The Canva Africa Design Challenge 2025 invites young creators across Sub-Saharan Africa to showcase their creativity by designing practical templates that support small businesses, freelancers, and solo entrepreneurs. From WhatsApp product menus and business cards to email templates, social media layouts, brand kits, and creator rate cards, this challenge celebrates designs “for Africa, by Africa.”
Participants can submit as many entries as they want until 15 December 2025, giving every creator the chance to build strong, useful templates that could be published in Canva’s global library. Entries must include a short artist statement explaining who the design is for and how it helps local entrepreneurs.
The competition features a $10,000 prize pool, mentorship sessions with Canva’s design team, exclusive Canva swag, and the opportunity for winning templates to be showcased on major Canva Africa platforms. First-time designers, students, and professionals are all encouraged to participate.
Also Apply For: Snowflake Startup Innovation Challenge 2026 (Up to $500k)
How to Enter
- Create your template: Use Canva to design a template that solves a real need for African entrepreneurs—think invoices, price lists, menus, or social content.
- Submit your entry: Upload your design using the official entry form.
- Share your story: Add a brief statement (maximum 150 words) describing your design’s purpose.
Key Dates
- Submissions open: 31 October 2025
- Deadline: 15 December 2025
- Winners announced: January 2026
Prizes
- Five winners, each receives $2,000 (R34,000)
- One-hour mentorship session with Canva designers
- Canva Pro subscription
- Winning templates featured in Canva’s library and promoted on Canva Africa channels
This challenge is a powerful opportunity for African designers to gain visibility, build their portfolio, and create tools that uplift businesses across the continent.
For more information, visit the Canva Africa Design Challenge.
