With public voting for Turner’s cARTon Contest open through March 23, 2025, North Allegheny has to rally behind senior Iris Huang’s design to help her secure the top prize.
The contest, which invites local artists to submit designs for a limited-edition Turner’s Iced Tea carton, offers the winner not only a $2,000 cash prize but also exclusive limited-edition merchandise and, perhaps the most exciting reward, the chance to have their artwork featured on approximately 860,000 cartons. In addition to these tangible prizes, Turner’s says the winner earns “limitless yinzer street cred.”
Iris, a dedicated AP Art student at NASH, said she “first knew of the contest because it was an opportunity offered through NASH’s National Art Honor Society. The club offers a lot of community-based art activities, and this was one of them.”
Iris has always been drawn to the artistic side of life. Here are some of her other works:
“I don’t remember how long I’ve been creating art, but I really started getting serious with it since the COVID lockdown, and that’s also when I began drawing digitally,” she explained. This shift toward digital art has allowed her to experiment with new techniques and refine her unique artistic style.
For her Turner’s cARTon Contest submission, Iris wanted to create something bold and memorable. Her design is centered around Turner’s lemon-flavored iced tea and plays on a clever wordplay: “Turnin’ it up.”
“When I first started planning the design, I was trying to come up with catchy phrases, and I thought ‘turnin’ it up’ was clever!” she shared.
With this concept in mind, she crafted a dynamic, visually striking design that captures both the energy of the phrase and the refreshing essence of Turner’s tea. Here are some of her drafts for the competition:
One of the biggest challenges of the contest was the color restriction—as Iris describes, each artist “could only use four colors: yellow, orange, brown, white.” Rather than seeing this as a limitation, she saw it as an opportunity to push her creativity.
“I found it fun to work with such a limited palette,” she said. The result is a design that is both vibrant and cohesive, ensuring that it stands out on store shelves.
Now, as the competition heats up, Iris is relying on the support of her friends, family, and the North Allegheny community to help her secure victory. The contest is decided by public voting. The winner is the artist with the greatest number of likes their design receives across all of Turner’s official social media platforms.
To support Iris, fans must go to Turner’s Instagram, Facebook, and X pages and like her design directly on those posts. Sharing the post to spread awareness is highly encouraged, but only likes on Turner’s official pages will be counted toward the final vote tally.
Turner’s has been a staple in Pittsburgh for generations, and its iced tea is an iconic part of the region’s culture. This contest is not just about choosing a design—it’s about celebrating the creativity and talent that exists within the local community. Iris’s achievement in reaching the final nine is already a testament to her skill and dedication, but now, she needs the support of the people around her to take it all the way.
With just days left to vote, now is the time for North Allegheny to show its pride and support a fellow Tiger. Head over to Turner’s official social media pages, like Iris’s design, and encourage friends and family to do the same. Every vote brings her one step closer to victory.
