Blind submissions in Dapple hide a creator's identity from reviewers so they assess the work on its own merits. By default, reviewers already can't see Creator Profiles — name, email, photo, tags, or submission history. To run a fully blind process you also hide any identifying form fields and remind creators to anonymise their attachments. Set this up once per project and you're done.
Why run blind submissions?
Blind review reduces conscious and unconscious bias. Reviewers can't be influenced by a creator's name, institution, demographic, or previous work — only by what's in front of them. For competitive open calls, juried awards, or anything where fairness is a public commitment, blind review is the strongest signal you can give that your process is impartial.
What's hidden from reviewers by default?
When you use Dapple Reviews, the entire Creator Profile is hidden from reviewers automatically. That includes:
Name
Email address
Profile photo
Creator tags
Previous submission history
Reviewers see only the submitted form fields and any attachments — nothing about the creator themselves. This default protection is on for every Review Panel, every time.
Step 1: Hide identifying form fields
Even with the Creator Profile hidden, your form might still ask for identifying info (name, address, demographics). Hide those fields from reviewers:
Open Form Builder for the project.
Click the field you want to hide and select Edit.
Open the Advanced tab.
Tick Hide from reviewers.
Save.
Full detail: How to Hide Fields From Review Panels
Step 2: Tell creators to anonymise their attachments
A blind setup falls apart if creators put their name in the document header, footer, or file name. Add a short reminder to your submission form description or guidelines asking creators to:
Remove their name, email, and other personal details from any attachments (headers, footers, file names).
Avoid self-references in the work — e.g. 'as the author of X' is a giveaway.
Step 3: Test your setup before going live
Before opening the project, run a quick test pass:
Preview your submission form as a creator and complete a test submission.
View the test submission as a reviewer — confirm hidden fields are hidden.
Check that no identifying info leaks through attachments or the form.
Step 4: Communicate clearly with reviewers
Tell your panel explicitly that this is a blind review. Reinforce that they shouldn't try to identify the creator, and that they should evaluate work on its content alone. Including this in your Review Guidance text helps anchor it on every feedback form.
Step 5: Keep identities hidden until results are final
Once the decision process is complete, admins can reveal creator identities — for example to announce winners or contact selected creators. Until then, keep identifying information restricted to admins only.
Where to go next