Tilteed are one of the latest players to be entering the t-shirt design competition arena. So, there’s like a thousand of these contests now right, do I smell a list coming on?
I actually have no problem with t-shirt design contests, I know a lot of people take issue with them because it’s a form of spec work (is that the right term?), but as long as the copyright remains with the designer if the design isn’t a winner then I think it’s fine, because the designer can still use their artwork either at other design contests or with a regular shop. Tilteed are launching with a tee by Dale Edwin Murray (shown above), which you can order now for $18, but the prize package for the launch is probably going to be a bit more exciting for most of you. $3500 for the grand prize, and $1500 for the runner up. Not bad, eh? After that they’re going to be releasing a new tee every 72 hours, with that winning receiving $500 and $1 per tee sold. I think that’s a pretty fair deal.
It’s hard to judge a design contest in it’s early days because creating a community to ensure high quality submissions is obviously key to their longevity. The $5000 prize fund for the first two tees is obviously a big draw for some artists, but are they going to stick around? I voted on a few of the submissions and the quality level is very high, there were a lot of designs there that I think a lot of you would be happy to wear, and I recognised quite a few of the names of the artists too, so Tilteed are off to a good start in that respect.
$18 for a tee is pretty good, but no one is going to turn down a coupon code now, are they? TilteedHYA will get you 20% off your order, making a single tee $14.40, which is downright reasonable in my book.
*Since I wrote this post Tilteed have announced their two grand prize winners, “get a job” by lowdtown, and “expansion” by a.mar.illo, well done guys! Images of both designs can be found after the jump.
