2026 Mapathon

2026 Mapathon

University of Colorado Boulder's Geography Department is calling for maps that capture life affirming geographies. This year's theme is Cartographies of Hope.

"Cartographies of hope are doorways to rehearsing a liberatory world in the here and now." - Dr. Isaac Rivera

Submit Your Map

Email coga@colorado.edu with questions and technical difficulties.

Mapathon Events on Friday, April 10th:

  • Open House
    • Food and refreshments.
    • Gallery walk of map submissions and category winner.
    • People's choice voting.
  • Dr. Isaac Rivera's Rita Martinez Spatial Justice Lab Grand Opening for Life Affirming Geographies.
  • Professor Sarah Elwood's Lecture 4:00-5:00pm.
  • People’s Choice Award Winner announced at 5:30pm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What maps are accepted?

Conventional, creative, drawn, digital, and abstract representations of geographic spaces or places are all acceptable. See this link for examples. Both digital and analog maps are accepted. For analog or drawn maps, please take a picture of your map and submit the picture to the online submission portal.

What will happen after I submit my map?

At the Open House map gallery before the Professor Sarah Elwood's Lecture on April 10th, attendees can vote on their favorite Map (People’s Choice Award). Two winners (Best Overall Map and People's Choice Map).

Categories:

  • Grand Prize: Best Overall Map

  • People’s Choice: Voted on by attendees

  • Thematic Awards:

    • Life Affirming Geographies

    • Geographies of Resistance and Repair

    • Geographies of Care

    • Geographies of Sustainability and Environmental Justice

How will my map be judged?

Once you submit your map it will be reviewed by a panel of CU Geography Faculty and Graduate Students based on the following criteria:

  • Content

    • Evident engagement with the larger "Cartographies of Hope” theme.

    • Evident engagement with the theme the map is submitted under (i.e. life affirming, resistance & repair, care, sustainability & Environmental Justice).

    • Readability/educational value (i.e. can the content of the map be followed and does it provide an interesting or important lens of the topic it addresses?).

  • Design and Style

    • Title (i.e. is the title engaging and clearly connected with the content of the map?).

    • Color balance (i.e., are the colors engaging but not overbearing? Do they work well with each other?).

    • Layout (i.e., is the layout balanced, easy to follow, and engaging?).

    • Images/visuals (i.e., are they engaging? Are they balanced? Do they match the content?).

  • Symbology

    • (i.e. does the content match the representation?).

I'm not a Ҵýƽ Student, can I still submit?

Yes! Those outside of Ҵýƽ are welcome to submit to the Mapathon and will be evaluated with their academic background in mind. For example, if you are a K-12 Educator, we encourage you to submit your students' maps and they will not be judged against PhD-level submissions.

What did last year's maps look like?

See our winners and other submissions here.