UTRGV apologizes after 2024 Holiday Card winner sparks AI controversy

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is apologizing to students after it's annual holiday card contest tradition received negative reviews from contestants and others.

Every year, UTRGV allows students to enter a contest for a chance to win up to $1,000 in scholarships for having the best holiday card design. The first and second runners up also receive $500 in scholarships respectively.

Aside from the monetary winnings, the winner also gets bragging rights and is featured in UTRGV President Guy Bailey's annual holiday greeting to the student body.

However, this year some students on the UTRGV Students Facebook group are not feeling the holiday cheer, alleging the first place winner used AI to create their card design.

An anonymous writer stated that they were able to recreate something close to the winning image almost instantly.

"Within seconds I was able to make this holiday card through Canva with the help of AI," the post read. "I was able to get a similar generated image (like the card that won) during my break before class. With that being said, for those who took hours to make a handmade card from scratch, I'm sorry your efforts were not noticed. UTRGV there is no reason to have a contest for students if AI is encouraged. If anything, it could be faster and cheaper to make your own than have students do it."

Another student, Arianna Rubio wrote, "I know I wouldn't have won but this took me hours draw and seeing what won literally made me rethink my major ( graphic design ) "

Another member of the student group expressed his discontent with the top winners for this year all being suspected of using AI.

"The top 4 spots were all AI," Manuel Gamez said. "This reflects what the school thinks about art/ art departments. This is ridiculous. There were no notices or mentions of AI on the Winners page, at least not any that I noticed."

_{From UTRGV's website.}

Upon reading the guidelines of the contest, ValleyCentral found that AI was a format that the university was accepting.

ValleyCentral reached out to UTRGV Vice President of Marketing and Communications Patrick Gonzales for comment on the controversy.

Gonzales issued the following statement on behalf of the university:

"The Holiday Card Contest, now in its 10th year, has always embraced a variety of entry formats, including photographs, drawings, paintings, and digitally created designs, to ensure that the contest is accessible to as many students as possible. While AI-assisted designs were first allowed last year, this year’s contest has shown us the need to update the contest rules to better reflect the rapid growth and accessibility of AI technology.

We sincerely apologize to any students who feel that this year’s results were unfair, and we are committed to using their feedback to improve the contest.

One idea under consideration, inspired by student suggestions, is introducing two entry categories: one for digitally enhanced designs and another for traditional, hand-drawn submissions.

We look forward to announcing a revised and improved contest next year, as we continue this cherished UTRGV tradition that celebrates the creativity and holiday spirit of our students."

To view the Holiday Card Contest winners, visit the UTRGV website.