Contests
There are several sites with contests for freelancers. Usually these are graphic design or web design contests i.e.: logo, corporate identity, stationery, flyer, brochure, poster, banner, icon, web page, WordPress theme or Twitter background. But there are also branding/naming or writing ones.
Contests are very particular form of freelancing activity. Taking part in a contest involves some risk that the time spent for the entry will not bring any income. But on the other hand contests can be a very good way of building an interesting portfolio and client relationships. Many freelancers concentrate on contests, especially in the early stage of their freelance career.
Some of the contest sites listed below offer pre-paid contests, which gives you a guarantee, that a winner will be selected and the reward will be paid.
99Designs
99designs is the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design. We connect 86,279 passionate designers from around the globe with small businesses who need design projects completed. And, we do it in a timely fashion without the usual risk or cost associated with professional design.
It’s definitely a cliché but there’s no other way to describe it—99designs was started by designers for designers. Our role at 99designs is to provide a friendly, professional, and secure environment where designers from all walks of life can compete on a level playing field—where they can show off their work, improve their skills, communicate with peers, and win new clients.
The biggest and developing very quickly contest site. There are hundreds of contest open for entries all the time, numerous categories and reasonable rewards. The site has been created by the owners of Sitepoint, the community focused around the web technologies, like creating, developing and managing the websites. The site highly worth recommending.
CrowdSpring
With backgrounds in both the creative industry and law, crowdSPRING is a labor of love for a team that believes strongly in the creative process and the protection of intellectual property. We left no stone unturned – from free, binding legal contract generation for every transaction and advanced digital watermarking to a built-in, secure escrow service and a feedback rating system – we tried to make a safe environment for both Buyers and Creatives alike.
By helping Buyers reach countless creatives across the globe, we’re changing the game for the little guy. Now small businesses, one-man shops and individuals anywhere can tap into a global pool of creatives for logo design, web design, company name, product name, packaging design, and many other graphic design, industrial design and writing projects. In fact, we’re so convinced that global talent pool will give your project new ideas, different perspectives and a far better final product – we guarantee it.
And, by helping creatives reach a new, global market for their creativity, we hope to challenge the current thinking on where great ideas come from. The truth is that a great idea can come from anyone, anywhere – whether they’re a janitor by day and a designer by night or a stay-at-home mom who doesn’t have the time to run her own web studio. crowdSPRING makes geography and title irrelevant and, thereby, opens new markets for creativity all the world over.
Site offering very interesting contests, including those run by the well-known international brands. Rewards are really good. The site’s owners take care of its constant development, with new features implemented quite frequently.
Design Outpost
Design specialists in custom logos, web design templates and print design such as business cards, letterhead design and more.
Graphic design contests: logo, web design, graphical elements like banners and icons, print design and non-profit contests. Contests are run in their dedicated forum threads. One of the oldest contest sites.
DesignContest
Design Contest is a community shaped by the joint efforts of talented designers and contest holders. By hosting a design contest with us, contest holders are able to choose from a variety of great designs created by talented, professional designers. Our designers compete for the prize offered, forcing them to push the limits and create innovative new designs.
For many new and existing business owners competing for visibility in today’s fast-paced market, finding dependable, affordable, and talented graphic designers can be a challenge. Small businesses typically do not have in-house graphic designers and must outsource needs such as logo design, t-shirt design, and websites. It’s important to find a designer that understands their client’s aesthetic, can work within important deadlines and budget, and will provide a design that meets their client’s needs.
Finding the perfect designer can be a challenge – that’s where DesignContest comes in.
Operating since 2003, DesignContest connects its clients with thousands of experienced, talented designers. The client becomes the contest holder, and the community of designers competes for a monetary prize. Instead of the 4 to 6 design options typically provided by a single design firm, the client will have hundreds of different design options to choose from and are given the opportunity to communicate with individual designers and provide feedback every step of the way. All of the contests on DesignContest.com run for one or two weeks, longer if the contest holder wants to see more, at the end of which a single designer is selected as the winner and original files are released.
DesignContest streamlines this entire process, making it easy to start a contest and efficient to provide feedback to designers. A 100% Money-Back Guarantee assures clients that they only end up with a design that meets their needs. DesignContest’s founder, Sergey Epifanov, says, “We want to eliminate the frustration that many business owners feel when trying to find a designer. Connecting our clients with thousands of designers, all at once, makes it easy to get a design they love, within their budget.”
Additional features to the site include a simple, attractive user interface, upgraded customer service with a live chat feature, integration with Twitter and Facebook for more exposure to designers, and promotional opportunities for clients wishing to get the most our of their contest.
Many active and open contests, with some of them being pre-paid. User interface a bit similar to the 99Designs’ one.
Hatchwise
Start seeing custom entries within hours:
The creatives will typically start creating and submitting custom entries to your project within 24 hours – and sometimes in as quickly as 30 minutes!Start for only $29:
With many of our design projects you can post your project for only $29. Pay the prize amount only when you have found a design that you are totally satisfied with!Want some privacy?
Make your project fully private with our “private project” option. This upgrade is available to purchase as soon as you have started a project, it hides your project from the public and doesn’t allow it to show up in the search engines.Ready to use artwork!
Get your completed artwork delivered in all formats neccessary for web and for print. The winning creative will create and upload all the files you and your vendors will need.In a hurry?
You can award a winner at any time (you don’t have to let the project run the full ten days if you do not wish to) and completed artwork is typically uploaded within 24 hours, so if you’re in a rush you can have your new design in just a matter of a few days!On a budget?
With project minimums starting as low as $60 for writing projects and $75 for design contests you can easily set an amount that works with your budget.
Graphic design, writing contests, and the creative tasks held in the brain-storm form.
Graphicster
Graphicster is a graphics marketplace that allows you to outsource graphics and design.
Logos, 3D models, textures, concept art, …It works like this:
- You create a project, describing the kind of graphics you need and how much you want to pay for it
- Artists participate by uploading suggestions that you can evaluate
- You choose the one you like, transfer the money and receive the graphics content
One of the youngest contest sites.
