Design Competition

• Anything that belongs in 5C5V. That could be one of the five cities and their virtues (Sapporo 希 hope, Tokyo 夢 dream, Kyoto 和 harmony, Osaka 力 strength, Yokohama 信 trust), Neon Dawn (Tokyo after dark), Edo, or something new that fits.
• Pick what it goes on: a cap, tee, jumper, hoodie, beanie or art print.
• Any style is welcome: drawing, painting, graphic design, lettering, photography or digital art.
• It must be your own original design, and not already sold as a product anywhere else.
• If you use kanji or Japanese text, use it properly. Our Respect Notes explain how.

• Anyone aged 16 or over, anywhere in the world. You don't need to be a student or have any experience.
• If you're 16 or 17 and you win, a parent or guardian needs to sign the licence with you. We may ask for proof of age.
• Up to three entries each. Each entry must be the work of one person.
• 5C5V, and anyone working with or related to it, can't enter.

• Entries open on Thursday 15 October 2026 and close at 23:59 UK time on Thursday 26 November 2026. We can't accept late entries.
• Use 5C5V Studio to send your design, or email matthew@5c5v.co.uk with "Design competition entry" as the subject, or send a DM to @5c5v.co.uk on Instagram.
• Send the design as a PNG or PDF at least 3,000 px on the long side, or as a vector file (AI, SVG or EPS). If it's too big to email, send a link to it (Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer). A mock-up is welcome but not needed.
• Tell us your full name, the name you'd like credited, your country, which product it's for, your Instagram handle if you have one, and confirm you're 16 or over.
• We'll reply within three working days to confirm we've got your entry. If you don't hear back, email us again.

• We shortlist ten designs. We judge them on how original they are, how well they fit 5C5V, and how well they'd work on the product.
• From 27 November the ten are shown here on 5c5v.co.uk, each with its own vote link. Anyone can vote, once per email address. Voting closes at 23:59 UK time on 6 December 2026.
• The five with the most votes win, in that order. If two designs tie, the one that reached that number of votes first ranks higher.
• We'll post the shortlist on @5c5v.co.uk too. Share your vote link as much as you like.
• Votes must come from real people. Bought, fake or automated votes, or more than one vote from the same person, will be removed and can mean disqualification.
• Voting never signs anyone up to marketing emails unless they choose to.
• Winners are announced here and on Instagram on 8 December 2026, and we'll contact them by email or DM. If a winner doesn't reply within 14 days, or can't sign the licence, the next design in the vote takes their place.

• 1st £500, 2nd £300, 3rd £200, 4th £100, 5th £75.
• Paid within 30 days of the licence being signed, by bank transfer or PayPal. Winners outside the UK are paid the equivalent in their own currency.
• Seller of the Month: for the first 12 full calendar months the winning designs are on sale, the design that sells the most items in the month gets £100. If two or more tie, they share it. If none of the designs sells anything that month, there's no prize.
• Seller of the Year: after 12 months on sale, the design with the most items sold in that time gets £1,000, as long as it has sold at least 100 items. If none reaches 100, there's no prize.
• Only paid orders count. Anything refunded or returned is taken off. Monthly and yearly prizes are paid with the next monthly statement.
• Prizes are cash only and can't be swapped or passed to someone else. Any tax due on prizes or earnings in your country is yours to sort.

Each winning design is made and sold on 5c5v.co.uk, in the collection it belongs to, with your name on it. We make a sample first, and aim to have it on sale within about six weeks of the winners being announced.

For two years from the day it goes on sale, you get 50% of the profit on every sale. Profit is what the customer paid, minus VAT, the cost of making and posting it, and the payment fee. You also get your own discount code to share. Any discount on your code comes out of our half, not yours.

A guide at today's UK prices, not a promise. Jumpers and prints are worked out per product.

Every month you get a statement listing each sale: what the customer paid, VAT, what it cost to make and post, fees, the profit and your half, with the order report and production invoice behind it. Your share is paid within 15 days of the end of each month.

• You keep the copyright in everything you enter.
• Entries that don't win are never used. The only exception is the ten finalists, which are shown on this page and on Instagram for the vote. After the vote, we'll take your post down if you ask.
• Winners give 5C5V an exclusive licence to make and sell their design for two years from the day it goes on sale. In that time the design is sold only on 5c5v.co.uk. You can always show it in your portfolio.
• While it's on sale, we can use your name, your design and photos of the product to promote it.
• We won't change a winning design without your agreement, beyond sizing it and matching colours for the product.
• After two years the rights are all yours again, unless we both agree to carry on.

• Entries must be your own work, and you must have the right to use everything in them. No characters, logos or trademarks that belong to someone else.
• Free to enter. No purchase needed.
• We use entrants' details only to run the competition, and delete the details of entrants who don't win within six months. Files sent through 5C5V Studio are stored securely by our upload providers and deleted at the same time. Voters' email addresses are used only to count votes, unless they choose to hear from us, and are deleted after the vote.
• If we ever need to change these rules, we'll update this page and tell entrants. The prizes won't go down.
• This competition is not sponsored, endorsed or run by Instagram or Meta, and isn't associated with them.
• Run by 5C5V LIMITED (company number 16789464), 43 Chichester Close, Hartlepool TS25 2QT, United Kingdom. These rules are governed by the law of England and Wales.
• Questions? Email matthew@5c5v.co.uk.