Survey: Golden Squiggle Design Contest

We're working on a small design contest that would take submissions over the summer, post them in August and then show off the winners in early September. Right now we're narrowing down the boundaries, but wanted to put it out there to our community for some feedback.

Our concept is focusing on student and independent designers with new 2009 designs. Our inspiration is this kind of work that we see at the trade shows like ICFF or IDS that is tucked away in the small booths. Our goal is to provide a really strong forum for new design to reach our large retail and media audience. We'd allow approval voting in order to find finalists and then let the readers vote for their favorite design. We could also employ judges... The winner would get a huge sponsored post and advertising banners on our sites...

Here's a few questions:

1. Are judges necessary? Would they be weighted against the crowd's opinion like, say, American Idol?

2. Should it be open to students, independent designers or both? Where is a good place to draw the line?

3. Should you only be allowed to submit ONE design?

4. Should you only be allowed to submit NEW design from 2009?

5. What would be a really valuable non-monetary prize that would really held a designer?

If you've got an opinion on any of this, please go for it and comment below. We want to workshop this one a bit.

Best, Maxwell

Comments (2)

1. I think judges could be cool. It's always nice to get some sort of feedback from people in your field.

2. Students and independents should be allowed.

3. Selfishly, I would say two designs but, what if you have the top two designs from be from the same person, that wouldn't seem cool so maybe just one.

4. Definitely new designs, who wants to see something they've seen before.

5. I guess a good prize would be anything that could aid in their future design process like cool software or GC to art/design stores, magazine subscriptions, etc.

1. Judges. But there could also be a reader's choice winner.
2. Both. Independents with less than...I dunno, X years of experience. Pick a number that allows you to give exposure to less experienced designers who have something to say and disqualifies designers who've already had quite a lot to say.
3. No opinion.
4. New designs. But again, it'd be nice if they could be in production instead of just complete flights of fancy. No renders. I want to see something that exists outside the mind/computer of the designer.
5. Agree with modernguy. Maybe something to help them take that concept to production (there's a theme here, can you dig it?)