Designed by Her: Full Competition Entry Terms & Conditions
These are the full terms that apply when you enter the Designed by Her competition. By submitting an entry you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by them. Please read clauses 8 (Intellectual property), 9 (Non-confidentiality and independent development), 10 (Release and waiver) and 15 (Warranties and liability) with particular care, as they affect your legal rights.
Definitions
In these Terms:
"Duck Apparel", "we", "us", "our" means Duck Apparel, the promoter of the competition.
"Duck Apparel Group" means Duck Apparel together with its holding companies, subsidiaries, associated and affiliated companies, and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, licensees, successors and assigns. Every release, waiver, indemnity and limitation of liability given by you in these Terms is given in favour of, and may be enforced by, each member of the Duck Apparel Group.
"entry" / "submission" means any artwork, design, mockup, file, text or other material you submit to the competition.
"you", "your", "entrant" means the individual who submits an entry.
The promoter and agreement to terms
The competition is run by Duck Apparel. By entering, you enter into a binding agreement with Duck Apparel on these Terms. Contact for all competition matters: inga@duckapparel.co.za.
Purpose of the competition
Designed by Her is a nationwide design search run by Duck Apparel for Women's Month 2026, created to support and promote women designers in South Africa and to give an emerging designer national exposure for her work. Entry is restricted to women as a deliberate measure to advance a group historically under-represented in commercial fashion design.
Eligibility
Entrants must be women aged 18 or older who are citizens or permanent residents of South Africa. No formal qualifications or industry experience are required. Employees, directors and agents of the Duck Apparel Group, and their immediate family members, may not enter. We may require proof of age, identity and residency before confirming any prize, and may disqualify any entrant who does not meet the eligibility criteria.
Entry period and key dates
Late, incomplete or ineligible entries will not be considered. We may vary these dates where circumstances make it reasonably necessary (see clause 16).
How to enter
Download the official mockup template, apply your original artwork to one or more of the featured products (the Raincoat, the Leggings or the Classic Parka), and submit it as a PDF file through the entry form, together with the requested details, including your name, email address, city or province, the piece you have chosen and a short description of your design. Entry is free. You must provide accurate contact details; we are not responsible for entries or notifications that fail because of incorrect details you supplied. If you are selected as a finalist, we may request your editable source files (such as AI or PSD) so that the design can be prepared for production.
Original and appropriate work
Each entry must be your own original work, created by you as an individual. Group entries are not permitted. Work previously shared on social media may be entered provided you own all rights in it. Multiple entries are welcome, each original and submitted separately.
The use of generative AI tools to create or substantially modify artwork is not permitted. We may, in our sole discretion, disqualify any entry we reasonably believe contains AI-generated content or otherwise breaches these Terms.
Entries must not infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, design or other right, and all artwork must be family-friendly and suitable for all ages.
Intellectual property
Your entry. You retain ownership of the copyright in your artwork when you enter. By entering, you grant Duck Apparel a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sub-licensable licence to reproduce, display, publish, adapt and share your submission for the purposes of running, judging, administering and promoting this competition and the Duck Apparel brand in connection with it. This licence continues after the competition only to the extent needed for records we are required to keep and for competition material already published in good faith.
If you win. As a condition of receiving the prize in clause 12, the winner agrees to sign a separate written Collaboration Agreement under which the winner assigns to Duck Apparel the full copyright and all commercial rights in the winning design, including in any adaptations and derivative works. That assignment is made in consideration of the prize in clause 12, which is the winner's sole and complete compensation, with no royalty, profit share or other payment now or in future. Ownership of the winning design transfers only once the Collaboration Agreement is signed.
Non-confidentiality and independent development
You acknowledge and agree that:
(a) No confidentiality. Your submission is made on a non-confidential and non-obligatory basis. No confidential relationship, fiduciary duty or obligation of confidence arises between you and any member of the Duck Apparel Group as a result of your entry, and we are under no obligation to keep any submission confidential.
(b) Ideas and concepts are not protected. Copyright protects the specific original expression in a work, not ideas, concepts, styles, techniques, silhouettes, colourways, themes, trends or general design directions. You acknowledge that the Duck Apparel Group is free to use any such idea, concept, style or trend, and that no such element in your entry is or becomes your exclusive property by reason of your entry.
(c) Independent and prior development. The Duck Apparel Group designs and develops products continuously and independently. You acknowledge that the Duck Apparel Group may already be developing, or may in future independently develop, commission or acquire designs, products or artwork that are the same as or similar to your submission, without any reference to or use of your submission. You agree that similarity between your submission and any Duck Apparel Group product is not, on its own, evidence of copying, and you will not bring any claim based on such similarity.
(d) No expectation from non-winning entries. Entering creates no expectation of payment, engagement, employment or compensation of any kind, except for the prize awarded to the winner under clause 12. Non-winning entries confer no rights and no claim of any nature against the Duck Apparel Group.
Release and waiver
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release and waive, and agree not to bring, any claim, demand or action against any member of the Duck Apparel Group arising out of or in connection with: your participation in the competition; the use, non-use, adaptation or non-selection of your submission; any similarity between your submission and any product, design or artwork of the Duck Apparel Group whether created before, during or after the competition; or the matters acknowledged in clause 9.
This release does not apply to, and nothing in these Terms limits: (i) the winner's entitlement to the prize in clause 12; (ii) any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008 or other law that cannot lawfully be excluded; or (iii) liability for death or personal injury, gross negligence, fraud or intentional wrongdoing.
Judging and selection
Entries are judged in two stages on creativity, originality, storytelling and commercial potential:
- A Duck Apparel panel selects five finalists (14-19 August 2026).
- The finalists are opened to a public vote (20-27 August 2026), which the panel takes into account when choosing the winner.
The determination of finalists, the winner and the random voucher recipient is overseen by an independent person to ensure the competition is conducted fairly. Our decision on the judging outcome is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the exercise of our judging discretion. Nothing in this clause limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008.
The winner's collaboration and prize
The winner becomes an official Duck Apparel collaborator, working with our design team to develop a limited-edition piece for the Winter 2027 collection. We may make any adjustments needed for manufacture, quality, safety or commercial viability. Full terms are set out in the Collaboration Agreement, which the winner must sign to receive the prize.
The winner receives a R20,000 Duck Apparel store credit. This credit:
- is redeemable only against Duck Apparel product through our South African online store;
- is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or its cash value;
- is valid for 12 months from the date it is issued;
- is subject to product availability; and
- is the winner's sole and complete compensation for the collaboration and for the assignment in clause 8.
With the winner's consent given in the Collaboration Agreement, Duck Apparel will feature the winner across its marketing channels, including a dedicated email feature (EDM) and a credit on our website identifying the design as a collaboration with her. The winner is responsible for any tax that may arise on the prize.
Voter prize
One public voter will be selected at random to receive a R5,000 Duck Apparel voucher, redeemable against Duck Apparel product. The random selection is overseen by the independent person referred to in clause 11 and is recorded. The recipient will be contacted using the details they provided.
Winner notification and forfeiture
The winner and the voucher recipient will be contacted using the details they provided. If a winner cannot be contacted within 14 days of the announcement, does not meet the eligibility requirements, or declines to sign the Collaboration Agreement, Duck Apparel may forfeit that person's entitlement and select an alternative winner. The prize is awarded, and the design assignment takes effect, only once the Collaboration Agreement is signed.
Warranties, indemnity and liability
Your warranties. You warrant that your submission is your own original work; that you own all rights in it; that it does not infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, design, privacy, personality or other right; and that it contains no unlawful, defamatory or infringing content.
Your indemnity. You indemnify and hold harmless the Duck Apparel Group against any loss, damage, cost or claim (including reasonable legal costs) arising from a breach of your warranties in this clause, or from any third party's claim that your submission infringes their rights. This indemnity is limited to claims arising from your own acts, omissions or breach and does not extend to loss caused by the Duck Apparel Group's own conduct.
Liability. To the extent permitted by law, the Duck Apparel Group is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your participation in the competition. This exclusion does not apply to, and nothing in these Terms limits, liability for death or personal injury, gross negligence, fraud or intentional wrongdoing, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008.
Changes to the competition
Duck Apparel may amend these Terms, or cancel, suspend or modify the competition, where circumstances make it reasonably necessary, provided we do not do so in a way that unfairly prejudices entrants. The full competition rules are available free of charge on request from the contact address in clause 2. We keep records of the competition, entries and winner selection for at least three years.
Your personal information
Personal information is collected and processed in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), and used to administer the competition, contact entrants and, where you have consented, for the marketing described in clause 12. The personal information we collect includes your name, email address, phone number, city or province, any social media handle you provide, and the details of your entry. Marketing communications are sent only with consent, which you may withdraw at any time. See our Privacy Policy for more.
General
Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, that provision is severed and the remaining provisions continue in full force. Where a provision is unenforceable only because it is too broad, it applies with the minimum modification needed to make it enforceable.
Entire agreement. These Terms (together with the Collaboration Agreement for the winner) are the entire agreement between you and Duck Apparel about the competition and replace any prior statement or representation.
Variation. No variation of these Terms is effective unless made by us in accordance with clause 16.
No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.
Costs. In any dispute arising from these Terms, the unsuccessful party is liable for the successful party's reasonable legal costs, save where the law provides otherwise.
Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and you consent to the jurisdiction of the South African courts. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008 or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Questions about the campaign? Email inga@duckapparel.co.za.
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