Should AI designs be eligible for Iowa State Fair’s T-shirt contest?

Should people be able to use generative AI to win a design contest?

That’s the debate playing out on social media after the Iowa State Fair’s Blue Ribbon Foundation unveiled the finalists for its annual T-shirt design contest.

The Blue Ribbon Foundation deserves a bit of grace, said Chris Snider, an associate professor at Drake University who studies AI. The organizers probably did not realize just how much AI tools have changed the digital landscape, nor the controversy they’ve brought.

“To me, this is just a sign of the times,” Snider said. “We’re all very confused by AI right now, right? We don’t know how to trust, what is and isn’t AI.”

While comments on the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s Facebook post have since been turned off, comments on a version shared by the Iowa State Fair include “the AI is so embarrassing” and “your AI slop bores me.”

“Any time it’s tied to a business, people will judge the business or organization based on that,” Snider said. “People have higher expectations for certain organizations than they do for the everyday person that’s posting on social media.”

“What if the little old lady who wins the pie-baking contest uses an AI recipe for her pie? Would we be outraged?” Snider said.

Did Iowa State Fair T-shirt contest rules address AI?

The Blue Ribbon Foundation didn’t consider AI in its 2026 rules.

Submissions need to be drawn, printed or digital, with electronic submissions preferred, the contest’s rules stated. The design must also be screen printable with a maximum of five colors.

“Companies need to think about what they stand for and build a policy around that,” Snider said. “We never just say the world is anything goes.”

The foundation received around 100 submissions in 2026, Communications Manager Drew Sniezek said, a significant increase in the number they usually receive since they started the contest in 2020.

A panel of judges selected the five finalists based on their concept/originality, being striking and memorable, visibility and printability, the contest rules state. The designs were shared online and on the foundation’s website on May 11, with a fan vote to determine the winner open May 11-15. The winning design will be announced May 18.

Sniezek said they are already considering adding AI guidelines for next year’s contest.

When asked about what AI guidelines should look like, Snider said that a major legal issue with AI-generated artwork is that you can’t copyright it.

Some artists defend use of AI or computer programs in Iowa State Fair contest

AI allows Iowans with great ideas, but who lack design software, a chance to compete in the contest, one artist told the Register.

“I have some great ideas and in the past I’ve had to rely on friends and family to create those designs,” finalist Margo Fox wrote in a message to the Register. “The ISF is inclusive and so is this contest. Someone with a great idea can be involved thanks to AI software.”

Another artist said she used design software and a digital medium to achieve the contest’s screen printing requirements.

“I chose to work digital to create strong contrast, clean separation between colors, and bold visibility suitable for screen printing,” Alison Purtle said in a Facebook post.

Purtle, who makes other designs through oil painting and other mediums, called the concept, design and symbolism behind the design entirely her own.

The cow in her design represents her childhood memories of being a “true farm kid” growing up on a small beef cattle and row crop farm near the Mississippi River, she wrote.

“The phrase ‘Got Butter?’ — Well… what’s sweet corn without butter? What’s the Iowa State Fair without the iconic Butter Cow? And what’s a Midwestern farm upbringing without a little humor from a dad and true farmer who always had a joke to tell?” Purtle wrote.

“I truly entered this contest for the fun of the Fair and from the perspective of a farm kid with an idea,” Purtle wrote in a message to the Register. “To me, art has always been more about the idea, memory, emotion, and conversation it creates than simply the medium itself.”

A third designer, Alysa Radtke, told the Register that she did not use AI in her design and instead hand-drew it using Adobe Illustrator.

“With social media, people don’t know who the people behind the art are, and they judge,” said Radtke, who is a graphic designer.

Even though Radtke lives in Illinois, Iowa is her heritage. She’s been submitting to the T-shirt contest for a few years now to bring joy to her grandmother during her time in hospice.

She believes people can take this contest as a learning experience. In the future, it’s the fair’s responsibility to put AI guidelines in place, she said.

The Register was unable to reach two other finalists in the contest.

Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State Fair T-shirt contest challenged over AI designs