Winners will be selected by a jury made up of past Young Guns winners and others. The competitions regularly attract entries from upwards of 45 countries, with more than half coming from outside the United States. 

The programme is open to creatives age 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, either full-time or freelance. Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work in:
  • graphic design
  • advertising art direction and copywriting
  • architectural, environmental and interior design
  • industrial and product design
  • digital (UX / UI, experiential design, interactive, web design, apps, game development): film and animation (motion design, television, video)
  • fashion
  • typography and lettering, and
  • illustration and photography.
The online entry system is open, with the reduced fee early deadline being Sunday, 30 June. The regular deadline is Monday, 12 July 12 and the final deadline is Monday, 26 July. The 2021 winners will be announced in the fall.

All Young Guns winners will receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns cube, designed exclusively for 2021's incoming class. They will also have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website.

Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.

Programme branding and design of the cube award itself is reimagined each year by a past Young Gun winner. 2021's YG19 branding and award are designed by Simon Chénier-Gauvreau (YG12), head of design at TUX Creative, Montréal.

Themed 'Bright Days Await', the branding draws parallels between the bright future that Young Guns brings to a creative's career and that of a post-pandemic world. The campaign features vibrant, bucolic visuals to create a lighthearted and reassuring feel.

"Young Guns has a unique place in the creative world for considering a body of both professional and personal work from an individual, not just a single design or ad," concludes Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of The One Club. "Winning is special because we're celebrating a creative person's individuality, as well as elevating the next generation of creative leaders."

For more information, visit www.enter.youngguns.org. You can also follow Young Guns on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram