Apply for the 2026 Tee Hamilton Creators Award
The Tee Hamilton Creators Award honors the bold, generous creative spirit of Tee Hamilton by investing in the next generation of innovators in the promotional products industry. This $2,500 award supports industry professionals who are ready to take creative risks, grow their skills, and challenge the status quo through education, tools, and career-building opportunities.
Open to industry professionals with at least one year of experience, applications open January 12, 2026 and close March 31, 2026. One award will be granted in 2026 to a creator whose vision, creativity, and growth potential reflect Tee Hamilton’s legacy.
Learn More About Tee & Her Legacy
A Story of Tee…
More Than a Stage. More Than a Dancing Monkey.
In her final months, Tee Hamilton shared a vivid recurring dream.
Night after night, she found herself on a stage. The backdrop shifted — different places, colors, faces — but always, there was one constant: a dancing monkey.
Tee spoke candidly about what that dream represented. Her greatest fear wasn’t failure — it was becoming a performer for the crowd. Someone who hopped from stage to stage, meeting the status quo, doing just a little better than the next person — but never truly breaking free.
Tee didn’t want to be better. She wanted to be different.
She wanted to create, to innovate, to challenge. She believed that real impact doesn’t come from staying a few steps ahead of the crowd — it comes from leaving the crowd behind and building something new altogether.
Settling for "good enough" was never who Tee was.
She lived her life — and built her career — with a fierce determination to lead with creativity, courage, and authenticity.
The Tee Hamilton Creators Award honors that legacy.
It’s not just financial support. It’s a call to action for the next generation of misfits, dreamers, and boundary-pushers in the promotional products industry.
When you apply, you're doing more than asking for financial support.
You’re standing up and saying:
I refuse to settle for the status quo.
I believe in my voice.
I am more than a dancing monkey.
This Award is for those who dare to think differently — and who are brave enough to act on it.