Uncover Discover Competition

After sitting at the other end of the NO!SPEC emails I’ve become hard-nosed when it comes to certain competitions. Especially those where, just by entering a design, you give away the rights to your work.

Are these types of competitions unethical? Some say yes. I say read the fine print before handing over your work.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Uncover Discover Competition is, in my eyes, an ethical competition.

They do not ask for new work. They do not demand exclusive property rights into perpetuity. They even set a non-excluse date for the entries.

From Uncover Discover:
Biore® Skincare and Gen Art are hosting a national competition dubbed UNCOVER / DISCOVER to help support and showcase the next generation of female talent in music, film, fashion and the visual arts.

The program will showcase six film semi-finalists, selected by a panel of industry experts in each category, who will gain national recognition and exposure before consumers and members of the visual art community through a micro site, www.bioregenart.com. Three semifinalists will then be selected through audience voting. And the final winner will be selected by sponsor and grant provider Biore® Skincare.

By submitting, if selected as a semi-finalist, you agree to license your submission non-exclusively to Biore® Skincare and Gen Art for usage online and via any Biore® Skincare / Gen Art event programming until June 31, 2008.

I can live with that.