How to Run an Emoji Design Contest in Your Community

Contests crowdsource creativity from your entire community instead of relying on one person's design skills. You get diverse ideas and styles you wouldn't have thought of. Members who participate feel invested in the results—they helped create the emoji set, so they'll actually use it. This builds stronger community culture than just adding emojis from the admin team.

Design contests reveal hidden talent in your server. That quiet member who rarely posts? They might be an amazing illustrator. The memer who only drops reaction images? They might have excellent emoji design instincts. Contests give these people a platform to shine and contribute in ways normal chat doesn't allow.

The contest itself creates buzz and activity. People discuss entries, debate winners, and engage with your server more than usual. Even members who don't submit entries get involved by voting and commenting. This spike in activity often has lasting effects—people stick around after the contest ends because they got more invested in the community.

Define exactly what emojis you need. Are you looking for reaction emojis to express emotions? Event-specific emojis for an upcoming tournament? Inside joke emojis that represent server culture? Brand emojis with your server logo? Different objectives require different contest rules and judging criteria. A reaction emoji needs to be instantly readable at small sizes. A decorative emoji has different requirements.

Decide how many winners you'll accept. If you have 10 empty emoji slots, you might take the top 10 entries. But quality matters more than quantity—if only 5 submissions meet your standards, don't feel obligated to add mediocre emojis just to fill slots. Set minimum standards and be willing to select fewer winners than slots available.

Establish the desired style and theme upfront. Do emojis need to match your existing set's aesthetic? Should they be pixel art, illustrated, photorealistic, meme-based? If you don't specify, you'll get wildly inconsistent submissions. Some will be professional-quality vector art, others will be MS Paint doodles. Clear style guidance produces cohesive results.

Set a realistic timeline. Two weeks is usually minimum for a contest—one week for design, one week for voting. Shorter deadlines reduce participation because people need time to create quality work. Longer deadlines (3-4 weeks) work for complex requirements like animated emojis. But don't drag it out too long or people lose interest.

Technical requirements must be crystal clear. Specify file format (PNG, GIF), dimensions (128×128 minimum, 512×512 maximum recommended), file size limits (under 256KB for Discord standard, under 512KB for Nitro), and whether transparency is required. Test that your requirements are actually achievable—don't ask for 10-frame animations under 100KB if physics makes that impossible.

Content guidelines protect you from inappropriate submissions. Explicitly ban NSFW content, hate symbols, copyright violations, and harassment of individuals. State that you reserve the right to disqualify entries that violate community standards even if not explicitly listed. This gives you flexibility to handle edge cases without needing to enumerate every possible violation.

Submission limits prevent spam while allowing creativity. Three to five entries per person is reasonable—enough to show multiple ideas, not so many that the channel floods with dozens of submissions from one person. Some contests allow unlimited entries but that creates overwhelming volume for judges to review.

Usage rights need to be explicit. State that winning entries grant your server perpetual license to use the emoji, that creators retain copyright but cannot prevent your use, and that entries must be original work or have proper licensing. This prevents legal issues where a winner later demands you stop using their emoji or claims you stole copyrighted content.

Technical quality separates good emojis from unusable ones. Emojis must be clear and recognizable at 32×32 pixels. File size must meet limits. Transparency should be clean without fringing. These are pass/fail criteria—entries that fail technical requirements get disqualified before judging begins. This prevents voting on emojis that can't actually be used.

Creativity and originality matter for long-term appeal. An emoji that's just a slight variation of an existing one isn't adding value. Generic smiley faces exist everywhere—what makes this entry unique? The most memorable emojis have distinctive style or clever concepts that stand out. Judge whether you'd still like this emoji six months from now or if it's trendy and disposable.

Fit with server culture determines usefulness. An objectively well-designed emoji that doesn't match your community's vibe won't get used. A gaming server needs different emojis than an art server or study group. Judge whether your members would actually reach for this emoji in conversation or if it's just aesthetically pleasing but functionally useless for your specific server.

Usability in context means testing at actual size in actual chat. Don't judge based on the full-resolution submission. View it at 32 pixels on both light and dark backgrounds. Imagine it appearing repeatedly in chat. Some emojis look great as standalone art but terrible when used repetitively. Others work perfectly in their intended context.

Pure community voting becomes a popularity contest. The member with the most friends or alt accounts wins regardless of quality. Popular members get votes for their name recognition, not their submissions. This frustrates skilled designers who submit quality work but lack social connections. You end up with emojis people voted for politically, not emojis they'll actually use.

Pure admin judging ignores community preferences. You might select technically perfect emojis that the community finds boring or unusable. Your taste doesn't necessarily match your members' taste. Without community input, members feel less invested in the results—they're just being told what emojis they'll have rather than choosing them.

Hybrid approaches balance quality and preference. Admins filter submissions to finalists based on technical quality and appropriateness. Then community votes on finalists to determine winners. This ensures only viable emojis make it to voting while letting the community have final say. Alternatively, weight admin scores at 60% and community votes at 40% so quality has slight edge over popularity.

Blind judging reduces bias. Post submissions without creator names for voting. People judge the emoji itself rather than who made it. This helps unknown members compete fairly against popular members or staff. The downside is you lose the "supporting my friend" engagement factor that drives some participation.

Server roles and badges cost nothing but have high perceived value. A special "Emoji Artist" role with custom color and position in the member list recognizes winners permanently. A badge or icon next to their name signals their contribution. For community-focused members, this recognition matters more than material prizes.

Discord Nitro or server boost credits make practical prizes if you have budget. One month of Nitro costs $10 and directly benefits the winner. Server boosts benefit your entire server while rewarding the winner. Both are Discord-native rewards that fit the context better than Amazon gift cards or PayPal.

Custom role permissions or colors let winners personalize their experience. Pick any role color, get custom emoji next to your name, or get access to special channels. These are valuable to winners and cost you nothing. The key is making them permanent and visible so the recognition doesn't fade.

Multiple prize tiers encourage participation beyond first place. First, second, third place each get different recognition. Honorable mentions for top 5-10. "Community favorite" for highest votes separate from "best quality" for admin pick. More ways to win means more people feel motivated to enter even if they don't think they'll take first.

Non-monetary prizes often work better than cash for small contests. Offering $50 attracts people who just want money and don't care about your community. Offering a special role attracts people who care about your server and want recognition. The latter produces better long-term engagement and quality submissions.

Reaction-based voting in Discord is vulnerable to alt accounts and brigading. Someone can create multiple accounts to vote for themselves or coordinate friends to vote as a bloc. If you use reaction voting, require voters to have been members for at least a week before the contest and have some minimum activity level. This filters out accounts created just for voting.

Poll bots with anonymous voting reduce but don't eliminate manipulation. People can still create multiple accounts, but the effort is higher than just clicking reactions. Single-choice polls ("vote for one winner") are harder to manipulate than multi-choice polls where people vote for everything except their competition.

Admin-weighted scoring can override manipulation. If community vote is only 40% of final score and admin judgment is 60%, even coordinated voting can't guarantee a win. This protects against vote manipulation while still incorporating community preference. Be transparent about the weighting so people understand voting matters but isn't everything.

Limit voting to contest participants in some cases. Only people who submitted entries can vote. This creates a judge pool of people who understand the effort involved and are more likely to vote on quality. The downside is it excludes the wider community from participating in the decision.

Announce early with clear timeline at least a week before submissions open. Give people time to plan and decide if they want to participate. Post a detailed announcement with all rules, requirements, prizes, and deadlines. Pin this announcement in multiple relevant channels so nobody can claim they didn't see it.

Multiple reminders as the deadline approaches increase participation. Three days before deadline, one day before, and "last few hours" reminders each catch different people. Some procrastinate until the last minute. Others started work but forgot to submit. Reminders prevent "I meant to enter but forgot" regrets.

Showcase examples of what you're looking for without being prescriptive. Show your favorite existing emojis or past contest winners to set quality expectations. But don't show so many examples that entries all copy the same style. You want inspiration, not templates people just recreate.

Answer questions publicly in a designated channel. One person's question is usually shared by several others who didn't ask. Public Q&A ensures everyone gets the same information and prevents you from having to answer the same question in DMs repeatedly. Pin the Q&A channel so people check there first.

Add winning emojis immediately after announcing results. Don't make winners wait days or weeks to see their emojis go live. The excitement and momentum from the contest fades fast. Adding emojis same-day or next-day maintains energy and shows you respect participants' time and effort.

Credit creators appropriately with emoji names or server announcements. Name the emoji after the creator ("emoji_by_username") or post a message crediting all winners by name and linking to their submissions. This recognition matters to creators and encourages others to participate in future contests.

Distribute prizes/recognition promptly. Don't announce winners but then take a week to give out roles or Nitro codes. Have prizes ready to distribute when you announce winners. Delayed rewards feel like an afterthought and reduce perceived value.

Keep high-quality runner-ups for future use with permission. If someone submitted a great emoji that didn't win because competition was strong, ask if you can add it later. This prevents good work from going to waste and shows you valued all quality submissions, not just the winners.

Run a post-contest survey to improve future contests. What worked well? What was confusing? Were prizes motivating? Was timeline reasonable? Use this feedback to refine your process. Members appreciate being asked and will be more invested in future contests if they see their feedback implemented.

Low participation means your contest wasn't compelling. Reasons include prizes not motivating enough, technical requirements too complex, timeline too short, or announcement didn't reach enough people. Fix by simplifying requirements, extending timeline, improving prizes, or promoting more heavily. Test interest with a poll before committing to a full contest.

Too many low-quality submissions suggests entry barriers were too low. If you got 50 entries but only 5 meet standards, you wasted judges' time. Next time, require minimum specifications (file must be under X KB, must be clear at 32px) and preview submissions before they go to voting. This filters out entries that can't possibly win.

Disputes over judging happen when criteria weren't clear upfront. If people argue their entry deserved to win, you probably didn't establish transparent scoring. Prevent by publishing exact judging criteria and weights before contest starts. Show sample scoring of a hypothetical entry so people understand how winners are determined.

Copyright violations require clear rules and vigilance. State that entries must be original or properly licensed. When you receive submissions, do quick reverse image searches on suspicious ones. If someone submitted copyrighted content, disqualify immediately and publicly explain why to discourage others from trying.

Regular contests (monthly, quarterly, or themed around events) become server traditions people anticipate. "The monthly emoji contest" gets people checking the calendar and preparing submissions in advance. Consistent scheduling builds habit and increases participation over time as members know to expect it.

Hall of fame for past winners creates legacy and motivation. A dedicated channel showcasing all previous winning emojis and their creators gives winners permanent recognition. New members see the quality bar and existing members see the prestige of winning, both of which drive future participation.

Themed contests around holidays or server events provide built-in constraints that spark creativity. "Halloween emoji contest" or "tournament mascot contest" give clear direction while allowing interpretation. Themes also justify recurring contests—next Halloween needs new emojis even if you ran a contest last year.

Evolving difficulty or requirements keep contests fresh. Start with simple static emojis, then later do animated emoji contest, then remix challenge where participants reimagine existing emojis. This progression prevents contests from feeling repetitive while building skills in your community.