Help / Frequently Asked Questions

Make sure your artwork is original, unique, and high-quality.

This means you've put in work and created the best design possible. This also means the work is entirely your own, and not copied from somewhere else. Take your time and create something no one has ever seen before!

High-quality means you've created your design following the template, at the original size (5850px x 5400px for the Classic Pump template). It also means your artwork is sharp and non-pixelated when viewed at 100% size. This ensures that we can print your design when you win the contest.

Make sure the files you submit are prepared correctly.

When you save a copy of your design to submit to the contest, make sure to reduce it in size proportionally to 1404px x 1296px and hide the instructions and guide lines. You can place additional artwork or a title outside of the design area if you like.

The Image Size dialog box in Adobe Photoshop

The design file you submit must have a filesize below 2 MB (otherwise you'll get an error when you submit it). We recommend using "Save for Web" in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to save your file. This handy dialog will tell you what size your file is, and allow you to reduce the size by changing to PNG-8 compression and reducing the number of colors.

The Save for Web dialog box in Adobe Photoshop

Load the copy of your design into the Dream Heels Shoe Viewer and take a look at it. Pick an insole and sole color (write these down). Once you're happy with the look of your design, save a thumbnail file (you'll submit this along with your design). When submitting your design and thumbnail, be sure to select the same insole and sole color as you selected in the shoe viewer.

Other design tips & ideas

• Create a shoe you yourself would wear (if you wear heels), or you think a woman would wear.
• Design for a season. Need help choosing the right color scheme? Try Fashion Trendsetter, COLOURlovers or Kuler.
• Submit your design as a critique first. This will give you valuable feedback and allow you to perfect your design before entering it into the contest. Let the community help you win!
• Need help or inspiration? Try psdtuts+ or the Dream Heels Forum.

Follow these tips and you're virtually guaranteed to win the contest. Good luck!

1. Sign up for a Dream Heels account. Once you are signed up and logged in, proceed to the "Vote" section of the site.
2. Vote by clicking the little stars beneath each entry image. You can give a design 1 star (lowest score) to 5 stars (highest score) based on how much you like that design. If you think you would definitely buy the item if we made it, click the little shopping cart icon to the right of the stars to let us know.

Before voting, check out the shoe in 3D by clicking the "View In 3D" tab above the entry image, or click the image to visit the design's entry page and see it close up. You can also filter out all the entries you have already voted for by clicking the appropriate drop down list at the top of the page, and then clicking the "Apply" button.

Anyone with a talent for design may enter. There are no restrictions on country of origin, but winners will be paid in US dollars.

Designers retain the rights to the work they submit. If a design is selected for printing, we then reserve the right to its full use.

Designs that are original, unique, and of high-quality stand the best chance of winning. We also consider a variety of other factors including overall score, comments made, and the number of "I'd Buy It's".

A lot! Check it out:

• $250 USD in cash
• $250 USD in Dream Dollars (store credit)
• $0.50 in residuals for every pair of shoes we sell featuring your design

Residuals are paid out at the following benchmarks:

• 1000 pairs sold = $500 prize
• 2000 pairs sold = $500 prize
• 3000 pairs sold = $500 prize

Total = Over $2000 in cash and prizes!

Designers are paid via PayPal.

We review all design submissions on the site prior to placing them in the contest. It can take up to a week for us to review your submission. Please be patient.

A critique is like a design submission, but allows you to get the opinions of the Dream Heels community before submitting your artwork to the contest. It's a great way to perfect your art and learn from other shoe designers on the site.

You can submit a critique in the "Design" section of the site. Click the "Submit Your Shoe Design" button, then use the form labelled "Submit a Critique" to the right of the "Submit a Design" form. You can also submit revisions to your critique here, or directly on your Critique entry page.

If it didn't score well the first time, we don't recommend it unless you make significant changes to the design. Designs submitted which too closely resemble previous submissions will be rejected.

If you're concerned about how well your design will score, we recommend submitting your design as a critique before entering it into the contest. This will allow you to get community feedback on the design, and tweak it until it is perfect. Once you are ready, you can then submit the design to the contest directly from the Critique page.

No, please only submit one design at a time. Once your design is finished scoring, feel free to submit another one.

Once a design is submitted to the site, we cannot remove it until 120 days has elapsed. Once that time is up, feel free to and we'll remove your design from the site.

The items you currently see in the Shop section of the site are up for vote and cannot be purchased just yet. If you see a shoe you would like to purchase, log in and vote for it! If it wins, we'll make it!

Every time someone you refer to the Dream Heels website using your referral code makes a purchase, you will receive 1 Dream Dollar. Dream Dollars are good for $1 dollar off anything in the Dream Heels store.

When you create a Dream Heels account, you are automatically given a referral code. Simply append ?refer=USERNAME (replace USERNAME with your Dream Heels username) to the end of any Dream Heels URL you intend to share with someone else. e.g. http://www.dreamheels.com/forum?refer=USERNAME. When someone follows your link and makes a purchase on the site, you will receive 1 Dream Dollar.

Posting a referral link on your social network page, on your blog, or sending it to friends via email or Twitter are all great ways to earn free shoes!

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter by clicking the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. Or you can email us and ask us to remove you.

You can cancel your account by going to your profile page and clicking the "Update my Profile" link. Once on the Profile Update page, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and enter your username in the field indicated. Take note, once you complete this step all your account information will be lost.

If you're interested in selling Dream Heels products in your boutique or shop you may apply to be a qualified vendor. Please fill out the Vendor Application Form.

If you're question isn't answered here, please feel free to .