On 110Designs, designers accept to submit only their own original artwork, so each and every designer possesses the rights to their design submissions.
It is valid before the contest holder picks one of the designs as the contest’s winner. In that case only, can the designer agree to transfer his or her rights to that specific design to the contest holder.
The designer transfers their rights in the Source Files Upload stage, and once it is done, the contest holder becomes owner of the rights to that particular design.
If a designer makes various design concepts for one contest, but the contest holder only buys one of them, then all the unwanted design concepts remain the property of the designer. The contest holder can, obviously, make a deal with the designer for the transfer of rights to more than one of their designs.
If the contest holder does not buy a designer’s work, it remains the property of the designer.