UT Grand Prix 2022. This year, our T-shirt design competition is all about Peanuts!

The UT Grand Prix (UTGP), a design competition organized by UNIQLO, invites artists to use the T-shirt as a creative medium to express their creativity and send a message. The theme for 2022 is Peanuts, the beloved comic strip that depicts the simple, ordinary lives of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and their friends. With this theme, we are celebrating the 100th birthday of Charles M. Schulz, the artist behind this long-running comic with a global following. Let’s see how the contestants portrayed his distinctive characters!

Presenting the winners of UTGP2022!

GRAND PRIZE

I drew Snoopy in a minimalist style, using only horizontal lines. I feel like Snoopy’s silhouette has always been a part of my life. I used to wear a lot of UT when I was younger, so this feels like giving back. -Kazuhiko Okushita

SECOND PRIZE

I wanted to create a summery design. My favorite character is Woodstock. I didn’t really understand caricature when I was little and thought it looked strange, but now I think it is a cute, eye-catching way to illustrate. -Benio Tanaka

THIRD PRIZE

This piece is my imagining of the world of Peanuts, several years in the future. It’s a snapshot of an ordinary day in the lives of Snoopy and Charlie Brown that reflects my hope that their relationship never changes. -Teppei Koda

FEDERER PRIZE

I’m sure we’ve all seen clouds that look like food or animals, so I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cute to see a Snoopy-shaped cloud floating across the sky?” The great thing about Snoopy is that even a bit of creative interpretation can’t ruin his shape. -Tomoaki Inomata

The judges discuss Peanuts and the winning entries

Jean Forsyth Schulz
Founding Board President,Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

This contest is a wonderful opportunity for fans to use their creativity. The Peanuts characters and their stories are very personal to me because of the time I spend with them in the Charles M. Schulz Museum. I found myself drawn toward the designs, which treated the characters in a whimsical way.

Paige Braddock
Chief Creative Officer, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates

Each winning design had some unique quality that stood out to me, but most important was their appreciation for Schulz’s character design. Some of my favorite memories are of practicing drawing Snoopy all the time when I was learning to draw, as well as my frequent lunches with Mr. Schulz at the Warm Puppy Cafe in Santa Rosa.

Gina Huntsinger
Museum Director, Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

When I was thirteen, I was given a Snoopy radio that was so special, I kept it for decades. As a kid, I clipped out the Peanuts comic strips from the daily newspaper and saved them in a binder. I still have them to this day! The winning designs were fresh and unique, or they made me laugh—qualities they share with the Peanuts comic strip!

Message from Roger Fereder as the guest judge for UTGP2022

Roger Federer
Professional tennis player /UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador

Pro tennis player and UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador Roger Federer is the guest judge for this year’s UTGP. He says: “Peanuts, for me, is one of those iconic stories that was around before me and will be around forever. It is eternal, something that connects you to your childhood. Everybody who has read Peanuts has seen moments in the story that remind them of when they were young. Peanuts is also a part of my childhood, and of course I remember reading the comics. I have a Peanuts book at home that I just went to buy a couple of months ago at a bookstore, and it’s really nice to have at home. I also remember watching the cartoons on TV from time to time.” And about the competition, he says, “It was a little difficult having to choose one winner over others that I really liked. Regarding the winning design, I liked the freshness, the clouds, and the playfulness of Snoopy, who I think is a very iconic character. I thought people would really enjoy wearing it and looking at it—it creates a happy vibe!”

©2022 Peanuts Worldwide LLC