Formatting Your Submission for Design Challenges

Building Your Submission

Your entire submission will include 4 elements:

• Your preview file(s): The file(s) you include in this Zip file will be what is presented to the customer. The customer will see everything within this Zip file and will base their winner choices on what they see here. Name this file submission.zip.

• Your final source file(s): The file(s) you include in this Zip file will never be displayed on the Topcoder site. This Zip file is only transferred to the client if your submission receives a prize placement. Name this file source.zip.

• Your preview image: The file you choose here represents your entire submission and is the first thing a client sees when evaluating your submission. Name this file preview.jpg.

• Your declaration.txt file: The file you use to declare any fonts, stock art and icons. Also add any comments you’d like the copilot and customer to know. Name this file declaration.txt. Use the template as a guide.
  
  

NEW: Add all 4 files above to a single zip file. This zip file will be what you upload to the challenge.

The Preview Image

Your preview image can be one of your JPG/PNG files from your submission files if the challenge is graphical, or if it is a wireframe, idea generation challenge or any content-related challenge, you can download and use the sample preview file below (be sure to download the full size).

Next Step: Declarations

This allows you to declare 4 things:

1. Comments about your design. This is the place to declare some information about your submission. If you need to explain a lot of stuff, you are probably better off using a text file, but this section is great for simple statements. Examples:

   • Example 1: “The logo represents movement and “taking action” rather than being stagnant. The colors I chose signify power and give the brand a strong feel.”

   • Example 2: “This is a revised version of my previous submission. Changes include a new header graphic, new font choices for the pop-up box and new icons for the widget on the fourth page.”

   • Example 3: “This is my Round 2 submission. I have implemented all of the feedback you gave me after Round 1 and I hope you like the changes.”

2. Fonts that are used in your design

3. Stock photos (if allowed in your contest)

4. Icons used in your designs
   
   

Please refer to Design Copyright, Font, and Icon Policies for rules around using fonts, stock photos, and icons.

Submission Limits

Each challenge will outline how many of each member’s submissions will be eligible to be considered for prizes. Most challenges will limit the number of submissions that will be considered from each member. However, a few challenges will have no such limit. Remove any submissions that exceed that max limit.

Tips

Because some internet connections are slow, and some source files are very large, we recommend uploading a “test” submission 24 hours before the challenge ends. This will allow you to understand how long it will take your submission to be accepted. Once you’ve finalized your design, you can replace your test submission with your final one. If you ever have problems submitting, please try using a different browser. If that doesn’t work, email your submission (submission.zip, source.zip, preview.png AND all declaration information) to support@topcoder.com before the challenge deadline.