Every April, thousands of dancers, musicians, and singers descend on the New England Folk Festival to spin, stomp, jam, and chorus their way through a weekend of pure folk joy — and we want your art on their T-shirts. Show us the swirl of a contra line, the clash of morris sticks, the jangle of fiddles and banjos and pennywhistles all going at once, the hush before a big sing breaks into harmony, the joyous blooming of spring, even a touch of whimsy with animals in folk art. Whatever corner of the tradition speaks to you, let us see it — we want a design that makes every kind of Festival-goer point and say “that’s us,” not just the folks who do your favorite type of dance. Not looking for a polished, stock-art look — we want an eye-catching design with few colors, with a real hand and voice behind it, bold and a little rough around the edges. And don’t forget: “NEFFA” and “2027” need to show up somewhere in the design, blended in or shouted out loud.
Shirts are midweight 100% cotton, and we sometimes add a second background color to make the women’s/contoured cut work. Check out the full tech spec here. You can review past t-shirt designs on the cover of the NEFFA Program Books here.
One more thing: if your design is chosen, expect a little back-and-forth as we tune it for print — think of it as the final verse, not a rewrite. The selected designer will receive a $300 honorarium and two free T-shirts in your choice of sizes. The final design becomes the property of NEFFA.
Ready to make thousands of dancers wear your art all weekend? Send your submission (or your questions) to t-shirts@neffa.org no later than December 15, 2026. Thanks!