The Type Directors Club announces Jury Presidents for global TDC72 competition

The Type Directors Club, the world’s leading typography organization, today announced three top creatives who will serve as Jury Presidents for the prestigious TDC72 competition.

This year’s Jury Presidents are:

• • Communication Design: Lisa Smith, Global Chief Design Officer, Uncommon Creative Studio, New York
• • Lettering: Mary Kate McDevitt, illustrator, hand-letterer, and designer, Philadelphia
• • Type Design: Aleksandra Samuļenkova, type designer, Haarlem

The role of Jury Presidents is to lead judging for their discipline, guide discussion, and facilitate the voting process.  

The full TDC72 jury will be announced shortly.  Across the three juries, the competition will have native experts spanning a range of writing systems including Arabic, Cyrillic, Indic, CJK, and Thai, reflecting TDC’s commitment to have a greater number of the most appropriate experts judging work for which they have a deep knowledge.

“TDC doesn’t grant recognition lightly. We select judges for their specific expertise across a range of type-related disciplines,” said Joe Newton. TDC executive director.  “Jury Presidents are the guiding lights of the jury process, bringing a wealth of real-world experience to buttress our rigorous judging process.  We’re honored to have Lisa, Mary Kate, and Aleksandra lead this year’s juries, and help us identify the world’s best typography.”

About TDC72

Digital and physical entries are now being accepted via the TDC72 entry website.  Early bird deadline for entry is November 14, 2025, with entry fees increasing for the regular deadline of January 23, 2026, and final deadline on February 27, 2026.

For the first time in its nearly 80-year history, TDC will now present physical Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards starting this year.

The new Type-High award, designed and named by longtime TDC collaborator, life member, and organization Chairman Emeritus Graham Clifford, can now be displayed on desks and bookshelves, representing achievement of creative excellence and serving as a constant visual inspiration for typographers, type designers, and lettering artists.  

The TDC competition regularly receives entries from more than 60 countries.  To make TDC72 as accessible as possible on a global level, the organization is offering significant regional discounts on entry fees.  

In addition to receiving Type-High awards or Merit certificates, winners get a digital seal certifying their work is among the world’s best of the year.  Winning work will also be featured in the highly respected TDC Annual, The World’s Best Typography®, and showcased in a number of exhibitions that travel to museums, schools, and design organizations around the world. 

TDC72 Best of Show, Best of Discipline, and Judges’ Choice winners will be awarded in May 2026 during Creative Week in New York.

TDC72 winners are also part of The One Club’s prestigious Global Creative Rankings, earning points alongside winners in The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Director Club of Europe (ADCE), and ONE Asia Creative Awards, to chart the world’s leading independent creatives, design firms, ad agencies, production companies, and brands.

Please visit the TDC72 entry site for more information and to enter this year’s competition.