American Indian College Fund and Pendleton Woolen Mills Student Blanket Design Contest Opens November 15
Tribal College and University Students Have the Chance to Win Scholarships, Blankets, and Cash Prizes
Journey blanket design created by 2025 design winner Belle Brings Plenty. Pendleton Woolen Mills produced the blanket.
Denver, Colo., November 12, 2026 — Starting November 15, the American Indian College Fund and Pendleton Woolen Mills, the heritage lifestyle brand, will be accepting submissions for the seventh annual Tribal College Blanket Design Contest. The contest elevates the work of promising artists attending tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) by having the design incorporated into the legacy brand’s wool blanket line.
The first-place winner will have their design distributed on products internationally and will be added to Pendleton’s American Indian College Fund wool blanket collection. The other top two designers will receive scholarships and cash prizes.
Pendleton has worked with the College Fund since 1995 and has provided over $1.5 million in scholarship support for American Indian and Alaska Native students attending TCUs. Predominantly located on Indian reservations and remote, rural areas, TCUs provide a critical link to higher education, career advancement, and Indigenous knowledge for their communities. The College Fund provides millions of dollars to thousands of TCU students every year; the blanket design contest scholarships add to that support while elevating Native art, culture, and stories.
American Indian and Alaska Native students attending a TCU are eligible to submit up to two designs. Formal artistic study and textile design experience are not required. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2027. Full submission guidelines and applications are available on the College Fund’s website at https://collegefund.org/pendleton.
Contest design winners are selected each year by a committee comprised of Native American artists and College Fund and Pendleton staff members.
Prizes for the 2026 contest winners include:
Grand Prize Winner:
- $5,000 scholarship
- $2,000 cash
- Six blankets
Second Place Winner:
- $2,500 scholarship
- $500 cash
Third Place Winner:
- $1,500 scholarship
- $250 cash
2025 Tribal College Blanket Design contest winner, Belle Brings Plenty (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), is a 2025 graduate of United Tribes Technical College, who designed the Journey blanket to honor her late brother, Cole Brings Plenty. Containing geometric shapes common to traditional Lakóta artwork, the dragonfly in the center of the blanket symbolizes healing medicine. The Lakóta word for “journey,” Oómani, is visible in the ledger art aspect of the design.
Brings Plenty said, “I just want people to be able to connect with this blanket in their own ways. I hope people can be able to wrap themselves in this blanket and feel loved.”
About Pendleton Woolen Mills — Weaving iconic designs since 1863, Pendleton operates two of America’s remaining woolen mills located in Pendleton, Oregon and Washougal, Washington. With six generations of family ownership, Pendleton is focused on a legacy of creating quality lifestyle products with timeless styling. Inspiring customers for 160 years, Pendleton products are available at Pendleton stores across the US, select retailers worldwide, and on pendleton-usa.com.
About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 37 years. The College Fund’s tagline is “Education is the answer” and provided more than $26 million in scholarships and other student support for higher education in 2025-26. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $434 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of programs at the nation’s 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit collegefund.org.
Journalists —The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
