Design contests work over several rounds, with a total of 7 days* in the qualifying round and final round where designers can submit and refine designs. If you find something you like sooner, you can select your finalists or award a winner early too, without having to wait until the end of the round.
Contest timeline
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Qualifying round (4 days) During the first 4 days, designers submit concepts to the contest. Many designs often come in near the end of this round, so don’t worry if you’re not seeing designs right away. Once designs come in, giving feedback can help you get closer to your vision. |
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Select finalists (up to 4 days) You can choose up to 6 designers to move into the final round. While you can do this right away, you’ll have 4 days to make your decision. Once this step is complete, the contest will become guaranteed. Note that designers cannot submit changes until you confirm finalists. |
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Final round (3 days) During the final round, you can work closely with your chosen finalists for 3 days to help them revise the designs to perfection. If you need more time with your designer you can manually purchase an extension, or contact our Support Team for further guidance. |
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Choose a winner (up to 14 days) After the final round, you have up to 14 days to choose a winner. If the decision is tough, this is a good time to run a poll to get input from people you know. You can also choose multiple winners if you’d like more than one design. Please note that designers cannot submit designs in this stage. If you need the designers to submit their updated entries, contact our Support Team to take your contest back to the final round. |
Handover (5 days) Your designer will finalize your design files and transfer the full copyright to you. Only minor changes can be made to your final design during this time. It's also important to download and review all of your final files before completing your handover. If you need any extra services from your designer, you can also consider a 1-to-1 Project and work with them for a negotiable rate. |
*Website and app design contests have 6 days in the qualifying round, and 5 days in the final round. Contests with multiple deliverables (such as Logo & Business Card and Logo & Brand Identity Pack) have 10 days to finalize files in the handover.
Pro Tips
- You can see where you are in the process and how much time you have left by hovering over the timeline below the title of your contest.
- Want a design quicker? Reduce the rounds by running a fast-tracked contest. If you need more time, you can also apply an extension to give designers more time to submit and tweak designs.
- If you are having issues following the contest timeline, feel free to contact our Support Team to discuss some flexible alternatives.