Designers, this stuff's for you! If you haven't read the general community guidelines, that's the best place to start. But you'll need to read this page as well — you'll want to follow these guidelines when you enter a contest.
General
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Choose contests carefully
At 99designs, as in life, some odds are better than others. Remember that old adage, "don't bet what you can't afford to lose." Do you feel comfortable entering the contest? What's the contest holder's reputation like? Have they posted many contests before? How much feedback have they given? Are there many contest entries? These are the kinds of things you'll want to know before you dedicate your time and talent to any contest.
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Dealing with other designers
Sometimes, you'll want to communicate with other designers. Private message is the way to go. As the name suggests, PMs are private, so they're a good way to discuss matters that you don't want the whole world to know about. Your reputation is everything at 99designs — don't risk it by communicating personal matters through the contest discussion threads.
Dealing With Contest Holders
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Be polite and professional
We know, we know — you're always polite and professional. It goes without saying!
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Check the payment methods offered.
PayPal, AlertPay, Moneybookers and Western Union are the four payment options 99designs provides for guaranteed contests. However, pay-on-win contests are paid by the contest holder. With a pay-on-win contest, the contest holder may choose to use whatever payment option they prefer — they don't have to offer a particular option. Before you participate in a contest, make sure you can accept the payment through the method offered.
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Read the Brief!
Contests winners deliver quality designs to the brief. If you haven't read the brief carefully, and you miss some obvious detail, you aren't likely to impress the contest holder, so you won't win the prize. Don't sweat the brief — take your time to digest it, and formulate your ideas. As we all know (only too well!), you can't force the creative process. Use the brief as your roadmap to a successful design.
Copyright
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Change your mind? Withdraw your entries.
You own your entries, and you can withdraw them from the contest whenever you like — unless you've been declared the contest winner and have been paid the prize.
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No prize? Don't transfer your copyright!
You own the copyright to your designs (aside from allowing us to display the previews). Entirely. No ifs, no buts. In fact, you own the copyright to your work until the point at which the contest holder has paid you for the design in full. A contest holder can't legally use your artwork, or a derivative of it, without paying you the prize. If you suffer a copyright infringement, report it to us as soon as possible.
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Make sure it's yours!
Make sure the work you are submitting is your own and that you are legally entitled to post it. If you are using any stock images in your design, make sure that you inform the contest holder that they will need to purchase licenses.