What is LogoTournament?We are an online community where businesses can go to receive the logo they really want by hosting a logo design contest. This provides many more ideas and variety than a traditional design firm.How does it work?1 - Starting the ContestContest holders fill out our logo brief and prepay the prize through their Visa, Mastercard, or Paypal account. The contest will go live instantly once payment has been completed. The logo brief should be completed as thoroughly as possible for optimal results.2 - Entries & FeedbackYour contest will run over a 6 day period, and will consist of two phases:Open Phase - 4 DaysThis is the initial "audition" part of the contest where all designers will be able to submit their logos. Designers need time to develop their initial ideas, so most of the entries won't start showing up until the last day or hours of this phase.Top 5 Designer Phase - 2 daysIn this phase the field is narrowed to allow to work your five favorite designers, which can be changed at anytime. Limiting submissions to the top 5 designers ensures more personalized attention and dedicated service. A designer is much more likely to go the distance with you if they are only competing with four others, instead of dozens and dozens.Contest Holder participation is key to a successful contest. Throughout both phases Contest Holders will rank the concepts on the ranking page, and leave feedback or comments on the entries themselves. Daily ranking & feedback greatly improves the results of the contest, and can do much more than a prize increase ever would.3 - Winner SelectionJudging PhaseOnce the contest has ended the Contest Holder will have 7 days to select the winning designer in the Judging Phase. In this phase the #1 ranked designer can submit revisions to finalize the logo.Selecting a WinnerOnce the contest holder is happy with their final logo, they will select a winner which will be done from the ranking or contest page. The winning designer will be notified by email, and will upload the final files.File Download & ApprovalThe Contest Holder will then download the files and approve them. Once the final files have been approved the designer will be sent their prize. In addition a printable contract will be generated transferring the rights of the design to the contest holder.

Customers currently can select the following Prize Packages:Starter $275Regular $375Plus+ $575Custom    Your choiceNote: Please see the FAQ regarding illustrative character or mascot logos for recommended starting price point.Upgrades:Private: $50 - Hide your contest information from Google and third party sites. Only designers can see your contest.Featured: $50 - Sends an immediate alert regarding your contest to designers who have selected alerts in their account settings.The above Prize Packages include the Designer Prize & LogoTournament fees.LogoTournament Fees are as follows:Listing Fee:    $39Prize Handling Fee: 10%Our fees are comparable to all popular freelance sites and we believe this to be a reasonable charge for holding prepaid contests, site development, advertising, promotion, customer service, community development, and staff.All contests are in US Funds / Currency.PLEASE NOTE: LogoTournament.com is a Canada-based company. A small portion of US based Credit Card issuers will charge their clients a small international transaction fee which is independent of LogoTournament.com We disagree with this type of charge and have no control over such transactions. Please contact your financial institution if you are charged this fee.

If your contest does not receive at least 30 unique entries, you will be provided with a 100% Refund. If your contest receives over 30 unique entries, we will also provide a full refund less a $75 participation fee which will be paid to the best ranked designer. This policy is put in place to minimize your chance of being unsatisfied, but to also build a high level of confidence in your logo contest which will attract the highest quality designers. Statistically your contest has over a 98% chance of being successful.

Once a winner has been selected, and the uploaded design files approved, the legal ownership of the winning logo transfers to the Client from the Designer. All other logos, with the exception of the winning concept, remain copyrighted by the respective Designer.

This is entirely up to you, but we do have some suggestions:As the prize increases so does the quality and volume of designersYour logo is long term investment in your business, and is the first impression of your organization for years to come.  We are biased, but we think you should go for the largest prize package that you can afford.  A great logo can pay dividends for years.Complex or highly illustrative logos will generally not have great results with a smaller prize package. 

Based on experience, we would recommend a prize package of $575 or higher.  Characters or detailed illustrations can take quite a number of hours, so the prize package selection must take this into consideration.

Your contest brief is the first source of information and inspiration for designers, so it is very important that you take your time and fill it out as completely as possible.  With that said, your brief doesn't have to be perfection set in stone, it's just a starting point for designers.  Ultimately most logos take shape during the contest from a continuous feedback loop between the client and designers.General tips:If you have an idea, it's best to describe in as much detail as possible.  If you can sketch it out on a sticky note or a white board and take a picture that's even better.  (Even if you can't draw.)If you aren't sure what you want, it can be very helpful to simply list some logos you like or dislike and why.  Listing your competitors websites & logos can be helpful to show designers who you want to differentiate yourself from.What's included in the design brief:Business name, slogan (optional), what the organization does in one sentenceIndustry, target audience, top three things to communicate through the logoLogo style selection:  Wordmark, Pictorial Mark, Abstract Mark, Letterform Mark, Emblem, CharacterColors Logo ideas, additional information, linksImages or Documents to uploadStyle Sliders (example:  Masculine VS Feminine)Where the logo will be used

Clients who create contests may not want their proprietary information available for all to see.The Private upgrade will hide your contest from everyone except approved LogoTournament designers.  This hides your contest from search engines like Google and competitors with prying eyes.  The upgrade costs $50 USD.If winning designers wish to use their winning image from a Private contest for an off-site portfolio, they must ask permission from the client. Images submitted in Private contests may not be displayed off the LogoTournament site unless information related to the contest is removed. This may include the name of the contest, the client's name, or other private information the brief. Note: Making a contest private after it has started will hide it but snippets of code may have been extracted by search engines or 3rd party sites. Unfortunately, such situations are beyond LogoTournament's control.

The Featured upgrade can increase entries by up to 100% by an exclusive email to thousands of designers and providing a listing that stands out.  The Featured fee costs $50 USD.

Yes, you can upload any files or documents when you are creating your brief.If you are uploading after the contest starts, you can find the link to attach content on your contest page below the Style Sliders.Please note that you need to be clear about the usage of any reference material. If you do not 100% own the image, you must let Designers know it is for reference only. This means that they may not use the image in any way that the copyright holder may view as violating his or her usage right.If you are incorporating logos from other entities into your logo, please check that you have the right to use the imagery before telling Designers it's ok. Example: Car dealers or charity events using the parent company logo.Stockart may not be incorporated into logos. Such imagery usually has strict usage rights as defined in the EULA for the site.

You can access your receipt from your contest page.

Your contest will consist of the following phases:Open Phase - 4 DaysThis is the initial "audition" part of the contest where all designers will be able to submit their logos. Designers need time to develop their initial ideas, so most of the entries won't start showing up until the last day or hours of this phase.Top 5 Designer Phase - 2 daysIn this phase the field is narrowed to allow to work your five favourite designers, which can be changed at anytime. Limiting submissions to the top 5 designers ensures more personalized attention and dedicated service. A designer is much more likely to go the distance with you if they are only competing with four others, instead of dozens and dozens.Judging Phase - 0 to 7 daysOnce the contest has ended the Contest Holder will have 7 days to select the winning designer in the Judging Phase. In this phase the #1 ranked designer can submit revisions to finalize the logo.Wrap UpOnce you have chosen your logo you and the winning Designer will need to complete the contest. The procedure is explained in 'How Contests Work'.

This is the initial "audition" part of the contest where all designers will be able to submit their logos. Designers need time to develop their initial ideas, so most of the entries won't start showing up until the last day or hours of this phase.This phase will last 4 days.  Once this phase is completed, the contest will go into the "Top 5" phase.

In this phase the field is narrowed to allow to work your five favorite designers, which can be changed at anytime. Limiting submissions to the top 5 designers ensures more personalized attention and dedicated service. A designer is much more likely to go the distance with you if they are only competing with four others, instead of dozens and dozens."Top 5" means your Top 5 designers, not necessarily your top five designs. "Top 5" mode allows you rank many designs but only the top five designers can submit. You can rank your top five designers at any time during the contest in addition to the "Top 5" phase.  You can get revisions to current entries in this phase or request totally new ideas from them - they can also submit new ideas by themselves. Example: You rank the 1st designer in the top five, then four more of his designs in the #2-5 rank. Then, you rank the 2nd designer in the #7 rank with a few of his designs etc.  You can rank multiple designs but only the top five ranked designers will be able to submit. You can move ranks around during the Top 5 Phase and bring back 'not interested' designs if you wish.The "Top 5" phase will last for 2 days, and once complete will move to the "Judging" phase.

Once the contest has ended the Contest Holder will have 7 days to select the winning designer in the Judging Phase.You choose your Winner in this phase or get any final revisions from the #1 Designer. Arrange in advance for your decision makers to be available within the time frame of the Judging phase.The site will not automatically choose a winner during this time. During the Judging phase, you may still get revisions from multiple Designers, move ranks and provide feedback as during the Open Phase. You may contact them via Private Message so they know you want revisions; rank as #1 the Designer from whom you want revisions first. When the Designer's revisions are complete, repeat the process with other Designers. Only the #1 ranked Designer may submit revisions in the Judging phase. If you require work with more Designers, please email Support to request more time in Top 5 Phase.Please use the Judging phase to get your final revisions, not the Wrap Up.Select a Winner1. You will need to make sure the top (3) spots are held by different Designers and that a minimum of (10) designs are ranked. This is done to spread out the site points designated by the site as a reward for the Designers' participating in your contest. 2. Then you can Select a Winner. You will need to confirm the ranking twice to close the contest. Once you select a winner there is no turning back. Make sure you or your representatives know this.

To choose your winner:1)  Visit your contest pageThis can be done by logging in, and clicking on "My Contest".2) Click the Select Winner Button (on the contest page)This will bring you to a page that displays the winning entries and all the runner-ups.  3)  Click the Select Winner Button (to finalize the winner)___When you have chosen your winner:1) The winner will upload within 48 hours2) You download and review the files within 7 days3) You login and click the 'Approve' link if you have no issues with the filesYou must click 'Approve' for the winner to receive the prize funds.4) You can get your receipt and contract from the contest page

If a Designer submits an image that contains elements that are an obvious or potential violation of the copyrights of another company or violates the terms of the site, a Logo Court may be started to remove such designs so as to protect you and the community.Logo Court is also a Designer resolution system that aims to resolve Designer disputes through a community vote. Only qualified and experienced Designers are able to vote in these cases based on their level of points that they have achieved.  If a Designer loses a case, the offending design(s) will be withdrawn and no longer available or all their entries will be removed and they will no longer be able to participate in that particular contest. You can look at the Designer Code of Conduct to help you know why a design may have been removed.Upon request our Administrators will review cases that contest holders feel are unfair.

Yes you can. You can do so from your contest page by clicking 'Add Upgrades' or 'Increase Prize'.Note: If a contest is made Private after the contest starts, 3rd party sites and search engines may have gleaned some information from your contest brief.

Yes, but with some limitations. You can make short extensions yourself contest here.If you need to make extensions to the Open phase, Top 5 Phase, or the Judging phase please contact Support. Please be specific which phase you wish to extend and for how long. Also, please include the reason - this helps Support explain to designers why an extension is being provided.

Yes you can - here's how:After you get a reasonable number of designs are entered, and when you rank a top 5 or more, you will see a 'Friend Feedback' link on the contest page. This enables you to invite friends or collaborators via email - they will be given a special limited account that allows them to be involved.  Your 'Friends' can see all designs in the contest and can rank their own top 5 favorites along with making comments only you can see.If you are using your computer to have friends do the feedback, you will need to delete your browser cookies/history for that time period as the system used by LT conflicts when multiple invitees use the same computer.If you invited friends but they didn't get the link or can't get in you can try to resend the link to your invitees. Sometimes simply waiting a few hours can change the outcome. Some email hosts are aggressive with spam filtering. 

Yes you can contact Designers privately via PM with specific requests.To PM (private message) a Designer:1) click the image you like, bringing you to their private submission page. 2) click 'Designer Profile' (upper left) to get to their profile page.3) click 'Send Private Message.' Note: If contacting during a contest, please do not exchange emails or other contact details until after a winner is chosen.

Contest with the best results come from active clients.  Energy creates energy.  The best thing you can do is login a few times per day, update the rankings, and leave at least 1-2 comments per designer.  That will do more for your contest than any prize increase would.

To leave feedback, go to your contest page that shows all the logo. Below each logo there is small text link that says "Comments". Clicking that page will bring you to the discussion area for that particular designer where feedback can be left.Please observe the requirements for Clients when making feedback - this will contribute to your contest being successful. 

Please visit your contest page, and click the button that says:  "Rank". 

The number of entries depends on various factors: the complexity of your logo requirements, your level of interaction, and the contest time remaining. Simple, icon-based, logos will usually receive more entries. A complicated logo, such as a character illustration, takes much more time. If you participate frequently in your contest by providing daily feedback and rankings you can expect to get a lot more entries than someone who offers no interaction during the contest. Energy creates energy. Some contests do not receive the majority of their entries until the last 2 days or less. There are many reasons why this happens. Continue a high level of interaction in your contest and be patient. If you still have concerns, visit the current Contests page - this will likely put your mind at ease. As a last resort, you can contact Support for help and suggestions.

The battery icon represents a client's participation in their contest.  There are three states:ActiveThe client is up to date on ranking & feedback.Requires ActivityThe client is a little behind on ranking & feedback.InactiveThe client is not active at all, the contest is not likely to go well until further client participation occurs.A successful contest outcome requires both client and designer participation.

1)  Visit your contest pageThis can be done by logging in, and clicking on "My Contest".2) Click the Select Winner Button (on the contest page)This will bring you to a page that displays the winning entries and all the runner-ups.  3)  Click the Select Winner Button (to finalize the winner)Once you have selected the winning designer, they will be notified and within 48 hours they will upload the final files to our system. Once they have uploaded the files, you will be emailed a download link. Once you have downloaded the file and are satisfied with them, we ask you to approve them so the designer can be paid. 

Under normal circumstances we require you to select a winner within 7 days of the contest ending.   If an unexpected situation arises that makes this difficult please let us know.Most clients have a very good idea of who the winner is before the contest ends, so in most cases, the selection deadline is trivial. We allow a one time, 3 day extension of the contest if you need more time or additional entries from the community. If a winner has not been selected within 2 weeks of the contest ending, we will do a final follow-up by email. If there is no response, LogoTournament Support will select a winner and distribute the prize based on existing ranking, existing CH comments and/or community feedback. This policy is rarely initiated but is in place to maintain a high level of Designer confidence and participation in our community. Thank you for understanding this policy.

We have successfully completed tens of thousands of logo contests, and approximately 2% have resulted in refunds.  Here's what to do if you aren't happy by the end of your contest:Please contact customer support & request an extensionOur experienced support team can troubleshoot your contest; it might be an issue with brief, communication with Designers, or other factors.  If that doesn't work, then we can provide a refund.If your contest does not receive at least 30 unique entries, you will be provided with a 100% Refund. Multiple entries that are minor variations do not count and withdrawn entries may not count. If your contest receives over 30 unique entries, we will also provide a full refund less a $75 participation fee which will be paid to the best ranked designer. This policy is put in place to minimize your chance of being unsatisfied, but to also build a high level of confidence in your logo contest which will attract the highest quality designers. 

We recommend requesting all revisions while your contest is running or during the judging mode. Once a winner has been selected the winning Designer will provide an EPS vector file and multiple sizes of JPG through our automated file system. Upon Client request the Designer is required to provide the following logo variations: White Background, Colored Background, Black & White, and Solid Colors. Additional formats can include AI and PNG.Designs that are not winners can be requested from the winner after the contest and a fair arrangement can be made between the client and Designer.Note: Designers are not allowed to offer free services in order to be chosen as a winner. 

Your final file package will include an EPS vector file (industry standard) and various sized lower resolution JPGs for different uses. The EPS vector file is the file most printers will need to create any secondary product for you. Printers may ask for high resolution JPGs or transparent background PNG files for use in embroidery applications. Vector files use mathematical calculations to form the dynamic shapes for your image and thus can be saved in almost any format and size if the appropriate program (eg. Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw) is used.The two most common forms of vector files are EPS and AI. We have decided to use EPS as our preferred format as they are industry standard. There are also free EPS viewers available on the internet.Additional formats can be requested directly from the winning Designer via PM or email. You have 2 weeks after the winner is chosen to request file types and variations of the original design as stated: (1) Color (PNG for web), (1) Black and white (JPG), (1) Solid color (JPG), (1) High Resolution color (JPG). You may switch file types if you do not require the above. Please be specific. Any other variations and file types will need to be worked out with the Designer at his or her normal rates.

Please visit your contest page, and click the link "Logo Contract".  This is text contract that is generated between you and the winning designer.  We recommend that you print it out for safe keeping.

Most people will not be able to easily view EPS files as they are primarily used by Designers and Print shops, and typically require Adobe Illustrator or other vector programs. However, there are a number of ways to view them:1)  If you are using a Mac, the preview application can view the EPS format.  However it doesn't always render them correctly.2) Visit the 3M Promotional Products which has a very basic EPS viewer. Note: We are not responsible for any content on third party sites.3) Download a free trial of Adobe Illustrator4) Contact LogoTournament Support and we can inspect an EPS file for you.

Please visit your contest page, and click "Download Final Files".

It happens.  Lost password recovery page.

Please click "My Account" and their will be a "Display Name" box that you can edit.

Please click "My Account" and you can add, edit, or delete your avatar there.

Please check your junk/spam folder, as the email could be in there. If after 10 minutes you haven't received the confirmation email, you can use the forgot password page to have the confirmation sent again.

What LogoTournament strives to give ClientsThe end result that matters most; the logo that you really want.Many high quality, unique logo conceptsA Logo questionnaire that will communicate the most valuable information to the Designers even if you are not familiar with branding concepts.An efficient, uncomplicated selection system that makes it easy to organize the submissions to your contestIndustry standard vector file formats so your logo can be used across many applications for a very long timeHow to get the most out of your Logo contestFill out the logo questionnaire as completely as you can.Set your contests prize amount to the highest your budget can afford. Higher prizes lead to more numerous and higher quality entries.Rank your entries daily. This will ensure the Designers know your preferences, and how you feel about their designs.Provide feedback to every entry, if possible, even if it is only one line. Designers can't give you what you want, if they don't know what you like.The more feedback and ranking updates you provide, the better results you are going to see.Minimize the selection committee to the most key people (no more than 2-3).Select a winner within 7 business days to ensure you can receive revision requests as soon as possible.What is required of LogoTournament clients:We require that you do not ask one designer to use elements or concepts from another Designer. The general rule is that, if a Designer was the first to submit the idea, they essentially own that concept or idea for the remainder of the contest. Requests or ideas you have put in your contest Brief are fair game and open to everyone. Concepts that are considered obvious will also be fair game, for example: a dog & cat for a pet hospital, shopping bag for an e-commerce company, a tooth for a dentist, initials for a lawyer, etc. We require you to select a winner within 7 days of the contest ending. Most clients have a very good idea of who the winner is before the contest ends, so in most cases, the selection deadline is trivial. We allow one time, 3 day extension of the contest if you need more time or additional entries from the community. If a winner has not been selected within 2 weeks of the contest ending, we will do a final follow-up by email. If there is no response, LogoTournament Support will select a winner and distribute the prize based on existing ranking, existing CH comments and/or community feedback. This policy is rarely initiated but is in place to maintain a high level of Designer confidence and participation in our community. Thank you for understanding this policy.

Designer EntriesDesigners own all rights to their contest entries on this site, and can withdraw them at anytime unless they have won and contest and been paid for it.Copyright ownership is only transferred to the Contest Holder when the contest has been paid for.Designers are responsible for making sure their entries are significantly different from existing entries in a contest.Any concept or idea mentioned in the contest Brief is fair game for all Designers. The exception is if the contest holder has updated the brief based on an individual Designer's concept, which is against the Client Code of Conduct.Obvious concepts are considered fair game for all Designers, examples might include: a dog & cat for a pet hospital, shopping bag for an e-commerce company, a tooth for a dentist, initials for a lawyer, etc.

We take your privacy seriously.What information we collectTo create an account we require your email address, username, business or real name, location, and password.Users may also enter additional information to their profile such as bio and website.We collect overall information on our users through Google Analytics such as browser type, time on site, and ip address.What we do with itWe will use your email address to update you on site events such as new contests, or receiving a private message from another user. We will never share your email with any third parties. Passwords are MD5 encrypted and not even LogoTournament Staff can view them.We will never share your business or real name; we use this to generate a basic contract to transfer the ownership rights of the logo from designer to contest holder when the contest prize is paid.Your location, profile information, and contest information is viewable publicly on the site.We use information generated form Google Analytics to learn more about site visitors, and to improve the site based on these findings.