Can I Use Generative AI in Design Contests?

Can I Use Generative AI in Design Contests?

Yes, with conditions. You may use generative AI tools (such as Midjourney, DALL·E, Stable Diffusion, Adobe Firefly, or similar) as part of your design process — but you must disclose it, you cannot submit purely AI-generated work, and you remain fully responsible for originality and intellectual property clearance.

I. WHAT’S ALLOWED AND WHAT’S NOT

Allowed:

• Ideation and mood boards. Using AI to generate rough concepts, colour palettes, or layout ideas that you then develop into an original design by hand.

• Background textures and patterns. Generating abstract textures, gradients, or decorative elements that serve as a component within a larger, hand-crafted design.

• Image enhancement. Using AI-powered tools for upscaling, noise reduction, colour correction, or background removal on your own photographs or licensed images.

• Typography exploration. Using AI to suggest font pairings or generate lettering concepts that you then refine or redraw.

Not allowed:

• Submitting a raw AI output as your design. A prompt-to-image result with no meaningful human design work is not a design submission. It’s a generated image.

• Using AI to replicate another designer’s style or existing work. Prompting an AI to produce “a logo in the style of [specific designer]” or “something like [specific brand’s logo]” is a form of copying.

• Generating entire logos, illustrations, or mascots with AI. These categories require original human creative work. AI-generated characters, wordmarks, and illustrations are not accepted as contest submissions.

• Hiding AI use. Submitting AI-generated work without disclosure, or claiming AI-generated elements are hand-drawn or original, is a breach of the Designer Code of Conduct.

“The test is simple: could you explain and defend every design decision you made? If the answer is ‘the AI chose it,’ that element needs human design work.”

II. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS

When submitting a design concept that incorporates any AI-generated element, you must:

• Tick the “AI-assisted” flag on the submission form.

• State which AI tool(s) you used (e.g., “Midjourney v6 for initial texture, refined in Photoshop”).

• Describe which elements are AI-generated and which are your original work.

This disclosure is visible to the Client. Clients are entitled to make an informed choice about whether they want AI-assisted designs. Some Clients will welcome it; others will prefer fully hand-crafted work. Either preference is valid.

III. WHY THIS MATTERS: IP AND LEGAL RISK

Copyright ownership

Under current UK law (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, s.9(3)), copyright in a computer-generated work belongs to “the person by whom the arrangements necessary for the creation of the work are undertaken.” This provision is unusual globally — most jurisdictions (including the US) do not grant copyright to purely AI-generated outputs at all.

The legal position is evolving. The UK Intellectual Property Office has consulted on this area and further guidance may follow. In practice, the stronger your human creative contribution to the final design, the stronger your copyright claim. A design that is substantially AI-generated carries real ownership risk for both you and the Client.

Infringement risk

AI image generators are trained on large datasets of existing images, some of which are copyrighted. There is a risk that AI-generated outputs reproduce recognisable elements of existing works — without either the AI or the Designer being aware of it.

As the submitting Designer, you are responsible for ensuring your submission does not infringe any third party’s intellectual property. “The AI generated it” is not a defence. If a Client later faces a claim that a winning design infringes someone’s copyright, the liability traces back to you under the Design Transfer Agreement.

Licence terms of AI tools

Each AI tool has its own licence terms governing commercial use of outputs. Before using any AI-generated element in a contest submission, check that the tool’s licence permits:

• Commercial use of the output.

• Transfer of rights to a third party (the Client).

• Use in a trademark or logo (many AI tools explicitly exclude this).

If the tool’s licence does not permit these uses, you cannot include that output in your submission.

IV. ENFORCEMENT

Undisclosed AI use (first offence) — Submission removed, written warning.
Undisclosed AI use (repeat offence) — Account suspension (7–30 days).
Submitting purely AI-generated work as original — Submission removed, account suspension.
Deliberately misrepresenting AI work as hand-crafted — Permanent removal from the platform.

If a winning design is later found to contain undisclosed AI-generated elements, we reserve the right to reverse the contest result, reclaim the Designer Fee, and issue a refund to the Client.

V. SUMMARY

• AI is a tool, not a substitute for your skill. Use it to assist, not to replace your creative work.

• Always disclose. No exceptions.

• You own the IP risk. Check the AI tool’s licence and check the output for originality.

• Logos, illustrations, and mascots must be human-created.

• The Client decides whether they want AI-assisted work. Respect their choice.