The Overview

When we think of opening for submissions, we often focus on the first step – how candidates will submit. But only focussing on this single area is likely to waste a lot of your time later in the process. 

Other things you should consider are.

How will:

• Candidates submit (default)
• Candidates pay the submission fee
• Candidates know about my opportunity
• We measure progress on submissions
• We administrate entries once submissions close
• We make our selection
• We present the information to our judges
• We capture scores from our judges and process them
• It all fit together (integration)
• We afford it

Taking Submissions

How you choose to accept submissions is the most vital step, the information you capture when a candidate submits an entry will inform the rest of your process.

You do not want to find yourself flooded with entries and realise you do not have the correct data to make a good decision later on. Missing data at this step will lead to an explosion of emails to candidates and a need to clean all the data submitted manually.

The ideal process will ensure your data is structured enough to process entries simply but give the candidate enough flexibility to let their uniqueness shine.

Here are a couple of processes we have come across when accepting entries.

Submissions via Social Media

Submitting an entry through a hashtag on social media is perhaps the process that requires the least effort from candidates. 

Social media is the dirtiest in terms of data (what if someone spams your hashtag?), and you won’t be able to effectively capture any data points from candidates other than basic unstructured posts. 

Social media is also the medium to market your programme and could lead to many entries, but you’ll likely need to pay for candidates to see your post.

Without a direct email, you will need to communicate with candidates publicly or use the platform’s built-in messaging feature (one message at a time). Social media networks have restrictions on sending direct messages to non-followers.

Social media might be the right choice if you want a quick way to run a simple competition without a fee (e.g. a giveaway). The medium may also work in your favour for a public vote, but you’ll have no way to restrict who can give their opinion here.

Submissions via Emails / Word Documents

Getting candidates to email their entry is a popular option. This solution is cheap and makes communicating with candidates easy.

Emails provide you with the flexibility of receiving files (such as images, documents, etc.); this will allow for the candidates’ creativity to shine. It is important to note that all attachments together cannot be more than 25Mb. WeTransfer could offer you a solution to generate links to large files, but this is another step the candidates need to take when submitting (leading to more dropouts).

Emails offer you limited tools to validate the data candidates are submitting. You could provide them with an application form e.g. Word or PDF… but you will still need to double check if they provided answers to all the mandatory questions each time an email graces your inbox.

Candidates having your email address will lead to queries coming to the same inbox as completed entries. You will need to triage submissions from questions constantly to have a clear view of progress in your inbox.

Emails allow for a degree of administration – you could create folders to drag successful entries into (a folder for each round of selection, or all successful candidates), and communicating with candidates will be simple since you know you have a working email address.

Getting candidates to pay a fee will require you to link to a payment platform which will need you to keep track of the payment status of each applicant and move them in the correct folder as they pay. After you’ve checked that you have received your payment, you will now need to manually collate all the applicable (paid) entries together so they can be read and assessed by yourself or judges through folders or producing presentation documents, this would be another step in the process for you when collating entries (more time administrating entries).

Submissions via Online Forms

Online forms are the default go-to tool when taking submissions for the first time. Forms are a relatively cheap and efficient way of ensuring applicants provide you with the information you need in a structured format.

Most forms will allow you to upload attachments too (likely with small upload sizes; or the need to integrate with Dropbox).

Some online forms may provide you with the ability to capture payments upon applying. If you take fees from candidates, be sure to check before committing to a specific platform since not all online forms allow for payments.

Forms work well for accepting the entries but not so well for managing entries and making your selection. They won’t present entries visually, and you’ll need to export data to a different platform to process them efficiently. It is also worth noting that forms don’t include tools to communicate the results with candidates, make your selection across rounds, score entries, draw up reports, etc.

Building your own software

Building your system to manage entries might be a viable option with the correct budget. Bespoke software will give you total control over your process.

However, this panacea will come at a hefty cost and may not be as perfect as it seems. 

Most organisations see building software as projects with an end date (like building a house). Thinking of software as a project with an end date is dangerous. Software must be maintained and evolved to function in an environment where technology changes quickly (this holds especially true when integrating your code with other platforms). Make sure you consider how much it will cost you to have some development available beyond the initial deployment.

Things you will need to consider when you go bespoke are:

• Draw up a tight set of requirements. Do you want to be able to offer unlimited file sizes to entrants so they can really showcase their submission fully? Would you like judges to score on the platform, would you like to be able to download data?
• Will your outsourcing company also offer technical support if applicants and judges need any help with the platform?
• What budget do you need to set aside should you need to incorporate new functions or upgrades?
• Be mindful your requirements are likely to evolve and need tweaking. Have that flexibility written into the contract you have with your developers.
• Make sure you budget the upfront price of building the platform, as well as the monthly costs once you go live (support, hosting, systems administration, running costs, etc.)
• Choose good developers which you can keep to maintain and improve your code beyond going live.
• Count a minimum of 6 months to your first deployment (planning, developing, testing, etc.). Plan to go over your deadline by about 25%.
• Make sure your infrastructure is scalable – the software may work under test conditions, but what does it look like when 1,000 people submit at once?
• Ensure your data and system are secure and GDPR compliant. Especially important for sensitive data – like payment details, contact details, etc.
• Understand that compliance around payments changes all the time, and build that flexibility into your platform.

Conclusion

Your success depends heavily on your choice of tools and how they integrate with each other. Picking the right ones at the start of your journey will empower you to invest time in growing your programme instead of being bogged down in administrating it.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” – Abraham Lincoln.

If you feel we can help you with your programme, do not hesitate to get in touch!