Design contests are not something that you can just set, forget, and hope to get a great result. If you take the time to watch our screencast and adhere to the following rules, your reputation will soar and you’ll attract the best designers in our community—yes, really.

• Create an Attractive Design Contest

  The most talented designers in our community are much more likely to enter a contest which is guaranteed and offers an attractive prize.

  By making the contest more appealing to those designers, you’re more likely to have a successful contest.

• Stay Involved

  It’s your contest, so it’s important that you stay involved! While running a contest, contest holders should log in to the site every day while their contest is running.

• Provide Feedback to Your Favourite Designers, Eliminate the Rest

  Feedback is crucial to a contest—eliminating designs you’re not interested in and leaving comments and ratings for those you are interested in ensures that all entrants get an idea of what you think of their designs and their skills.

  The best designs grow out of collaboration between great designers and contest holders leaving great feedback.

• Leave Detailed Comments

  Designers need constructive, considered comments. Simply saying “great work!” isn’t enough—you should be as detailed as possible.

  A comment along the lines of “love the dinosaur and colors, but the text placement is all wrong; can you try some alternatives?” gives the designer a clear idea of what you like, what you dislike, and how they should progress.

  You don’t need to provide feedback for every design, but as a contest holder you should either eliminate or provide feedback for every designer who enters your contest. The clearer this feedback, the more likely you’ll be to receive great designs.

• Make Sure Your Contest Stays Healthy

  Contest health is an indication to designers of how involved you are in the contest. By making sure your contest stays healthy, you’ll assure them that that you’ll respond to their queries quickly.

• Check Your Contest Entries

  When you’re getting toward the end of your contest, it’s a good idea to check that none of the designs you’re considering infringe on someone else’s copyright. You’ll be the one liable if you do make use of a copyrighted design, whether you’re aware of it or not.

Finally, don’t forget to check out our screencast!