D&D 5E D&D Beyond Cancels Competition

D&D Beyond has been running an art contest which asked creators to enter D&D-themed portrait frame. DDB got to use any or all of the entries, while the winner and some runners up received some digital content as a prize.

There was a backlash -- and DDB has cancelled the contest.

Thank you to all of our community for sharing your comments and concerns regarding our anniversary Frame Design Contest.

While we wanted to celebrate fan art as a part of our upcoming anniversary, it's clear that our community disagrees with the way we approached it. We've heard your feedback, and will be pulling the contest.

We will also strive to do better as we continue to look for ways to showcase the passion and creativity of our fellow D&D players and fans in the future. Our team will be taking this as a learning moment, and as encouragement to further educate ourselves in this pursuit.

Your feedback is absolutely instrumental to us, and we are always happy to listen and grow in response to our community's needs and concerns. Thank you all again for giving us the opportunity to review this event, and take the appropriate action.

The company went on to say:

Members of our community raised concerns about the contest’s impact on artists and designers, and the implications of running a contest to create art where only some entrants would receive a prize, and that the prize was exclusively digital material on D&D Beyond. Issues were similarly raised with regards to the contest terms and conditions. Though the entrants would all retain ownership of their design to use in any way they saw fit, including selling, printing, or reproducing, it also granted D&D Beyond rights to use submitted designs in the future. We have listened to these concerns, and in response closed the competition. We’ll be looking at ways we can better uplift our community, while also doing fun community events, in the future.

Competitions where the company in question acquires rights to all entries are generally frowned upon (unless you're WotC).

 

[Xohar17]

The thing about WOTC claiming to retain the rights to that artwork once submitted is...they have never in the history of the company USED the work of those who don't win the contest. And they never would use it. They never even look at it again, beyond that contest.

This isnt wotc, dnd beyond isnt owned or administered by wizards, they are paid a lisence by another company.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

The creators in the DDB contest would have also retained ownership.

But not full creative control over distribution.

"You understand and agree that the Sponsor...shall have the right...to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity and throughout the World, without limitation...or consent."

 

[Lanefan]

So about community contests, and to give an example of a contest that is somewhat less exploitative:

[...lengthy write-up on what sounds like a great music contest...]

As a closer-to-home (in more ways than one!) example, some 10-ish years ago @Morrus ran a "Battle of the Bards" music contest* on this very site, with the winner determined by popular vote among site users/visitors. I and my band tossed in a few entries**, and to my recollection there was never any question of Morrus/ENWorld claiming or retaining rights to the submitted music after the contest.

All we-as-artists had to do, if memory serves, was give permission for Morrus/ENWorld to put our songs online. Maybe Morrus or someone else has better records/memories than I do on this and can flesh this out a bit.

* - any plans to ever do another of these?
** - which were, and probably quite rightly, voted the hell out of Dodge in a hurry; there were some entries far better than ours!

 

[Mirtek]

I was talking about the songs themselves, but sure, go off. At least read the rest of the post.

Yeah *recognition" how droll. How many thousands are they paid in royalties though? I mean their songs are featured in a game making millions in revenue?

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Come on man, they were not giving away free stuff. That's not in any way the purpose of a contest like this.

WOTC engaged in a MARKETING VENTURE. Marketing costs them a great deal. They gain a meaningful amount of marketing eyes on their products from this venture. In addition they get some artwork which meets a quality standard they set for use in their future products.

In exchange they offered material which costs them a fraction of their usual cost for marketing eyes of this quantity or quality on their products, and also a fraction of the cost for artwork which meets their quality standards for use in their products.

NOTHING about this involved "free stuff."

This is a concept I am sure you've appreciated in the past. When invited to, for example, a time share lecture with a "free meal" involved I am sure you understood there was nothing free about the meal

I also didn't get in twitter and round up an outrage mob to force the time share people to grovel and apologize to me. I just said "that seems like a bad deal" and got on with my life. Jesus. Not everything needs to cater to everyone.

 

[Xohar17]

Then don't. Find some boring job where you sit in a cubicle and type numbers into one ERP system or another.

Just don't ruin contests aimed at such cubicle-excel-jockeys who feel like maybe doing a drawing one in a lifetime to have a chance to win some price related to their hobby

Where does it says that the contest is ained at "cubicle-excel-jockeys"?
Also, do you think those artists would on general submit better entries to the contest than profesional or semiprofesional artists? Because I do not, and if that is the case wouldnt the contest organizers preffer to get the best art they could get?

 

[J.Quondam]

Eventually I was able to come back to what I love and now I make a good living. I'm not special in any way, if I can do it anyone can. I'm not telling anyone how to live, I'm literally sharing my own experience!!

Congrats that you personally made "it" work, whatever "it" is!
However, please also understand that your own experience is 100% irrelevant to any other random schmo who has struggled but failed to achieve their own personal "it" - typically through no fault of their own. Not everybody has equal access to alternative work, education, financial resources, social support, time, or even just plain old luck.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Yeah *recognition" how droll. How many thousands are they paid in royalties though? I mean their songs are featured in a game making millions in revenue?

That's between them and Colorful Palette, the same as it would be for if ColoPale wanted to add a cover of or even the original audio of DUNE by Hachi or Brain Fluid Explosion Girl by rerulili or I want to be your heart by YurryCanon, or any other existing song. But what ColoPale can't do is just randomly grab a song out of nowhere and add it into the game without informing and getting consent from the producers, even if it was a contest entry. The original producers still hold the licensing and distribution rights.

Meanwhile, again, for these portrait frames, this is what D&D Beyond said:

"You understand and agree that the Sponsor...shall have the right...to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity and throughout the World, without limitation...or consent."

 

[Xohar17]

I don't see a problem. If you don't like the terms and conditions, don't enter. But WoTC has already set the precedent for giving into the mob mentality of the net/twitter, so who's really surprised that they caved and then apologised for trying to give away some free stuff. Just think about that for a second; WoTC APOLOGIZED for trying to give away some free stuff.

They apologized to trying to give free stuff to like 10 people, then taking the work of every other entrant for free.

 

[Mirtek]

That's between them and Colorful Palette,

Just as it would have been betweem them willing to make an entry to the DDB contest with it's stated terms and WotC.