The Debian Linux project has opened a call for community artwork submissions ahead of the release of the upcoming Forky (Debian 14). Artists who believe they have the creative skill could see their work appear on boot screens, login prompts, and desktop wallpapers used by millions of people. The submission deadline is November 26.
As in previous releases, the process reflects Debian's community-driven ethos. Artwork must feel distinctively "Debian," integrate cleanly without requiring core software patching, and remain visually appealing over the long term. The team cautions against overly busy designs that could cause user fatigue.
The release names draw on the Toy Story franchise. Elise Couper's "Ceratopsian" theme was chosen as the winning default for Debian 13 Trixie, a nod to Trixie, a triceratops introduced in Toy Story 3. Forky, the character from the franchise's fourth film, continues the pattern for the next version. Entrants who can work Forky's googly eyes into a design may stand out.
Debian celebrated its 33rd anniversary in August 2026 and continues to present itself as the "universal operating system," supporting a wide range of hardware architectures. Its latest point release, Trixie 13.7, arrived on September 12, 2026. Forky is in the later stages of development, and artwork selection is one of the final steps before release. Interested artists can review the submission requirements on the Debian Wiki.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing