99designs is a crowdsourcing marketplace where individuals and small businesses can post graphic work that they need done. Over 60% of all design contests held online are run through 99designs. making it by far the original and biggest graphic design marketplace.

99designs won the peoples choice webby award during 2010 and paid out over 5 million dollars to designers from all around the world.

Within hours of a project being posted, designers from all around the world compete by uploading fully completed concept designs, which are than reviewed and rated by the project poster. At the end of the project period, a winning design is chosen and paid out the prize money.

Typical projects receive 50-100 unique submissions, involve logo design, webpage design, and print design. A new design is uploaded to the site every 7 seconds.

99designs was spun out of SitePoint and was formerly known as “SitePoint Contests.”

Milestones
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99designs added Jason Sew Hoy as General Manager.

Posted 4/20/10 at 10:30pm
99designs added Jeff Kearl as Investor, Advisor. (12/7/09)

Posted 3/10/10 at 12:26pm
99designs added Matt Mickiewicz as Co-Founder.

Posted 11/5/08 at 12:46pm
99designs added Adam Schilling as User Experience Ninja.

Posted 10/2/08 at 10:17pm
99designs added Mark Harbottle as Co-Founder.

Posted 3/4/08 at 11:35am
99designs added Lachlan Donald as CTO.

Posted 3/4/08 at 11:35am
99designs added Paul Annesley as Lead Developer. (2/1/08)

Posted 3/4/08 at 11:35am
99designs received $35M in Series A funding. (4/28/11)

Posted 4/28/11 at 6:59pm via techcrunch.com