How do I submit a design to a Design Challenge?

You can submit designs to the Threadless Design Challenge or any of the open themed Design Challenges from the Design Challenge section of the site.

Find the challenge of your choice and hit "Submit a Design" to get started. Submitting a design also allows you to create a product in your Artist Shop right away. You are required to have a Threadless user account in order to submit a design, so of you aren't already logged in or don't have an account, you'll be prompted to create one during the submission process.

Step 1: Upload Your File

To submit a design for the Design Challenge, you'll need the following items handy:

Primary Image This is your design file.
Product Title Select a name for your design. Remember, this is what customers and voters will call your design!
Design Background Color Click on the box to use the Color Picker to find your desired color hex code. This is color is used as a background for transparent files and only impacts how the design is displayed on the Homepage, catalog, and product page when not shown on a product. For Wall Art, this is used for the printed background if the file is transparent or below the file size recommendation. Pick a color that highlights your design, and doesn't cause any details to be lost.
Mature Content Use your best judgment. Any mature content that is not flagged appropriately or violates our Terms of Service may be subject to removal.
Product Description Share some details about your design and what inspired you.

Once you've successfully uploaded your design, named it something awesome, and selected your background color, you're ready for the next step

Step 2: Select Products

Under Add Apparel, Home and Accessories, choose the Products and Apparel Colors you'd like your design on. If you'd like all styles in a category, simply click on 'Select All' to select all available styles in Mens, Womens, Kids, Home, and/or Accessories.

Garment Colors

Colors are sorted into color categories showing the general color options available ("Yellow", "Green", "Black"). Select the checkbox for as many or as few colors as you'd like. Keep in mind, not all products are available in each color category. All available styles in your selected color(s) will be added.

For certain products (Cut & Sew T-Shirts, Socks, Shoes, Leggings, Duffle Bag and Backpack) , you'll need to upload the specific template for those products. The templates can be downloaded either from the product drop-down menu or from our Template FAQ here.

Step 3: Agree to the Challenge Terms

Once you have your design submission details in place, check the box to agree to the challenge Legal Terms and confirm that you have the right to sell products containing this artwork, and that your artwork does not contain hateful imagery. Note, different challenges may have different legal terms so it's important to read those individually if you are submitting to different challenges.

Step 4: Submit + Share!

Once that is confirmed, your design will be included in the Design Challenge and up for voting for the next 7 days. Be sure to spread the word to friends, family, and fans to share and score your design! Keep in mind, some challenges will require designs to be reviewed prior to voting. The process can take a couple of business days and you will be notified when your design is available for scoring.

Design Challenge Scoring and Winners

Most Design Challenges are open for a limited time frame. The challenge details will include dates for when each challenge is accepting submissions. Keep in mind, once a challenge is closed, design submissions are no longer accepted. Some challenges, like Horror or Environment, are ongoing so you can submit a design at any time.

Winners for challenges are typically announced within 30 to 45 days after a challenge has closed, though make take up to 60 days or more if there is a challenge partner. When selecting a winner, a variety of factors are considered including concept, execution, design score, and commercial viability. While high scores do help, they do not guarantee a design will be printed. However, this also means that a low scoring design still has a chance to be selected so don't be discouraged! Winning designs will be notified via email.