Adam Smith

Adam Smith’s ‘The Wealth of Nation’ @ 250 Student Poster Competition (International)

The competition is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at Universities that are partnered with the University of Glasgow. 

Brief: 

Choose one idea from Adam Smith’s work and apply it to a major global challenge of the 21st century - such as sustainability, inequality or another issue. Then, redesign the front cover of The Wealth of Nations to reflect how Smith’s idea can help address that modern challenge. 

The competition will run from 9th March until 15th May 2026.  

Prize: 

  • £150 worth of mixed Adam Smith Business School and University of Glasgow merchandise (that will be mailed to the winner) 

How to enter: 

Redesign the front cover of Smith’s The Wealth of Nations - drawing upon a key insight from his work, paying attention to the following: 

  • Entrants are welcome to choose the style of the front cover – ideas might include (but are not limited to) photographs, drawings, collages, cartoons (AI-generated ideas are fine, however AI-generated designs will not be accepted). 
  • Entries should be sent to business-events@gla.systa-s.com with the email title ‘WoN International Poster Competition Entry’. 
  • Please include a short description or explanation of your cover and also which Adam Smith idea it conveys. Also, in what way it is relevant to the 21st Century (this should be no more than 500 words). 
  • Your front cover should be uploaded in one of the following formats: jpeg, png, pdf or word.

Further information: 

Shortlisted entries will be displayed at the Wealth of Nations Conference 2026 at the University of Glasgow. Please refer to the competition terms & conditions below for further information. 

Submit your entry (International)

Are you a UofG student? Please visit our UofG student competition information.

If you require further information about the competition, contact: business-events@gla.systa-s.com 

Terms and Conditions (please read all T&Cs before submitting an entry):

1 PARAMETERS  

  1. The competition will be open from 2.00pm on Monday 9 March 2026 and will close on Friday 15 May 2026 at 5.00pm (GMT). 
  2. The competition is free to enter.  
  3. After the competition closes, a minimum of three independent judges will collectively decide on 10 shortlisted finalists.  
  4. The judges will have access to the anonymised entries.  
  5. The shortlisted entries will then be judged by a panel that will include a senior official at the University of Glasgow and a senior official at a partnership university. 

2 ENTRY  

  1. Students must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University of Glasgow or one of its international partner universities at the time of submission. 
  2. Students can only enter the competition as an individual, no group entries are permitted.  
  3. Students can only enter the competition once.  
  4. Entries should be sent to business-events@gla.systa-s.com   
  5. All information asked for on the form must be provided for the entry to be considered.  
  6. All entrants will be asked to indicate if they are happy for their entry to be shared on social media.  
  7. Shortlisted entries will be asked to complete a GDPR form so their entry can be publicised on social media.  
  8. The front cover and written description/explanation should be uploaded in one of  the following formats: jpeg, png, pdf or word.  
  9. Entrants may use AI tools for conceptual inspiration; however, the submitted design must be the entrant’s original creative work and must not be fully generated by AI image-generation tools. 
  10. By entering the competition, entrants confirm that their submission is their own original work and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. 
  11. Entrants will retain copyright of their submitted design. By entering the competition, entrants grant the University of Glasgow a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, publish, and display the submitted design for promotional, educational, and publicity purposes relating to the competition and associated events. 

3 PRIZE  

  1. The prize of £150 of mixed Adam Smith Business School and University of Glasgow merchandise will be mailed as soon as we have an address provided by the competition winner. The prize can be sent directly to the winner’s university of study, if required. 

4 JUDGING  

  1. Judging will take the form of comparison against the established criteria (see below).  
  2. No members of any judging panel are involved in the organisation of the competition or will have access to the deanonymised entries.  
  3. Judges will be asked to declare any conflict of interests and will not be allowed to  enter the competition themselves.  
  4. Judging will take place in two stages.  
  • Stage one: After the closure of the competition, the team at the University of Glasgow will compile a shortlist using anonymous submissions and ranked using the published criteria.  
  • Stage two: The shortlisted entries will then be judged by the previously mentioned panel of judges. 
  • Judging criteria will be as follows:  
    • Interpretation of the Brief - assesses how effectively the design responds to the competition brief. 
    • Concept & Strength of Idea - evaluates the clarity, depth, and relevance of the underlying concept and how it relates to the central themes in The Wealth of Nations. 
    • Creativity & Innovation - measures originality and inventive approach. 
    • Visual Communication & Impact - assesses how effectively the message is conveyed visually.