In a celebration of National Library Week, Chris Collins announces the winners of the Book Joy t‑shirt design contest, which awarded $7,500 total to artists and the libraries that inspired them. The video introduces three winners: Logan, a printmaker from Ohio who chose Burchard Public Library and creates nature‑focused, absurdist comics; Sarah, a freelance illustrator from Maryland who selected the Brunswick Branch Library and blends sci‑fi/fantasy surrealism with humor to depict shared reading experiences; and grand‑prize winner Megan Quirk, a self‑taught digital illustrator and substitute librarian from Colorado who highlighted the Summit County Library System, drawing on her background in environmental education to illustrate a river‑raft scene with the tagline “Stories flow here.” Each winner explains their artistic inspiration and connection to their chosen library. Collins interjects a broader message about the importance of libraries amid funding cuts and book bans, quoting Brecht on art as a hammer, and emphasizes that each winner will donate half of their prize money back to their supporting library. The segment closes with a call to support local libraries, sign up for library cards, and stay tuned for future contests and related content.
Chapters
This year we celebrated National Library Week by giving away $7,500 to the artists and the libraries that shape them. We put out a call for the top t-shirt design showcasing Book Joy, and you answered. We received incredible artwork from creatives all over the country. Now that the votes have been tallied, certified, we're ready to announce the $5,000 grand prize winner.
Woo!
But first, let's meet the artist. Logan, our third place winner, is an artist and printmaker from Ohio.
I chose Burchard Public Library in Fremont, Ohio. I draw, I print, and bind each and every one of my little comic books here.
His work draws a lot of inspiration from nature with a really charming absurdist sensibility.
I mostly like to use pictures and words to explore our ecosystems and life in general.
All that really shines through with his t-shirt design. Books have this, like, power to be, like, portals to anywhere and everywhere.
They can, like, take you into imaginary worlds or very real worlds, or they can take you back home. I feel like a really good book can do that.
Next, our runner-up, Sarah, is an artist, freelance illustrator, and printmaker from Maryland.
I chose the Brunswick Branch Library in Frederick County Public Libraries in Maryland. My work is a mix of, like, weird, fantastical, surreal, with a touch of, like, humor and relatability to it.
She has this really distinctive style inspired by her favorite sci-fi and fantasy books. Here's the t-shirt she designed.
Explore new worlds together. The thing that I love the most about reading books is sharing them with others. So I wanted to illustrate people sitting on a park bench next to each other, together but also apart in their own little worlds, and then coming together in the top area of the composition, sharing the experiences that they're reading together.
Super talented and super fun. And then she even snuck in the little cat. Before I reveal our grand prize winner, I want to remind you of what this contest is really all about. Growing up, I didn't have much, but I had a library card. I had one before I even had a wallet. That little piece of plastic was my passport. It opened up my world and showed me what was really possible. But you know, the library I grew up in is barely scraping by. Funding is disappearing and books are being banned all the time. Berthold Brecht said, that art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it. We have to use our art to show up for the places that make it possible. Now, the big reveal. Our $5,000 grand prize winner, Megan Quirk.
Thank you.
She's a freelance digital illustrator and substitute librarian from Colorado. She's completely self-taught and Her muses are her chickens.
The library I chose was the Summit County Library System in Summit County, Colorado.
I'm a really big fan of her design.
I really love the connection to the outdoors. My background is in environmental education. I'm a naturalist, so like connecting books into the outdoors is always like a really— it's like a treat for myself to be able to unwind and disconnect from society. And then I love the tagline, "Stories flow here." I think my favorite way to listen to books outside is on a raft trip. So it was kind of like a connection to the flowing of the water and kind of just how stories kind of move in and out of your lives. That illustration on the picture was where I saw myself the most. It was kind of like a little self-portrait in a way too.
And she's got the girl on the river raft just kicking back. So fun. Libraries have done so much for all of us, and that's why each winner is donating half of their prize money to the libraries that supported their creativity and molded them into the artists they are today. We sent each of our winners to their libraries to share the good news and to learn about how we all can support these incredible places.
This library has been a part of my life for a very long time. Not only was it my first job, but it was also my father's first job. Just a couple of months ago, my mother retired from this library after 29 years.
I wanted to honor and say thank you to my boyfriend's mother, who actually works there. She's the one who actually told me about this contest. I wanted to support her in all that she does at the library.
Libraries are incredibly important to our community. We have a very tourist-centered community, so the library plays a continual source of connection for our year-round residents. Working here over the last 6 years since about COVID I have seen how important a library can be to its community. And so if you don't currently use your library, please go check it out. It's free, and the best way to support them is just to sign up for the library card and show them that you're using their resources.
A massive thank you to Logan, Sarah, and Megan, and everyone else who submitted their artwork. We had a great time celebrating books and libraries with you all. Get inspired to support your local libraries, whether that's volunteering, donating, or just showing up. In case you missed this contest and want in on the next one, sign up for our newsletter. Check out our interview series, Books That Changed My Life, on YouTube and everywhere else you consume podcasts. And if you want to showcase your book joy with one of these t-shirts, grab your favorite one at our website, booksthatchangedmylife.org. I'm Chris Collins, and thanks for watching, and we'll see you on the next one. We love books.
