There are ways within 99designs to filter the initial mass down to better quality competitors and to stop wasting other designers time, e.g. by eliminating bad designs early. Either way, its not good for a $40/hour designer to be competing against a guy that might only need to win 1 project a month to pay the bills. James Goldsmith was right back in 1994- look at social indices, not economic! Dude saw the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PQrz8F0dBI