This is what the motif for Oktoberfest 2025 looks like
Friday, 7.2.2025 - 11.00 a.m.
Design students Amiera Harithas and Dinah-Charles Francis from Munich have won the motif competition for Oktoberfest 2025 with their joint design. Their design was chosen by a large majority of the poster jury as the official motif for the Oktoberfest. Second place went to Franziska Hofbauer's bold design and third place to Pascal Wilfling's design, which features an unusual perspective.
‘Victory motif puts the true heroes of the Wiesn centre stage’
Clemens Baumgärtner, Chairman of the Poster Jury and Head of the Department of Labour and Economic Development: ‘This year's winning motif puts the real heroes of the Oktoberfest centre stage: the waiters, showmen and all those who make the Oktoberfest possible in the first place with their hard work. At the same time, the motif captivates with its joie de vivre, its typically Munich character and its international recognisability. It is also ideal for licensed articles - an all-round successful design.’
The award-winning motif for Oktoberfest 2025 will be seen online, on social media, on licensed merchandise and on posters.
The presentation of the winning posters in the video
Externer Beitrag
1st prize: Amiera Harithas and Dinah-Charles Francis
A radiant waitress in a dirndl serving everything that makes the Oktoberfest so special with a broad smile - that's the official poster motif for Oktoberfest 2025. In a stylised postage stamp look, the winning design combines liveliness, humour and Bavarian hospitality in a unique way.
‘For us, Oktoberfest is a meeting place where people from different backgrounds come together, get to know each other and experience a special community,’ explain designers Amiera Harithas (29) and Dinah-Charles Francis (25) in their application documents. ‘With our design, we want to present these values and the festive atmosphere of the Wiesn in a modern guise without losing sight of the roots and warmth of Bavarian culture.’
The poster jury was impressed by the creative realisation: ‘The motif perfectly captures the spirit of the Oktoberfest, charming and with a high recognition value.’ Harithas and Francis study at the Munich Design School and share a deep passion for the Wiesn - far beyond the festive. Their design was also very popular in the online voting and came third.
2nd prize: Franziska Hofbauer
Franziska Hofbauer's design won over the poster jury with its striking and effective design and secured second place. The clear graphic structures and the powerful colour combination were particularly highlighted. Thanks to strong colour contrasts, the motif has a high advertising impact - both in large format and in small format. The core elements that characterise the Wiesn, including the beer mug, pretzel, gingerbread heart, traditional costume and fairground rides, are combined in a modern and original way.
Munich-born Franziska Hofbauer has been working as a publishing producer for print and digital media since 2023. She completed her Master of Arts in Print and Media Technology at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich.
The design came 30th in the online voting.
3rd prize: Pascal Wilfling
An unusual perspective on the Oktoberfest, creatively and boldly realised: Third place goes to the design by creative and art director Pascal Wilfling. The graphically sophisticated motif only unfolds its effect at second or third glance and invites you to rediscover the scene again and again.
At the centre is a heart that connects the protagonists - the Münchner Kindl, the angel Aloisius and an exemplary man and woman - and emphasises the communal atmosphere of the festival. With this third place, the poster jury not only recognised the artistic quality of the design, but also sent out a signal to graphic designers to dare to think outside the box. The design competition also recognises unusual approaches and creative perspectives.
Pascal Wilfling has been working in the communications industry for almost two decades and works as a freelance creative and art director for clients in Munich and the surrounding area.
His motif came 36th in the online vote and was nominated by the state capital for the jury session.
How the competition went
The Department of Labour and Economic Development (RAW) of the City of Munich has organised the design competition, which has been held online since 1952, in cooperation with the official city portal muenchen.de. The jury for the competition consists of seven specialist judges from the fields of advertising and design and the head of the Department of Labour and Economic Affairs, as well as six expert judges from the City Council. Anyone who had uploaded a poster design for the Oktoberfest in accordance with the technical and content specifications could take part. This included professionals from the creative industry as well as dedicated self-taught artists.
This year, 113 designs entered the race
113 designs were uploaded, 74 of which made it into the public vote. In the online vote, 8,458 fans cast 38,400 votes to determine the most popular poster designs. From these, a jury of expert and specialist judges selected the winning design without knowing the entrants or the result of the public vote. The design competition was announced prominently on all muenchen.de and Oktoberfest.de channels and the content was shared.
What the winners get
The winners will receive 2,500 euros and a licence fee of 5,000 euros for 1st place. Second place will receive 1,250 euros and third place 500 euros.
The award-winning motif for the Oktoberfest will be displayed digitally and on all official licence articles and posters. It will also adorn the official series-produced stein, continuing the series of coveted collector's steins that began in 1978. This will be presented to the public in August.
