phone.
The Emma Crawford Coffin Races will take place Saturday, Oct. 29. Information is available by calling the chamber at 685-5089.
Anyone who’d like to enter the races should gather four fast friends and an “Emma” and enter now. Only 70 racing teams are accepted, so don’t delay. Deadline for application is Friday, Oct. 21, and teams are confirmed once the entry fee ($100) is paid in full.
Fill out this form to race: manitousprings.org/enter-the-coffin-races. If you’d rather just march in the parade, fill out this form: manitousprings.org/coffin-race-parade-application.