U-M's Commitment
The Office of Campus Sustainability, the Arts Initiative, and LSA are partnering to address bird collisions through both policy and creativity. Your design could become a permanent part of campus — and a conversation starter about biodiversity and our built environment.
BIRD-SAFE DECAL DESIGN CHALLENGE
Fact: Birds can’t see glass.
Help create a bird-friendly campus! Submit your design concept for window decals that make glass surfaces visible to birds.
The winning design will be used to retrofit windows at a campus hot spot for bird strikes, preventing impact-related deaths and injuries.
THE PROBLEM
Why Birds Collide with Buildings
Most bird-building collisions happen during daylight hours, when birds mistake reflections of trees, sky, or landscape for open space — or see through transparent glass to vegetation on the other side. These aren't rare accidents; they're a systemic, preventable problem.
The University of Michigan conducts seasonal bird collision inventories and uses that data to update building design standards. This competition is one more step in that work — turning a high-risk window into a canvas.
INSTALLATION SITE
Where your design will live
The winning design will be installed as a full-scale window mural on the elevated glass walkway connecting Weiser Hall and the North University Building (NUB) — one of the most collision-prone areas identified in U-M's bird monitoring data.
The installation spans six large panels. You may submit a design for all six panels (continuous or individual compositions) or for a single panel. There is no limit to the number of designs you may submit.
HOW TO ENTER
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
Designs must meet the following criteria to be considered.
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Open to U-M students on all three campuses.
All artwork must be original, no AI-generated imagery
You must hold the legal rights to any content submitted
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Nature-inspired imagery is encouraged
Consider subjects related to courses taught in Weiser Hall or NUB
Any original, thoughtful concept is welcome
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Use the provided Adobe Illustrator (.ai) gridded templates linked on the bottom of this page.
Every 2"×2" square must contain a line, dot, or design element — no blank spaces
No text in the design
Create your design using only black (one color) for upload & voting
Final decal will print in white only
Artwork must be fully vectorized for scalability
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Export your file(s) as .jpegs for upload & voting
Winning entries will be asked to provide their original .ai file
Keep your original .ai file — winners will be asked to provide it
Submit via the Design Submission Form
Why the 2"×2" spacing rule?
Bird-safe film works by breaking up the visual uniformity of glass. The 2"×2" grid is the standard spacing that allows birds to recognize the surface as a barrier. Any unfilled spaces will be supplemented with dots to ensure effectiveness.
COMPETITION TIMELINE
Key Dates
February 27 Competition Opens
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March 27. Designs Due
All submissions must be received by end of day.
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Apr 17. Winner Announced
Selected designer(s) notified and publicly announced.
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May–Aug Printing & Approvals
Decal production and facilities review.
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September Installation
Mural installed at the start of fall migratory season, coinciding with U-M's next Bird Collision Inventory.
GET STARTED
READY TO design?
Download the templates, create your design on the 2"×2" gridded Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file, and submit through the form.
Questions? Reach out to CampusAsLab_OCS@umich.edu before the March 27 deadline.
