Original Designs Now Accepted for Starbucks EMEA Partner Cup Contest

The third in a line of Starbucks White Cup Contests launches today, this time for partners (employees) in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

“Our region includes 36 markets and is growing all of the time,” said Victoria Cornwall, partner communications manager, Starbucks EMEA. “This contest is a great way to shine a light on the region as a whole.”

In April 2014, Starbucks launched its first White Cup Contest, inviting customers in the U.S. and Canada to decorate a Starbucks cup with customized art and the winning design would be printed on limited edition Starbucks reusable plastic cups. Brita Lynn Thompson proved triumphant with her intricate black and white illustration selected as the winning design.

A year later, a similar contest was announced for Starbucks partners in the U.S. and Canada that yielded not one, but three winners, whose designs are currently displayed on reusable plastic cups in participating North America Starbucks stores while supplies last.

“The U.S. contests inspired us to do something similar in EMEA,” said Cornwall. “We are keen on building a sense of regional identity and this is the perfect activity to do just that.

Submissions will be accepted from now through September 27. EMEA partners may create an original design on a cup, take a photograph and submit the image on Instagram using #emeapartnercup as the hashtag.

“Partners have license to be as creative as they choose. There are no limitations,” said Cornwall.

Partners from departments including Design, Marketing and Operations will serve as judges, and will select the winning design based on creativity and customer appeal. The winner will be crowned at the end of October and the winning design will appear on paper cups in Starbucks locations throughout EMEA for two weeks in the spring of 2016.

“I am certain that I will be surprised by the creativity of the designs,” said Anett Kristyak, marketing manager in Starbucks EMEA. “I believe that we will see an expression of warmth and belonging in the winning cup art that can cross borders and symbolize how unified we are as a region.”