We’ve launched a new product called mini contests. This new contest format is shorter than unlimited contests and restricted to a smaller pool of designers with an average star rating of 2.5 or higher.
Today we will outline how to find mini contests, explain how star ratings work and how to improve your ratings on DesignCrowd.
How to join
Mini contests are restricted to designers with an average star rating of 2.5 or higher. Logged in designers will see how many designers out of five are participating in the contest on the design jobs board. Customers can invite any designer they want to, regardless of star rating, to their contest. If you receive a mini contest invite, please accept and follow the steps outlined to participate. Pay attention to the deadline, so you don’t miss out!
Customers cannot extend the mini contests once the number of participants has reached five designers.
Eligible designers have a customer star rating of 2.5 or higher in the category the project is launched in. For example a logo mini contest is open to any designer with a logo star rating of 2.5 or greater.
Logged in designers who not eligible to participate, will see this pop up message on the job brief page.
Logged out designers who are invited to the mini contest or receive an invitation will see this message on the job brief page and need to log in to see if they are eligible to participate.
>What are star ratings?
As a designer, your average star rating represents the quality of your work. During a contest, customers are asked to rate the quality of each design submission received from 1 to 5 stars. With a 1 star rating indicating poor quality up to the highest rating of 5 stars.
DesignCrowd tracks your star rating for each project type to give you an average quality score for a project type or category (e.g., logo design). The current benchmark is 2.5 average star rating for any project type. If your submission does not receive a rating, it’s not counted towards your score.
Read more about the star rating system.
Where do I find my star ratings?
Logged in designers can view their current star ratings via ‘Top Product’ in the stats section at the top of your Designer Account.
Click on the blue number under “Top Product” to view your individual ratings or by scrolling down the page next to the Recommended Jobs widget.
How do I boost my ratings?
Designers with higher star ratings can enter mini contests and have no delays on submissions – a benefit for designers of maintaining a higher rating. To avoid low star ratings, designers should participate in a wider variety of contests and submit quality designs that meet the brief requirements. Listening to customer feedback is also important
How to improve the quality of your designs:
We’re still testing the product and we’ll vary star ratings to increase designer eligibility and display the threshold for contests over time. Let us know what you think in the comments below!