More than 700 L.A. County Residents Have Registered to Compete—With Less Than One Week Remaining, Most Entrants are from City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, West Hollywood, Pasadena and Santa Monica.
Five of Los Angeles County’s most esteemed experts in public art and cultural exhibitions will select four finalists in the contest to design the official poster for FIFA World Cup 26 Los Angeles™, the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee announced today. L.A. County residents aged 18 and older are eligible to enter their original artwork through Sunday, November 17.
Convened by the Annenberg Foundation, which the Host Committee works closely with to reach and elevate emerging local designers and artists, the selection committee includes:
Ann Philbin – Philbin serves as the director of the Hammer Museum. She launched the internationally acclaimed Hammer Projects series, showcasing young and emerging artists, and the signature Made in L.A. biennial—a staple of the West Coast art scene that reinforced Los Angeles as one of the world’s leading art hubs. Prior to the Hammer, Ann was the director of the Drawing Center in New York City. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.
Glenn Kaino – Kaino is a multimedia conceptual contemporary artist, Emmy- and Webby-winning producer and documentarian. His work includes the sculptures “Sails,” moored at the main entrance of the Intuit Dome, and “Bridge,” which debuted this summer at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Kaino’s work is a part of collections at the Hammer, Los Angeles and Orange County Museums of Art and many others in the U.S. He is originally from East L.A.
Kristin Sakoda – Sakoda is director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture advancing arts, culture, and creativity with a portfolio of grants, arts education, civic art, cultural policy, creative career pathways, research, and special initiatives. An arts funder, attorney, and performing artist, her multifaceted career includes performing with Urban Bush Women dance and social justice company and the original Broadway cast of Mamma Mia!, leadership roles at New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and artistic collaborations for the 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad. She serves on the board of Grantmakers in the Arts.
Joy Simmons – Simmons is a physician and avid collector who sits on the Boards of the Smithsonian American Art Museum as well as the California African American Art Museum. She is currently Senior Art and Exhibition Advisor for Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3 mile public art corridor in L.A. that will be one of the largest Black public art projects in the U.S.
Dewey Tafoya – Tafoya is a Boyle Heights-born visual artist, master printer and assistant director of professional printmaking at Self Help Graphics, where he also was a teaching artist and volunteer for 20 years. His work has been exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and throughout Southern California, and features imagery that draws on urban landscapes, Chicanx culture, and Indigenous civilizations to interrogate and rebuild historical narratives.
The Los Angeles World Cup Poster Contest selection committee will review all submissions and select 12 semifinalists, who will receive $500 each, and an additional four finalists, three of whom will receive $2,500. The winner ultimately will be chosen in collaboration with FIFA to serve as L.A.’s official poster, and its designer will receive $20,000. The poster will be featured prominently as L.A. prepares to host eight matches for the FIFA World Cup™ in summer 2026.
Designs may be submitted online through Sunday, November 17. To register and submit a design, visit losangelesfwc26.com/poster-contest.
