Thought that a guaranteed contest is a safe venue? Think again. In case a CH backs out, he doesn't get a refund (good), but the designer still get nothing (not so good).
I suggest a voting system, where the designers that posted designs in the abandoned contest can vote for a winner (each designer needs to vote for other designer, he cannot vote for himself), and so the best designer still wins the prize. Each entry submitted by a designer gets him or her one vote, and so those who worked the hardest get to weigh in more.
This voting system will be activated after the 7 days extension that the CH have to choose a winner.

Do not allow designers to participate into a contest (for the first time) during the last 24/48hours of the contests cycle.

I have done this myself (unintentionally) and I think it's unfair... when you decide to enter a contest during the end, it gets much easier for you. The hard work of the other designers, as well as the CH comments and ratings can give you an advantage. I believe it's better to allow only previous participants to be able to submit designs in the end.

note: this limitation would probably be unnecessary if the submitted designs were not visible to other designers.

Recently, while watching a "Gold" banner designing contest, I got that it's showing "Sorry, only gold designers can enter this contest".

On FAQs : How do I become a gold designer?

"Every designer that wins contests will be reviewed by our community team and those that meet our quality and originality standards will be promoted to be a gold designer."

My question is what about those designers who won many contests previously?? Personally, I have won 50+ banner design contest but yet to tagged as "Gold Designer". But, someone recently won 1 or 2 contest can receive "Gold Designer" tag.

This is not fair for old designers who had worked hard to won many contests before. This "Gold Designer" feature is not FAIR if old designers are not reviewed first.

Please share your valuable comment on this. Thanks.

I am a great enthusiast of 99 Designs - the concept is bounds above other freelance sites though the inclusion now of "blind contests" leaves me wondering who is running the shop - the egos of designers or the laziness of clients.
Conceptionally maybe a great idea, though the first "blind competition" I entered the feedback was "copy from this design X; and copy from design Y this and re-submit if you feel it is better"
That is a woeful circumstance for both designer and client - the designer gets ripped and the client gets even lazier.
Some designers cant design... some clients can not brief.
All competitions should be open and transparent

I could go on, though hopefully others will vote this up to "relevance" in a fair and open discussion about getting the most from both good designers and clients

I’m really disappointed with this “improvement” It’s just bad as iStockPhoto selling logo designs, let me explain why this is bad.

Firstly the so called designers who win in some contests, after reading the brief will come here in search of a logo that they think will suit the brief and copy it, then if the CH picks the logo as the winner he(CH) will have no idea that this logo has been bought for $99 by hundreds of people, now he (CH) can’t copyright his logo and his money that he put up in the CH will go to waste.

Secondly, I think this will decrease huge amount of contests on here 99designs.

These so called “designers” will go on contests and get good logos that didn’t win and they will reproduce it and will sell it down in the ready made logo store and get money.

The amount of money designers get for a logo sale is $29.70

and I also would like to ask even though you said a client can come and purchase the logo for $295 which will be then unique to him/her only, so what if people have already bought the logo for $99 before? How will that be unique?? There’s already someone using that logo and the client will be cheated.

And I can see many lawsuits on 99designs in the future.

And this can even lead to fraud the way it is.
Im a designer with a lot of work and my clients ask me samples of things they want.

I go to 99templates and ask the same. A make a simple one and say to everyone to improve theirs. I make myself a winner and I give no prize. My client gets to see alot of good works and choose what he wishes and I simply just have to remake the one He wants.
Obvious I need to be a good designer too. To imitate.

The site urgently needs a watermark in the midle of every sample.