Mbabane — The Eswatini Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) has called on designers and branding professionals in Eswatini to enter the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) 50th Anniversary Logo Design Competition. With a submission deadline of 30 September 2025, participants stand to win US$1,000 for the best design.
The competition is open to nationals of ARIPO member states as well as ARIPO staff members. EIPO Registrar Dr Celucolo Dludlu said this initiative offers Emaswati creatives an opportunity to contribute to a continental symbol marking ARIPO’s five decades of work in promoting intellectual property across Africa.
Earlier this year, local designers attended a branding masterclass led by experts Dr Thebe Ikalafeng and Dr Mclean Sibanda, focusing on impactful and meaningful design principles. The organisers expect entries to reflect the lessons from that training.
According to the official guidelines published by ARIPO, the logo must:
- Clearly reference “50th Anniversary”
- Incorporate visual elements tied to African unity, innovation, and intellectual property protection
- Be original, distinctive, and free from resemblance to existing logos
- Be versatile — usable in colour and black-and-white formats, on digital and print media, including banners, publications, websites and souvenirs
- Be accompanied by a short description (maximum 200 words) explaining the symbolism behind the design
The competitor must also submit both colour and monochrome versions in high-resolution digital file formats, along with their name, contact details and affiliation. By entering, participants grant ARIPO perpetual, exclusive, royalty-free rights to use, reproduce, modify or distribute their logo for all anniversary communications and promotional purposes. The winning design and associated intellectual property rights will become the sole property of ARIPO.
Designers may submit their entries via email to mail@aripo.org with the subject “ARIPO 50th Anniversary Logo Competition.” For further clarity, local entrants can reach EIPO via phone or visit its offices in Mbabane’s Inter-Ministerial Building.
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