The opportunity to design official posters for the historic 2027 Grand Départs of the Tour de France is now available for art, design and creative students studying in the Cumberland Council area.
A Stage One finish in Carlisle and a Stage Two start in Keswick have been both confirmed for the 2027 Tour De France.
The men’s Tour de France will begin in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July 2027, with the opening stage finishing in Carlisle the same day, before stage two travels from Keswick on Saturday 3 July 2027 - through the Lake District and Lancashire to finish on The Strand in Liverpool the same day, under the watchful gaze of the city’s iconic waterfront.
The poster competition has been launched as part of the Grand Départ GB’s JOY social impact programme.
Students enrolled on art, design, graphics, creative and photography courses at further and higher education institutions across the local authority areas hosting each of the six stages - including the Cumberland Council area - can enter a competition that will ultimately select the official poster for the 2027 edition of each race.
Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy Places, added:
“We look forward to welcoming the globally renowned Tour De France to Cumberland. It will provide a big boost to the local economy and will showcase Cumberland to an international audience. We hope that our communities are inspired to get involved and promote the health and wellbeing of sport.
“The poster competition is a brilliant opportunity for students, studying in our area, to play a part in this amazing event. Take part and celebrate our area to a global audience.”
It is a long-standing tradition that each edition of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is represented by its own unique official poster, unveiled each October in Paris as part of ASO's official route presentation for the following year's races. As proud hosts of the 2027 Grand Départ, Britain has the honour of designing both posters - and Grand Départ GB is extending that opportunity to students.
Karen Jones, Business Manager, Institute of Education, Arts and Society at the University of Cumbria said:
"This competition sends a strong message to students studying creative subjects across local authority regions: you don’t have to go far to go far. It highlights that students can study locally while still having their work showcased on a global stage.
“The creative industries play a vital role in supporting and influencing many other sectors, and opportunities like this can have a lasting impact - helping to inspire, develop, and shape future careers. We look forward to working with the delivery partners on this exciting event.”
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will showcase the skills of UK-based designers at the world’s biggest annual sporting spectacle, when it comes to Britain in July 2027, marking the first occasion that both races have begun from the same country outside of France.
Used across the entire event, the artworks will be seen by millions, both on the roadside and worldwide, with the artwork being used by race organisers the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) across promotional materials, digital advertising and much more, making for an incredible opportunity for two students to truly go global with their work.
The competition is the first part of the JOY programme’s Arts & Culture strand to go live, with further opportunities for different communities to get involved and celebrate the Grand Départs creatively to follow.
Commenting on the competition, Tracy Power, on behalf of JOY, the Grand Départ GB 2027 social impact programme, said:
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for two talented students to showcase their creative skills on a truly global platform, and to forever be associated with this historic Grand Départ.
“The competition reflects the ambitions we have for JOY to be at the front and centre of the 2027 Grand Départ and we can’t wait to see the creativity of students and their submissions.”
An expert panel, headed by award winning artist Lucy Pittaway will judge the submissions. Shortlists for both the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be put forward by the Grand Départ GB 2027 panel to ASO, who will select the final winners for each race and then work with them to develop their designs ahead of the October reveal in Paris.
In addition to having their work showcased across the Grand Départs, both winning designers will be invited to Paris in October 2026 for the official unveiling of their work during ASO’s route presentation of the 2027 races and enjoy a hospitality experience at one of next year’s British stages.
The competition is open until 5pm on Friday 26 June 2026. Full details, including terms and conditions and how to enter, are available at www.letourgb.com/poster-competition
To find out more and stay up to date with the 2027 Grand Départs, including more information opportunities to volunteer, ahead of the opening of volunteer registration at the end of May 2026, visit letourgb.com