By default, creators are not automatically notified when you change a submission's stage in Dapple. They see the updated stage when they sign in to their Creator Account. If you want creators to know about a stage change, send them a message via the Messages tab or set up a Stage Automation to send a templated message when the submission enters that stage.
Do creators get an automatic notification when I change a stage?
No, not automatically. Stage changes happen silently from the creator's perspective. The next time they sign in to their Creator Account, the new stage is visible. This is intentional — it gives you full control over when and how you communicate stage changes.
How do creators see stage changes?
They sign in to their Creator Account.
Their dashboard shows the current stage of every submission.
The stage label is whatever you've set in Project Settings → Stages → creator-facing label.
In this example, the
How to communicate stage changes to creators
You have two options for notifying creators when their submission moves:
Approach | Best for | How |
Manual message | Specific decisions where the message needs personal context | Open the submission → Messages tab → write or pick a template → send. |
Stage Automation | Bulk announcements like 'You've been shortlisted' or 'Submissions are closed' | Project Settings → Stages → Configure Automation → Send Message → pick a template. |
Full automation guide: How to Set Up Stage Automations in Dapple
How to customise what the creator sees for each stage
Open the project → Project Settings → Stages.
Click into the stage you want to customise.
Below the stage name, find 'Displayed to creator as…'.
Click Edit and add the creator-facing label.
Save.
Use this to make stage labels creator-friendly. An internal stage called 'Round 2 — Shortlist Review' might display to the creator as 'Currently being reviewed'. They don't need your internal naming.
What about Drafts?
Draft is a creator-only status. It represents submissions a creator has started but not yet submitted. Drafts appear in the creator's account so they can come back and finish — your admin workspace doesn't see drafts (only completed submissions). Creators can resume, edit, and submit drafts at any time.
Best practice
Plan your stage labels before you go live — creator-facing labels are part of the experience.
Use Stage Automations for big stage transitions where you want every creator notified consistently (Shortlist, Selected, Not Selected).
For multi-round contests, send a final batch message after each round rather than per-decision messages — clearer for creators.
Don't ghost rejected creators. A short, kind rejection message is much better than silence.
Where to go next