Before a design competition deadline, timestamp the exact boards, model and report you will submit. TimeBinder® makes a fingerprint in your browser. The files stay on your device. You get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate that shows each exact file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not show who designed the scheme, who owns it, or that a jury must accept your entry. Free to start. For procurement tenders, see tender and bid timestamping.
Table of Contents
The routine: timestamp before you submit
- Freeze the entry pack: PDF boards, BIM or model export, design report, and any required forms as files.
- Optional. Check hashes with the free SHA-256 hash checker.
- Timestamp up to 10 files, or one zip of the pack. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required.
- Save the Proof of Time Certificate with your archive copy.
- Then submit through the competition portal.
- If they allow a corrected pack, timestamp the corrected pack before you send it.
How to timestamp a file has the steps. See also architectural design timestamping.
What to keep after the deadline
- The exact submitted files and certificate.
- The portal confirmation or email receipt.
- The brief and Q&A addenda you designed to.
- Team agreements and any split of credit if several authors share the entry.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t
A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time. It does not show authorship, ownership or copyright, and it does not decide the competition. Keep contracts and portal records. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is this the same as a tender bid timestamp?
Related, but competitions often ask for anonymous boards and models. Timestamp the anonymous pack you actually lodge.
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Should I timestamp before or after the portal closes?
Before. A timestamp after the deadline only shows the file existed then.
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Can a whole entry zip go in one TimeBind?
Yes. Keep that exact zip.
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What if the brief forbids identifying marks?
Timestamp still works: only a fingerprint is recorded, not your title block text. Follow the brief for what you submit.
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What does it cost?
Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, from US$5; ASAP is US$15. See plans and pricing
Timestamp your competition pack free
Show that this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. Files stay on your device. Get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate. Free to start. Open TimeBinder
2026 worked example: a competition entry
Illustrative example, not a real case.
A three-person practice is entering an open design competition that closes on 27 November 2026. On 20 November the team exports the final boards as PDFs, the design statement and a set of model views, seven files in all, and makes one TimeBind. Because the upload window closes the same afternoon, they choose ASAP for the final entry and use Pooled for the earlier concept boards.
The certificate goes in the project folder, not in the entry. Many competitions are anonymous, so check the rules before adding anything that identifies the practice. Later, the practice can show that those exact files existed by the recorded time and still match their fingerprints. The record does not show who authored the design or that anyone else copied it.
Reviewed 10 November 2026.
