Submit a Project
Students may submit projects for the 2027 qualification period through the submission portal.
The Fall submission window is June 15, 2026, to December 18, 2026, and the Spring submission window is December 19, 2026, to May 7, 2027.
To qualify for the Adobe Certified Professional U.S. National Championship a student must pass one of the following exams by the end of the qualification period:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Illustrator
After the student passes an exam, they must submit an original design project with accompanying source files (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or InDesign).
Designers who are chosen to compete, typically submit projects that could be used in a business setting. When submitting a project, students should consider:
- Both text and graphical design
- A call-to-action, where applicable
- Preparing the file for digital OR print distribution, where applicable
- Original artwork
- A variety of design elements, such as shape, color, space, form, line, value, and texture
Students can submit an original design project even if it does not include all the items listed.
2026 U.S. National Championship projects
At Certiport’s Adobe Certified Professional U.S. National Championship, student competitors are asked to create assets for a real business. In 2026, designers created posters and social media assets for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). Designers who are selected to compete in 2026 may be asked to design a similar project.
