Let's say you have 100 submissions and 8 reviewers. Rather then sending all 100 submissions to every reviewer (so they have to review 100 each), you may want to group them into 4 groups of 2 people each and send each group 25 submissions.
To review a large batch of submissions with several specialist panels at once, create one Stage per panel, map each Stage to the In Progress status, and set up a separate Review Panel for each Stage with its own members. Configure identical scoring, voting, and comment rules on every panel so results are comparable, then filter your submissions and bulk-move each cohort into its matching Stage. Every submission you send appears in that panel's Awaiting Review queue, and you track all reviewers at once from the Reviewers section.
When should I split submissions across concurrent panels instead of running rounds?
Split submissions across concurrent panels when every submission needs a first look and different specialists should read different cohorts at the same time, rather than everyone reading the same longlist in sequence. A non-fiction and a fiction category submitted to the same open call, for example, shouldn't land with the same two reviewers. Give each cohort its own Stage and Review Panel so it reaches the right expertise straight away, instead of moving the whole pool through one panel and then splitting later.
Use concurrent panels when… | Use sequential rounds when… |
Different cohorts need different reviewer expertise | Every submission needs the same reviewers, just at a later point |
All submissions are ready for review now | A longlist needs cutting before a smaller group goes further |
Reviewers work in parallel on their own cohort only | Reviewers see the same pool again after a cut is made |
How do I create a separate Stage for each panel?
Open Project Settings → Stages and create one Stage per panel — four Stages for four panels. Map each to the In Progress status so Dapple then set the creator-facing label so applicants see something clear, like "Currently under review", rather than your internal Stage name.
1. Open the project → Project Settings → Stages tab.
2. Click Add Stage.
3. Name the Stage — for example "Fiction Review", "Poetry Review", "Nonfiction Review", "Art Review".
4. Map the Stage to the In Progress status.
5. Set the creator-facing label, e.g. "Currently under review".
6. Toggle Kanban visibility on so the Stage appears on your board.
7. Save, then repeat for the remaining three Stages.
How do I create a Review Panel for each Stage?
Each Stage needs its own Review Panel assigned to it. Create four panels, name them so it's obvious which Stage each belongs to, and add two members to each — eight reviewers across four panels in total.
1. Open Project Settings → Review Panels tab.
2. Click Set Up Review Panel.
3. Name the panel to match its Stage, e.g. "Fiction Panel".
4. Assign the panel to its matching Stage.
5. Click Edit Members, add two reviewers — existing team members or external reviewers invited with the Reviewer role — and save.
6. Repeat for the remaining three panels.
External reviewers need to be added to your organisation first, in Settings → Users, before they can be selected as panel members.
How do I keep scoring consistent across every panel?
Configure the scoring range, voting options, and comment rules once, then apply the exact same settings to all four panels. Because a different pair of reviewers sits on each panel, identical guidance and scoring parameters are what let you compare results across cohorts later — a 4/5 on the fiction panel should mean the same thing as a 4/5 on the non-fiction panel. If your categories need genuinely different criteria, keep the scale and vote options the same and vary only the guidance notes, so the underlying numbers stay comparable.
How do I filter and divide submissions between panels?
Use the Submissions view to filter and to split your 100 submissions into four groups of 25 that match each panel's speciality — by Submission Tag, by a form field such as a category question, or by manual selection if the split isn't tag-based. Filter to one cohort, tick the matching submissions (or Select All within that filtered view), then bulk-move them into the Stage for the matching panel. Bulk-move only works within a single project, so do this once per cohort.
Option | How |
Filter by Submission Tag | Tag submissions by category first, then filter and bulk-move each tagged group. |
Filter by a form field | If category is a submission form question, filter by that answer. |
Manual selection | Tick submissions individually if the split doesn't follow a tag or field. |
How do I send each divided group to its panel?
Once a cohort sits in its own Stage, send it to that Stage's Review Panel — either from the Submissions view or the Stages board. Repeat once per Stage until all four groups are out for review.
1. Confirm the cohort has been bulk-moved into its matching Stage (previous step).
2. Open the Stages board, or filter the Submissions view to that Stage.
3. Select all submissions in the Stage.
4. Click Send to Review Panel, or use the three-dot menu on the Stage column for a bulk-send.
5. Confirm — a blue dot appears on each submission once it's been sent.
6. Repeat for the remaining three Stages.
How do I monitor all reviewers' progress in one place?
Use the Reviewers section, in the left-hand navigation just below Reviews, for a single organisation-wide view of every reviewer across all four panels — without opening each panel individually. Each row is one reviewer, showing which panels they sit on and a breakdown of completed, started, and not-started reviews. Filter by Project or use Filters to narrow to a specific panel when you only want to check on one cohort.
Status | What it means |
Completed | Reviews the reviewer has finished and submitted. |
Started | Reviews the reviewer has opened and begun, but not yet submitted. |
Not started | Reviews assigned to the reviewer that they haven't opened yet. |
Best practice for concurrent review panels
• Keep scoring, voting, and comment settings identical across all four panels so results stay comparable.
• Name Stages and Panels so the pairing is obvious at a glance — "Fiction Review" Stage with "Fiction Panel".
• Tag or categorise submissions before you open the round for review, not after.
• Set the same due date across all four panels so no cohort lags behind the others.
• Check the Reviewers section regularly rather than only checking individual panels.
• Decide the split up front — moving submissions between cohorts after they've been sent for review creates duplicate or conflicting feedback.