Answers to frequently asked questions about the Topcoder Direct Direct.
If you launch a competition and select winners, the cost comprises 2 elements - Prizes and the TopCoder Admin Fee. Prize amounts are set by you prior to creating the contest, but cannot be less than the minimum for that contest type (set by TopcCoder). Minimum prize amounts range from $50.00 to $200.00. The Admin fee is calculated at 20 percent of the Prize amount never to exceed $250. TopCoder uses a portion of the Admin Fee to fund the Studio Cup, a pool of prize money designed to reward members who submit quality work across multiple contests. Click here for Direct contest pricing.
You can reach TopCoder via email at directassist@topcoder.com or by simply calling us at 860.734.1243 from 8 am to 5 pm Eastern time.
If you do not like the submissions you have received you can re-post the contest without having to pay an additional admin fee. Please contact us at directassist@topcoder.com or 860.734.1243 for assistance.
You have two options… First, you can try to arrange to work directly with the winner to perform additional work for a negotiated price. Contact us at directassist@topcoder.com or 860.734.1243 to arrange this.
Second, and the best way to make minor changes to a submission, is to run a quick contest (short duration) to update the submissions to your liking. This means that you will have to pay for the submissions you like the best and then run a second contest using these files as the basis for the work.
If you do not like any of the submissions, you do not need to select a winner. Direct allows you to close your contest by select "I choose no winner". You can then relist your contest for a reduced Admin fee by contacting TopCoder.
If you allow the 'pick a winner' deadline to pass without picking/purchasing winners or choosing 'no winner', the contest will be considered 'abandoned'. If you abandon two contests, your account will be suspended.
You can choose to rate them and pay for the winner or choose 'I pick no winner'.
Choosing the top 5 winners helps the community grow and become better at what they do. By judging the relative quality of 5 submissions, TopCoder can pay out performance prizes to those who produce quality work across multiple contests via the Studio Cup. This also helps to improve members' ratings (standing) within the community.
Now you own the submission. Where you go from here depends on your needs. For example, if you just completed a logo contest and wish to plan your website using a storyboard, then you can launch a "Web Page Design" contest with your new logo as a basis for the design. If you have a planned website design and wish to have it built, you can use TopCoder Custom Services to build and deploy it.
TopCoder is looking to bring the full force of the TopCoder community to the fingertips of our clients through Direct. Upcoming features include:
Click here for a detailed future version roadmap.
All these services provide you with a 'crowd' of talented individuals. With other services you get an individual from the crowd. You still have to rely on, negotiate with, and manage that one person to get the results you want.
With TopCoder, you get the whole crowd. If one member can't work on your project, there are many others who are willing to step up.
Another advantage of TopCoder is you get to see and feel the result before you buy it. You are commiting to a completed solution, not a promised one.
From the submission viewer widget you can click a thumbnail or the submission ID to open a larger preview image. If you click that larger image, a new browser window will open so you can see the full-size preview image. You can save that image on your computer or copy the URL and send it to others. We are actively working on an easier way to securely share your submission viewer with people not registered on TopCoder.
Direct (topcoder.com/direct/) allows you to create and manage contests which are posted on Studio.
Studio.Topcoder.com is the website for members to see what contests are active, ask questions via forums, and upload submissions.
Topcoder.com is our main website where you create an account which provides you access to Direct, Studio, and our other services (software and algorithm competitions, employment opportunities, and more).
No. You will be in violation of the TopCoder Direct terms and conditions.
No. You must own the full copyright to everything you upload to your contest for the designers to view or use. You can, however, provide a link to the graphic within your contest details.
Examples of what you can upload include your company logo, your company brochure, professional studio photos of your products or staff members that you purchased and own, or other designs that your staff or another designer created and you own.
The short answer is no. This can be a bit confusing because it seems like you should be able to upload stock art that you purchased either on the web or from a CD library, but for the vast majority of stock art you buy, you are not purchasing the full copyright. Instead, you are purchasing a license that allows you to use that art in a specific way. A license is not the same thing as owning the full copyright, and most licenses do not allow you to redistribute that art (such as uploading it to a contest for others to download).
No. The designers are bound by the Studio terms of service which prohibit them from uploading materials they did not create themselves. They may only use elements they didn't create that were provided by you, the client. Please refrain from asking them to go find illustrations, logos, or other artwork that they haven't created.
If you know that your design will require something that the designers cannot create, please ask them to make a placeholder for that art. For example, if you plan to sell products on yoru web site, and you can't provide the photos due to copyright issues, please ask the designers to create photo placeholders.
Note: The information provided here does not constitute legal advice in any way. It is provided as a guide only.