For the first time in history, the AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt design contest has been placed in the hands of some well-known Atlantans, and fans of the contest have darted to the polls to vote for the celebrity designs since voting opened March 1.
Here is where you can vote for your favorite AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt designyou can vote.
Rather than inviting local graphic designers to submit their designs. The Atlanta Track Club, which hosts the Fourth of July 10k race, opened up the t-shirt design to five popular locals, including Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her design team, Insung Kim, creative director for the Atlanta Braves; Atlanta Hawks mascot Harry the Hawk; New York Times best-selling author Emily Giffin and AJC Peachtree Road Race legend Jeff Galloway, who won the first race.
“Running the AJC Peachtree Road Race and attending a Braves game is an Atlanta Fourth of July tradition,” said Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves president and CEO. “The race unites the city and we are proud to participate in this iconic event. We also hope to see fans wearing our t-shirt design at SunTrust Park when we face the Philadelphia Phillies that night.”
So, far more than 21,000 votes have been cast for this year’s celebrity T-shirt design contest. The Atlanta Track Club will donate $5,000 to the winning designer’s nonprofit of choice. Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. March 31.
Here are the celebrity designs for the 2019 AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt design contest.
Emily Giffin
Nonprofit of choice: City of Refuge
The New York Times bestselling author of “Something Borrowed” and “All We Ever Wanted” runs the race with her husband and kids each year, so Giffin said she is “thrilled” to play a role in the 50th annual AJC Peachtree Road Race.
Giffin worked with her three children (Edward, George and Harriet) to come up with the concept for this design, called “Lucky Bib.” “Like all families, mine enjoys many special traditions on the holidays,” Giffin said. “But our favorite, by far, is running the AJC Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July in Atlanta, the best running community in the world!” She brought in a past champion to bring her family’s design to life. Tina Tait, an Atlanta-based graphic designer who won the contest in 2015, did the artwork on this entry. Just like the Peachtree, Tina is turning 50 this year.
Jeff Galloway
Nonprofit of choice: Piedmont Park Conservancy and Back on My Feet
The Olympic runner and founder of Phidippides Run store was named named “The Most Recognizable Runner in America” by RunningUSA. With the help of his son Brennan, Galloway said he hoped he could design a shirt that would uphold the legacy of the AJC Peachtree Road Race.
“I know that I won’t win ‘The Peachtree’ again,” he said. “But it would be a highlight of my life to see 60,000 runners wearing the shirt design that portrays how the PRR has inspired Atlanta and the world,” he said.
The Atlanta Braves
Nonprofit of choice: Atlanta Braves Youth Baseball
For the past two years, Braves staff and fans have volunteered at a water stop on the Peachtree course. Now, those staff members hope the Fourth of July tradition for those participating in the race and attending a Braves game will be further cemented with the signature 50th anniversary shirt.
“The race unites the city, and we are proud to participate in this iconic event,” Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves president and CEO, said in a press release. Schiller also said he hopes to see fans wearing the T-shirt design to watch the Braves play the Philadelphia Phillies that night.
Harry the Hawk
Nonprofit of choice: Atlanta Hawks Foundation
Harry the Hawk has always been the first one off the start line at the Atlanta Hawks Fast Break 5K, presented by Sharecare. Winning the design contest would be especially significant to Harry and his team, since the Hawks will also celebrate a 50th season this year. Harry’s calls his design “Celebrating Every Step.”
“Being born and raised in the city of Atlanta, and being a huge fan of the Atlanta Track Club ever since I was a baby bird, it would be a huge honor for my design to be chosen to represent our city, my organization, and Atlanta Track Club,” Harry said in a written statement (because he doesn’t talk). “The AJC Peachtree Road Race is such a great 'True to Atlanta' tradition, and I am excited about taking part in this summer's race. Everyone knows I can dance and I can dunk, and now, they'll know that I can draw. This design is inspired by the very first Peachtree Road Race and celebrates the proud, final step of crossing the finish line.”
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Nonprofit of choice: Families First
The mayor of Atlanta calls her T-shirt design “One Atlanta.”
“The rich history of the AJC Peachtree Road Race extends far beyond the start and finish lines,” said Bottoms, who runs the Peachtree every year. “It is my hope that our t-shirt design will celebrate the diversity of all Atlantans and mirror our goal of creating an inclusive and welcoming One Atlanta.”
For official contest rules and to vote for your favorite design, click here.
» Click here to see the AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirts through the years
