Get Ready for #PopUpTober!
Find #PopUpTober Information & Inspiration
For a quick reference, please visit our #LightUpPopUpTober resource page, which we’ll be updating during the months of September and October. There, you’ll find the daily prompts, tutorials, templates, and plenty of light-up pop-up inspiration to help you get started with your own creations!
What is #PopUpTober?
PopUpTober is a daily pop-up art challenge that takes place throughout the month of October—an event devised by author-illustrator, pop-up and book artist Keith Allen.
This fall, Chibitronics will again be collaborating with @5am_popup, during his annual #PopUpTober Instagram challenge!
31 Prompts—A Lot of Fun!
Starting back in October of 2019, Keith, a Senior Designer at @amgreetings, has been inviting the world’s paper engineers to bring out the scissors, glue, and paper, to make their creations pop!
A highly anticipated list of 31 prompts—one for each day of the month—invites a mix of seasoned and aspiring paper engineers to create and share pop-up spreads using the hashtag #PopUpTober.
In the six years that have followed, interest in the event has remained high! Eager paper enthusiasts around the world await the release of each year’s prompts (which are usually released in early September). Come October, participants begin creating, commenting, and building upon one another’s brilliance, contributing as much (or as little) as they are able. For those who don’t have the time or inclination to join the challenge, the event is still great fun for observers!
#LightUpPopUpTober
This October, we (@Chibitronics) are inviting everyone within our ecosystem of paper crafters and makers to join @5am_popup with an additional challenge—to add light to one or more of Keith’s pop-up prompts, and share their #LightUpPopUp with us on Instagram or Facebook!
By piggy-backing off of Keith’s fun challenge, we’re hoping to generate interest in both paper mechanics and paper circuitry—although participants are invited to integrate and share any number of clever light-up strategies.
Since #PopUpTober can be difficult for a single person to do in its entirety, Chibitronics will be participating as a #LightUpPopUpTober team to collectively address each of the 31 prompts. With each volunteer creating something for a single prompt, we’ll have new light-up, pop-up examples to share on our Instagram feed for each day of the challenge.
Follow or Join the Challenge
Like last year, our team includes a variety of volunteers from a mix of backgrounds— including educators, makers, members of our Design Team, and a star-studded line-up of paper crafters and pop-up engineers!
While this is not a complete list, we’re thrilled to announce that our team will be joined this year by an esteemed cohort of paper engineers and makers that include:
Share Your Work with Us!
And, since this challenge is open to anyone who wishes to participate, we’re cordially inviting YOU to join the fun, by creating as many #LightUpPopUps as you can and tagging and mentioning us on social media. Participants who tag and mention us on social media will also be entered into a prize drawing (no purchase necessary).
Guidelines and Rules
Here are the rules for #LightUpPopUpTober 2025!
- Make any kind of pop-up using the word prompts by @5am_popup.
- Pop-ups include a variety of interactive and mechanical cards.
- Integrate a light source (ex. paper circuit, tealight, flashlight, EZ light, etc).
- Post to Instagram in October with the date/prompt given.
- Use the hashtags: #PopUpTober2025 #LightUpPopUpTober2025 #popuptober #chibitronics
- Mention @chibitronics and @5am_popup
A Prize Drawing & Sale!
As an added bonus, #LightUpPopUpTober participants in the continental United States, who tag or mention @chibitronics, will have their names added to a random drawing for each light-up pop-up they make. Create as many pop-up’s as you like, for a chance to win some fabulous products from our new Launchpad line!
(No purchase necessary).
Last year’s winner, Leah DiPasquale, will be joining our #LightUpPopUpTober team!
And to get you stocked up for the #PopUpTober event, we’ll be offering a special 10% discount on products in our shop, from 15 September until 15 October.
Stay tuned for details!