$10,000 Paws for a Cause Scholarship

About this opportunity

Skechers runs this annual design contest through BOBS from Skechers, its charitable footwear line, which the company says has donated over $14.5 million to help save and care for more than 2.5 million shelter dogs and cats since 2015. Two US college students each win a $10,000 scholarship from the Skechers Foundation and see their dog or cat print manufactured and sold on BOBS footwear across the United States. The entry is a repeating mosaic pattern plus a short written piece or video about your own experience with a shelter animal. Now in its fourth year.

What you get:

A $10,000 scholarship from the Skechers Foundation towards tuition for the 2027 to 2028 school year, disbursed to your college rather than to you
Your print produced on a BOBS from Skechers footwear style and sold in the United States
Three hours of one-on-one mentoring, one hour each with three Skechers design or management employees
A $200 Skechers gift card and one free pair of BOBS from Skechers shoes
Two runners-up receive a $200 gift card and shoes, and sixteen finalists receive shoes

What you'll do:

Design an original repeating dog or cat mosaic print as a 10 inch by 10 inch repeat, submitted as a vector .ai file at 300 DPI or higher and under 100MB
Write a brief description of your pattern and your design experience
Answer four questions about your design background and your history with animals and shelters
Write a paragraph or record a short video on what a rescued pet has meant to you, or why the BOBS mission matters to you
Submit up to two entries, one dog design and one cat design, using your college email address

Key dates:

Entries open August 18, 2026 and close September 15, 2026
Winners notified by email and phone on October 24, 2026 and must respond by October 28, 2026
Winners list available on request from October 15, 2026
Winners attend an in-person content shoot in Spring 2027 and a donation event in June 2027
Scholarship applies to the 2027 to 2028 academic year

More information:

Full official rules, judging weights and downloadable shoe and swatch templates are on the entry site
Scholarship questions go to Hello@skechers.com
Background on the BOBS charitable programme is at skechers.com/bobs-charity

Who can apply

Full-time resident of the United States or the District of Columbia, including international students and individuals of any visa or immigration status
At least 18 years of age at the time of entry
Currently enrolled and in good standing in Year 1 of an accredited two-year US college or university, or Years 1, 2 or 3 of an accredited four-year US college or university
Must apply using a school email address from that college or university
Must be physically present in the United States and available to attend an in-person content shoot in Spring 2027 and a donation event in June 2027, or the prize may be forfeited
Must own all copyright in the design; no artificial intelligence may be used to create any part of it, and AI-assisted entries are void
Maximum two entries per person, one cat design and one dog design
Winners must remain enrolled for the 2027 to 2028 school year and pass a background check, including a social media check, to receive the scholarship
Employees of Skechers and its agencies, their immediate family and household members are not eligible

About this opportunity

What you get:

A $10,000 scholarship from the Skechers Foundation towards tuition for the 2027 to 2028 school year, disbursed to your college rather than to you
Your print produced on a BOBS from Skechers footwear style and sold in the United States
Three hours of one-on-one mentoring, one hour each with three Skechers design or management employees
A $200 Skechers gift card and one free pair of BOBS from Skechers shoes
Two runners-up receive a $200 gift card and shoes, and sixteen finalists receive shoes

What you'll do:

Design an original repeating dog or cat mosaic print as a 10 inch by 10 inch repeat, submitted as a vector .ai file at 300 DPI or higher and under 100MB
Write a brief description of your pattern and your design experience
Answer four questions about your design background and your history with animals and shelters
Write a paragraph or record a short video on what a rescued pet has meant to you, or why the BOBS mission matters to you
Submit up to two entries, one dog design and one cat design, using your college email address

Key dates:

Entries open August 18, 2026 and close September 15, 2026
Winners notified by email and phone on October 24, 2026 and must respond by October 28, 2026
Winners list available on request from October 15, 2026
Winners attend an in-person content shoot in Spring 2027 and a donation event in June 2027
Scholarship applies to the 2027 to 2028 academic year

More information:

Full official rules, judging weights and downloadable shoe and swatch templates are on the entry site
Scholarship questions go to Hello@skechers.com
Background on the BOBS charitable programme is at skechers.com/bobs-charity

Who can apply

Full-time resident of the United States or the District of Columbia, including international students and individuals of any visa or immigration status
At least 18 years of age at the time of entry
Currently enrolled and in good standing in Year 1 of an accredited two-year US college or university, or Years 1, 2 or 3 of an accredited four-year US college or university
Must apply using a school email address from that college or university
Must be physically present in the United States and available to attend an in-person content shoot in Spring 2027 and a donation event in June 2027, or the prize may be forfeited
Must own all copyright in the design; no artificial intelligence may be used to create any part of it, and AI-assisted entries are void
Maximum two entries per person, one cat design and one dog design
Winners must remain enrolled for the 2027 to 2028 school year and pass a background check, including a social media check, to receive the scholarship
Employees of Skechers and its agencies, their immediate family and household members are not eligible

$10,000 Paws for a Cause Scholarship

About this opportunity

Who can apply

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$10,000 Paws for a Cause Scholarship

About this opportunity

Who can apply

AI Verification

Good to know

Worth checking yourself

Sources checked