Many plants native to our area, including the beebalm (Monarda didyma, above) have appeared on the Conference t-shirt. Participants enjoy collecting the t-shirts from year to year.
Contest Rules
Please read closely as the rules have changed this year.
1) T-shirt designs should be submitted in final form by March 31, 2009.
2) Any plants, animals, and/or landscapes included in the design should be native to the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
3) Designs which include the words, “Native Plants,” “Cullowhee Conference,” and the year of the conference at which they will be sold (2009) will be given preference.
4) No more than four colors are allowed in the design (including black). If more than four colors are used, the design will not be accepted. Colors used must be solid (“blocky”) and one of the four colors must be a light color (as this will be the base color for printing on a colored shirt). Furthermore, shading in the design is acceptable but must be confined to one or two shades of any color used.
5) The university, not the artist will determine the final t-shirt color(s) but may consult the artist for input.
6) The winner must agree to license the work for use by the university for conference related promotion and must also agree to accommodate minor changes as may be necessary to facilitate the print process.
7) The winner of the design contest will receive $300 to be paid at the end of June, 2009.
8) Send designs to: Sonja Himes, Dept. of Biology, WCU, 132 Natural Sciences Building, Cullowhee, NC 28723. Digital (pdf, jpeg) or hard copies of designs are acceptable. For more info, call 828-227-3653 or email shimes@wcu.edu.
9) Thank you for your participation! Good luck!
Previous species highlighted on t-shirts (do not use these species):
2008 Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
2007 Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
2006 Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum) and Shuttleworth's ginger (Hexastylis shuttleworthii)
2005 Fancy wood fern (Dryopteris intermedia) Heather Pittillo
2004 Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla)
2003 Rock Outcrop Scene with Rhododendron Randy Burroughs
2002 Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) Zen Sutherland
2001 Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) Jackie Gates
2000 Water lily (Nyphaea odorata) Jackie Gates
1999 Pungent russula (Russula emitica, a mushroom) Dale Connor
1998 Turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbum) Randy Burroughs
1997 Fisherman’s azalea (Rhododendron arborescens) Randy Burroughs
1996 Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
1995 Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
1994 Queen-of-the-meadow (Eupatorium fistulosum) Randy Burroughs
1993 Southern lady fern (Athyrium asplenioides)
1992 Beebalm (Monarda didyma) 
1991 Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
1990 Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
1989 Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)