Each year, U-Spatial hosts a contest that celebrates great design and cartography through the use of maps. Prizes are awarded in several categories. The prizes are made possible by a generous gift from Jack Dangermond, a U of M alumnus and the founder and president of Esri, which makes geographic information system (GIS) software. 

Twelve prizes were awarded for the 2024 competition. As always, topics were diverse. The Grand Prize winner is a study about how people think, feel, and perceive their environments. The complete list of winners, with links to their maps, can be found on the Spatial University website. 

The submission period for the 2025 U-Spatial Mapping Prize will open soon; see the submission link at the webpage linked in the previous paragraph. Graduate and undergraduate students from all U of M system campuses are eligible to enter.