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Call for Maps

Maps tell powerful stories that educate, inspire, and unite us through the lens of geography. Submit your best work to showcase in the Map Gallery.

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Smiling person with long wavy blond hair wearing a dark jacket and holding a laptop against a background of vibrantly colored map graphics

Eligibility and requirements

Map Gallery entries must showcase projects that used Esri software. Entries can be submitted by anyone who attends Esri UC.

All submissions must include the following:

  • Title of map
  • Author's name
  • Primary contact information (email address and phone number)
  • Organization name
  • Esri products used
  • Data sources
  • A brief description of the map
  • A web-optimized digital map image file or URL (must be publicly accessible)
    • Image file: Minimum width and/or height of 1920 pixels; PDF, JPG, or PNG only

All maps will be reviewed. Accepted entries will be displayed at the conference and in the permanent online gallery.

The Map Gallery display panels are 34.75" wide by 80.9" tall (0.88 meters wide x 2.05 meters tall) and cannot be rotated. Your map must fit within the panel(s) you reserve for your print submission.

Submissions must be noncommercial. At no time is it permissible for submissions to advertise or promote a product, service, or company.

Submit a map

Categories and criteria

This category is for 3D content that is created using Esri software. The work should be displayed in a web scene or an interactive map that includes a web scene. Entries should evaluate the results of a 3D analysis, compare different 3D scenarios, or explore 3D environments.

The judges will be looking for innovative and creative 3D cartographic techniques; effective use of slides, labels, and pop‐ups; and an engaging and fulfilling user experience.

Entries must be submitted as a web scene (or an interactive map with a web scene) that is hosted in ArcGIS Online. A URL to the live map must be provided. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

This category is for maps and posters that describe an analysis completed entirely using Esri software or partner solutions that have Esri software as a foundation. The entry should identify the question of interest, the analytic methods, and the steps required to reproduce the workflow. The results of the analysis should be clearly displayed in map form with any required supporting graphics.

The judges will be looking for clear expressions of the purpose, the value of the method, and the quality of the results. Successful entries will exhibit a strong, logical design and a flow of information from which the intended audience can learn and apply the method themselves.

Entries in this category can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

This category is for scientific posters in fields other than geographic information science (GIScience) that leverage GIS to perform a key aspect of mapping or analysis. The poster should include one or more maps that demonstrate the use of GIS and the analysis workflow where Esri software was applied. Minimally, Esri software must have been used to produce the map(s) and to perform at least one portion of the analysis.

The judges will be looking to see whether the poster has clear organization and a reading sequence that includes an introduction, the methodology, the results, and a conclusion. It should also possess strong visual appeal, display a consistent graphic design, and support the communication of science.

Posters in this category may have been displayed within the past calendar year or soon will be displayed at another scientific conference (e.g., AGU, AAG, GSA). Within the description field of the submission form, entrants may optionally include a list of past meetings where the poster has been displayed.

Entries in this category can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

This category is for maps produced for dashboard-style presentation, using ArcGIS Dashboards or ArcGIS for Power BI.

The judges will be looking for clean, intuitive layouts with maps and infographics that promote observation of spatial trends and dynamic patterns. The patterns and design must support effective decision-making by those familiar with the area of study as well as new stakeholders.

Entries in this category must be published online. For each submission, a URL is required. Multiple entries are permitted.

This category is for work whose intended focus is to educate while incorporating GIS technology. In addition to maps, entries may include step‐by‐step instructions, explanatory text, diagrams, and illustrations. Entries in this category should identify a learning goal in terms of demonstrable skills or knowledge that a student will acquire.

The judges will be looking for evidence of how the intended student could achieve the learning goal and whether the type and style of the learning materials are clearly designed for the target student's age.

Entries in this category can be presented as a set of instructional materials, shown digitally, or published online. To be published online, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

Entries in this category must consist of maps in a series or an atlas. A representative subset—rather than all maps from a series—should be submitted. A map series must be represented by three or more maps.

The judges will be looking for the overall appearance, the design of the individual maps, and the flow and continuity of the sequence of maps in the collection or atlas.

Entries in this category can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Multiple entries are permitted.

The judges will be looking for an engaging story that includes maps, communicates clearly, and makes effective use of ArcGIS StoryMaps. The judges will also assess the design of the maps, the choice of basemaps, the design of interactivity (e.g., pop-ups), and how well supporting content and customizations are integrated into the narrative.

Entries in this category must be submitted as an online product with a URL. Each story is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

This category is for reference maps (sometimes called general‐purpose maps). Reference maps communicate the geographic character of the mapped area and the locations of natural and cultural features within its extent. Reference maps are not concerned with the statistical or quantitative attributes of mapped features.

The judges will be looking for the selection, classification, and generalization of features; the methods used to distinguish and prioritize features; and the quality of symbolization and labeling of features. Successful entries will also exhibit overall visual harmony, completeness, legibility, and clarity of the map with regard to the map scale, intended audience, and intended use.

Entries in this category can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

There are three subcategories of student maps: entries from students up to 12 years old; from students 13–18 years of age; and from university and postgraduate students. Entries in the Student Map category can be from either an individual or a group—for example, a class‐based project in which many students participated. The focus of the entry should be a map. Entries should include and give credit to all students, teachers, supervisors, and leaders who participated in the work.

The judges will be looking for the overall graphical quality of the submission and clarity of communication of the map's topic, purpose, and intended audience. Maps will be judged relative to the age group with appropriate expectations.

Entries in these categories can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

This category is for maps that feature the geographic distribution of one or more statistical variables (i.e., theme). These variables may be categorical or quantitative. The focus of these maps is the pattern or geographic distribution of features and their statistical values, which may or may not physically exist on the Earth.

The judges will be looking for clear and concise communication of the theme, appropriate geographic context, and supporting information. Successful entries will have titles that intuitively match the map's body, and each map will have a legend that efficiently conveys the meaning of symbols. Successful entries will also exhibit visual harmony, completeness, and legibility regarding the map scale, intended audience, and intended use.

Entries in this category can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

New this year: All entries are automatically considered for this award.

This category is for creative, new, or experimental uses of Esri software. Entries should show the mapped theme in a graphically distinctive or constructively provocative way.

The judges will be looking for excellence in overall design, a creative combination of art and science, and the use of products that go beyond conventional cartographic expectations.

Entries in this category can be submitted digitally or published online. For online submissions, a URL is required. Each map is to be entered separately. Multiple entries are permitted.

The judges will be looking for the entry that clearly stands above the others, exhibiting excellence in all aspects of cartographic and graphic design, communication, technical and professional expertise, and production quality.

  • Cartographic design includes visual hierarchy, figure-ground legibility, and color choices. Graphic design includes visual harmony, sense of organization, aesthetic appeal, and graphical unity.
  • Communication demonstrates that the mapmaker knows who the map is for and why it is needed and includes a clear message that's efficiently conveyed.
  • Technical and professional expertise means no spelling or grammatical errors, no missing or misrepresented geographic features, and no graphically awkward distractions.
  • Production quality applies to optimal, high-resolution content consistently and appropriately displayed in a digital or online map.

All entries are automatically considered for this award.

Additional opportunities

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Cover of the Esri Map Book Volume 38 depicting a 3D map of a city with buildings shown in blue columns of varying height and shade

Esri Map Book

Please note, the requirements to be considered for the next volume of the Esri Map Book have changed.

  • You no longer need to leave your print map on display. Pick up your print map between 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 18.
  • Include a one- to three-sentence description for the Map Book review and select a Map Book category within your submission.
  • If your submission is a poster, a high-resolution upload (300 dpi) of the map within the poster is required.
Submit your map

Check-in and setup at the conference

Please pick up your badge on the first floor of the San Diego Convention Center. Then proceed to the upper level via the escalators nearest Hall E. Outside Ballroom 20, check in with the Map Gallery staff.

Map Gallery setup hours

DateStart timeEnd time
Sunday, July 14, 202412:00 p.m.7:00 p.m.
Monday, July 15, 20248:00 a.m.12:00 p.m.

Deadline for check-in

If you have not checked in at the Map Gallery by 12:00 p.m. on Monday, July 15, your display panels will be made available to other participants.

Submit a map

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