ATLANTA – February 22, 2017 – Atlanta Track Club today revealed the five finalists in the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt Design Contest. Finalists include three local professional designers and a graphic design student at Auburn University. Two of the designs chosen were submitted by Kevin Benton, a creative director and graphic designer. Another finalist, Bart Sasso, also made it into the top five of last year’s contest. The finalists were selected by a panel of judges representing Atlanta Track Club, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Mizuno.
Voting is now open to determine the winning design, which will be printed on a cotton-poly blend T-shirt, courtesy of Norcross-based Mizuno Running USA, and distributed to finishers of the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race.
“The fun of the AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt Design Contest is that our participants, along with the public, decide what design is showcased on 60,000 finisher’s shirts,” said Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club’s executive director. “Dozens of designs are submitted, thousands of votes will be cast, but in the end it comes down to one big surprise on race day.”
The five design finalists are:
1. Kevin Benton, Lawrenceville, GA
Creative Director/Graphic Designer
“Feelin’ Peachy”
2. Kevin Benton, Lawrenceville, GA
Creative Director/Graphic Designer
“American Peach”
3. Stephen Mullinax, Atlanta
Graphic Designer
“The Main Event”
4. Bart Sasso, Atlanta
Creative Director/Graphic Designer
“Farm to Finish Line”
5. Lydia Sweeney, Auburn, AL
Graphic Design Student, Auburn University
“Meet Me at the ‘S’ Balloon”
Voting for the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt design remains open through Wednesday, March 22 at AJC.com/peachtree. The winning design will be featured on 60,000 AJC Peachtree Road Race finisher’s shirts, and will be unveiled on July 4 at the 48th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. The winning artist will receive $1,000, and each of the three runners-up will receive $100 for their efforts.
“The AJC Peachtree Road Race has been my favorite Fourth of July tradition since I started running with my dad when I was young. This will be my 10th race,” said Stephen Mullinax, finalist of the 2017 AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt Design Contest. “I am honored and excited for my design to be considered.”
Atlanta Track Club, organizer of the AJC Peachtree Road Race, has used the T-shirt design contest to determine the design for the Peachtree finisher’s shirt since 1995. The 2016 T-shirt design was created by Cumming, Georgia, resident Shay Harbaugh, who she says was inspired by the themes of pride, heart and soul at the AJC Peachtree Road Race.
About Atlanta Track Club
Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. With more than 27,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Publix Georgia Marathon, PNC Atlanta 10 Miler and Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.
About the AJC Peachtree Road Race
The AJC Peachtree Road Race is a 10K event that takes place every Fourth of July in Atlanta, Georgia. The first Peachtree was held in 1970 and featured 110 finishers. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is now the largest 10K running event in the world with 60,000 participants. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is perhaps most famous for the coveted AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt, which is handed out to all the event finishers. For more information on the AJC Peachtree Road Race visit peachtreeroadrace.org or AJC.com/peachtree.
About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the leading source – both in print and online – of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a total print and online audience of 1.6 million people each week. Every month, nearly 6.9 million unique visitors access the newspaper’s websites, including AJC.com, myAJC.com and accessAtlanta.com. Our newsroom is the largest in Georgia with more than 150 journalists. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a publishing, digital media and broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.