Blind submissions are a way to ensure fairness and reduce bias during the review process. In a blind submission, the identity of the creator (such as their name, email, or any identifying details) is hidden from the reviewers. This means that reviewers assess the work purely on its content, not on who submitted it.
When using the Review feature in Dapple (sending submissions to a panel of reviewers) it is a default setting that the Reviewer does not have access to the Creator profile. This means that the reviewer will not see the name, photo, email address, previous submissions or any labels attached to the profile of that creator. They will only see the form fields and attachments
How to Set Up Blind Submissions
Firstly, it's important to note that the reviewers will never be able to see the Creator Profile. This includes:
Name
Email address
Profile photo
Creator labels
Previous submission history
This default setting helps protect the creator’s identity and maintain an unbiased review process.
1. Hide Form Fields from Review Panels
The first step is to make sure that any fields you do not want the reviewers to be able to see, are hidden from panels.
You can hide a field directly from the form builder:
Go to the Project for the form you want to hide and head to the Settings
Go to the Form Builder to open up the form.
Select the field you want to hide and select edit
Open the Advanced tab
Check the option “Hide from reviewers”
Save your changes
From that point on, reviewers will no longer see that field when viewing submissions. Here's more information on how to hide form fields from review panels.
2. Remind Creators to Anonymise Attachments
Even if you remove identifying fields, a creator might accidentally include personal details inside their uploaded files. Encourage creators to:
Remove their name, email address, or other personal details from any attachments, such as in headers, footers, or file names.
Avoid referencing themselves in ways that could identify them (e.g., “As the author of X Magazine piece...”).
A simple reminder in your submission form description or guidelines can prevent accidental breaches of anonymity.
4. Test Your Setup Before Going Live
Before opening for submissions:
Preview your form as if you were a creator.
Then view a test submission as a reviewer to ensure no personal details are visible. You should do this by creating a new test Stage, creating a panel with your email in and assigning that panel to the test stage. Create a test submission and send to the test panel. You will then be able to view the submission as a reviewer to double check the form fields that are hidden are not showing.
This extra check helps confirm that your blind setup is working as intended.
5. Communicate Clearly with Reviewers
Let your review panel know that the contest or call is being run as a blind review.
Emphasise that reviewers should not attempt to identify the creator.
Encourage them to focus solely on the content and quality of the work submitted.
This helps reinforce trust and transparency across the process.
6. Keep Identities Hidden Until Results Are Final
Once the review and selection process is complete, the admin team can reveal creator identities if needed—for example, when announcing winners or contacting selected creators. Until then, it’s best to keep identifying information restricted to admins only.
Following these best practices helps maintain fairness, uphold professionalism, and ensure that every submission is judged solely on its creative merit.