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How to Set Up a Contest or Competiton in Dapple

Running a contest or a competition within Dapple is easy. Here's how to set up and then manage the contest

Written by Oz Osbaldeston

To set up a contest in Dapple, create a dedicated project, configure your stages (Entries → Round 1 → Shortlist → Winner), build the submission form with any required entry fee, set Availability between your open and close dates, set up a Review Panel and rules, then publish to Public. Add the project to your Listings page to surface it alongside other open opportunities. Most contests take 30–60 minutes to set up the first time.

Step 1: Create a dedicated project

  1. Go to Projects → Create Project (or duplicate an existing contest project if you have one).

  2. Give it a clear name (e.g. 'Spring Poetry Contest 2026').

  3. Add a short description explaining what the contest is about, key details, and deadlines.

A dedicated project keeps your contest submissions separate from other work and makes review easier to manage.

Step 2: Set up contest stages

  1. Open Project Settings → Stages.

  2. Configure stages that match your contest flow — e.g. New Entries → Round 1 → Shortlist → Winner Selected → Not Selected.

  3. Map each stage to a Status (New, In Progress, Rejected, Completed).

  4. Customise creator-facing labels — the internal name 'Round 2 — Shortlist Review' can display to creators as 'Currently being reviewed'.

Full stage setup: How to Create Customised Stages

Step 3: Set up the submission form

Build the form creators will fill out. Open Project Settings → Forms and either use the Smart Form Generator or build from scratch. Customise the design to match your brand. Full guide: How to Setup a Submission Form

Step 4: Add an entry fee (optional)

  1. Open Project Settings → Payments. If Stripe isn't connected, connect it first.

  2. Add a Payment field to your submission form.

  3. Set your currency, amount, and whether the fee is required or optional.

Full payment setup: How to Add Payments to Submission Forms

Step 5: Set Availability and dates

  1. Open Project Settings → General → Availability.

  2. Choose Between Dates and set the open and close dates (plus time).

  3. After the close date, the form auto-closes — no manual action needed.

Step 6: Set up your Review Panel

  1. Open Project Settings → Reviews.

  2. Create a Review Panel — add internal team members or external reviewers.

  3. Configure the panel's Guidance and Feedback rules: scoring range, voting options, comments prompt, due date.

Important: you'll need one Review Panel per stage you want to send for review (e.g. a separate panel for Round 1 and Round 2). Create all panels in advance. Full guide: How to Set Up Reviews in Dapple

Step 7: Publish

  1. Click Save new version in Form Builder to commit your form changes.

  2. Open Project Settings → General → Visibility.

  3. Set to Public (or Private if you want a non-discoverable link to share directly).

Step 8: Add to your Listings page

Once your contest is live, add it to your Listings page so it appears alongside other opportunities. Listings pages give you a single URL covering every open project. If you don't have a Listings page yet, set one up first.

Step 9: Test before announcing

  1. Open the public submission link in an incognito window.

  2. Submit a test entry as if you were a creator.

  3. If there's a payment, test it processes correctly.

  4. View the test submission in your admin dashboard.

  5. Confirm Stage Automations fire as expected (messages, tags, review-panel assignment).

Where to go next

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