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FAQ

Q: Am I limited to entering in just one of the competitions?
A: You may enter into any—or all four— of UCDA Design Awards competitions. Entries into the Photography, Illustration, and Student Competitions may be done at the same time; while the Print and Digital Competition must be done separately.

Q: What constitutes a “series” entry?
A: A series entry consists of multiple related pieces for the chosen category, up to 6 pieces maximum. For example, you may enter multiple illustrations that were used for an article or have the same illustrative style. Or, multiple editions of a magazine (Spring, Fall, etc.) that you want to be judged as a group. Or a group of related publications (graduate and undergraduate view books along with a search piece, for example).

Q: What is the “Entry Details” form?
A: At the end of the online process, you will see a summary of your entries. Click the "Print Entry Details" link to print the form and attach to the back of your entry. Do NOT use the mail-in entry form if you submitted your entries online. Alternatively, once you submit, you should receive an email for each entry that has the “Entry Details” page attached to the email.

Q: Why do I need to mail-in my entries if I enter online?
A: For the Print categories 1-23, 33-37, and 39, you will need to mail your physical entries to the UCDA Home Office. The competition judging takes into many facets of your design, including the tactile characteristics of your paper choice, the impact of dimension, and any special printing processes, to name a few. Without a physical piece to hold, the judges would be missing important criteria.

For all categories in the Photography, Illustration, and Student competitions, and Digital categories 24-32 and 38, you do not need to send in a physical entries. Entries will be judged using your image upload.

Q: What is flush mounting?
A: When you adhere a piece a paper to a sturdy backing where the backing is the same size as the original piece.

Q: Why do I need to flush mount my entry for Magazine – Editorial Spread (categories 6b and 6b)?
A: We ask that you flush mount your entry to protect it during shipment to our office, to/from competition judging location and to/from conference where it will be on display (if it’s a winner). In fact, we recommend that you flush mount any entries that are just a single piece of paper. We don’t want a damaged entry to be discounted during judging just as you wouldn’t present your work to a client with bent corners, folds or tears.

Q: What does UCDA recommend for flush mounting my entries?
A: We recommend using any sturdy material (illustration board, foamcore or gatorboard) and a strong-enough adhesive to keep your entry mounted through shipping, extreme heat and excessive handling.

Q: What should I submit for Category 33a and 33b (Integrated Campaign)?
A: For your online submission, please provide one (1) PDF file that contains all the printed and digital (if any) components of your campaign. The PDF file may contain multiple pages. For any digital component(s) of your entry, please provide screenshots, still images or working URLs in the PDF. For your mail-in component, a printed display board (flush mounted) of the campaign that contains the elements of the campaign is the recommended submission. It is not necessary to mail-in individual components of the campaign, especially if they are large format printed pieces. View sample.

Q: What constitutes a “Digital” entry?
A: Any piece whose end use is digitally viewed, such as a website, HTML email, web banner ad, mobile app, video, etc.

Q: What should I submit for Categories 34-36 (Campaign/Media/Innovative Strategy)?
A: For your online submission, please provide one (1) PDF file that contains the strategy, and any printed and digital (if any) components that support your strategy and its results. The PDF file may contain multiple pages. For any digital component(s) of your entry, please provide screenshots, still images or working URLs in the PDF. For your mail-in component, a single binder that contains the strategy and all the elements that support your strategy is the recommended submission. It is not necessary to mail-in individual components of the campaign, especially if they are large format printed pieces.

Q: Where can I see past winners of the UCDA Design Competition?
A: You can see past winners on the UCDA website at https://www.ucda.com/past-winners. Please note that the judges reviewing the entries are different each year and the types of awards may vary from year-to-year.

Q: What is your refund policy?
A: All entry submissions are final and entry fees are nonrefundable.

Q: Will you confirm receipt of my package(s)?
A: Once we have received all your entries and payment, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Until we have received everything, the best way to track your package(s) is to check with your carrier.

Q: Will my entries be returned?
A: Because of the number of entries we receive, it is not possible for us to return any of them.

Q: Can I enter one project into multiple categories?
A: Yes. We will need an additional copy and corresponding entry form for each category you wish to enter.

Q: I don’t know which category to put my piece in?
A: Choose the category that you feel best fits your submission. If we feel another category is more appropriate, we will move it; your work will not be penalized or disqualified.

Q: We’re waiting on the check from our accounting department. Can we have an extension?
A: Please submit your entries now, and be sure to select “Check” as payment method. Send the check to the Home Office when it is processed.

Q: What rights do I retain if my work is selected as a winner?
A: You retain all rights to your work. Upon submission, you grant the University & College Designers Association the right to use them for exhibition, publication, and publicity.

Q: How do I edit an entry that has already been submitted?
A: If you need to change anything about your entry, please contact us at info@ucda.com and be sure to include your entry number in your correspondence.

Q: How does the judging take place?
A: Print: Print entries are displayed by category. Each Print judge views the entries independently and tags an entry to put it into the final voting. For finals, print entries are again displayed and voted upon independaently. After the judges make their selections, their votes are tallied.

Digital, Photography, Illustration, and Student: Each judge views the entries independently and entries are scored by the judges. Scores are tabulated and winners are determined.

All: Judges are not permitted to vote on work they were directly involved in. Judges are asked to provide comments on Judges Choice and Best of Show. Time constraints prevent judges from commenting on all pieces.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?

About competition:
Matt Krob, Competition Chair
krobml@slu.edu

Julie Choquette, Competition Co-Chair
choquette.julie@gmail.com

About membership or online entry procedure:
Tadson Bussey, Executive Director
Chris Klonowski, Assistant Director
info@ucda.com
615-459-4559

Rights Statement
Entrants retain all rights to their work. Submission of entries to the UCDA Design Awards (All Competitions) acknowledges the right of the University & College Designers Association to use them for exhibition, publication, and publicity for the purpose of promoting and advertising this and future competitions and/or for promoting UCDA members’ work. Entrants agree to hold UCDA harmless of any claims that may be made against it by reason of such reproductions. Securing releases is the sole responsibility of the entrant. 

Terms and Conditions
Entries become the property of the UCDA and cannot be returned. UCDA takes no responsibility for determining official authorship or ownership of websites or digital entries. The judges will review all pieces submitted to the competitions, and the final number of pieces accepted into the show will be at their discretion. The judges may re-categorize entries; if so, there will be no adjustment of entry fees. Decision of the judges on entries accepted and the level of awards are final. UCDA is not responsible for lost, late or damaged entries due to the submitter’s shipping method. UCDA is not responsible for non-functional URL links or entries that provide incorrect login credentials during the competition judging. UCDA will make reasonable attempts to remedy any entry problem prior to competition judging.