A Review Panel is the group of reviewers you assign to score submissions on a project. In Dapple, you add reviewers by email, set their access level, and allocate which submissions they'll assess. Reviewers don't need an existing Dapple account — they access their dashboard via a unique link sent by email. You can assign a panel at any point before sending submissions for review.
To assign a Review Panel to a project, open Project Settings → Reviews, click Set Up Review, give the review a name, and pick your panel from the Review Panel dropdown. You need to have created at least one Review Panel first. The whole assignment takes under two minutes.
Before you start
Make sure you've already created the Review Panel you want to assign. If you haven't, follow How to Create a Review Panel in Dapple
If the panel needs different members for this project, edit it before assigning.
What do I need before assigning a Review Panel?
Prerequisite | Why it matters |
Project created and saved | You can't assign a panel to a project that doesn't exist yet |
Review criteria set up | Reviewers need criteria to score against — set these in Reviews → Settings first |
Submissions received (or staged) | Allocations are made against existing submissions — you can add reviewers before submissions arrive, but you can't allocate until submissions exist |
How do I add reviewers to a panel?
1. Open the project and go to Reviews → Panel.
2. Click Add Reviewer.
3. If not there you'll need to add the reviewer as a new user. Enter the reviewer's email address in the User section of general settings.
4. Set their access level: Reviewer
5. Click Save. The reviewer can then be added to the panel even though they haven't yet accepted the invite
6. Repeat for each reviewer.
Reviewers are not notified until you send submissions for review or manually send an invitation from panel settings.
How to assign a panel
Open the project you want to add a panel to.
Open the Review Panel tab.
Select the panel you want to assign — every panel your organisation has created appears in the list. Or create a new one from scratch.
Save.
Can I assign multiple panels to one project?
Yes. Many programmes use different panels for different stages — e.g. a Round 1 panel for initial sift and a Round 2 panel for the shortlist. Just repeat the assignment flow, naming each review for the stage it covers.
You'll need to be on the Growth Plan to be able to assign multiple review panels in a project.
What access levels are available for reviewers?
Access level | Can score | Can see others' scores | Can see full results |
Reviewer | Yes | No | No |
Admin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What are common errors when assigning a panel?
Error | Likely cause | Fix |
Reviewer not receiving invitation | Email in spam or address misspelt | Check address in panel settings, correct if needed, resend invitation |
Can't allocate submissions | No submissions exist yet | Wait for submissions to arrive, or create test submissions first |
Can't add reviewer | Email already exists in another role on this project | Check the team members list — the email may already have organiser access |
What's next after assignment?
Once the panel is assigned, configure stages, guidance, scoring, voting, and comments for that review. See How to Set Up Review Guidance and Feedback
Best practices
Set up criteria before adding reviewers — it's confusing for panel members to log in and see no scoring dimensions.
Confirm allocations before sending submissions for review. Sending before allocations are saved means reviewers won't see submissions in their dashboard.
Add a buffer reviewer in case someone drops out — it's faster to allocate an existing reviewer than to invite a new one mid-process.
Where to go next