Managing Your Open Call Before The Deadline

1. Monitor Incoming Applications:

Most applications may arrive during the final week before your deadline, so a slow start is normal.

While your call is open:

• Monitor incoming applications from your CODAcommission Dashboard
• Review applications for basic eligibility
• Archive applicants who clearly do not meet your minimum requirements
• Keep track of any recurring questions or issues from applicants

Archived applicants will not appear in future jury rounds.

VIDEO: HOW TO REVIEW AND ARCHIVE APPLICANTS

Walk through viewing incoming applications, reviewing applicant materials, and archiving applications that do not meet the call requirements.

2. Plan Your Artist Recruitment:

Decide whether additional promotion is needed to reach the right artists.

CODAworx offers an E-Blast for $500, which promotes your opportunity directly to targeted artists.

Before adding more outreach, remember that many artists submit near the deadline, so low application numbers early in the process do not necessarily mean your call is underperforming.

3. Prepare Your Jury:

Do not wait until the application deadline to begin planning your jury process.

Before the call closes:

• Identify and confirm jury members
• Determine jury deadlines
• Decide how many voting rounds you expect to use
• Choose how applicants will be scored
• Communicate any special jury requirements to CODAworx

CODAworx supports several scoring methods:

• Yes / No
• Yes / Maybe / No
• Criteria-Based Scoring

For criteria-based scoring, establish your evaluation categories and how much weight each category should receive.

Possible criteria include:

• Artistic excellence
• Relevant experience
• Project fit
• Community engagement

4. Confirm Your Review Process:

Before applications close, decide how your jury will review and evaluate submissions.

Confirm:

• What application materials jurors will need
• Whether you need application records in a specific format
• Whether you need anything beyond what CODAworx generates by default
• Any documentation or public-record requirements for your organization

Formatting or support requests made after the deadline may require additional paid support, so these decisions should be made while the call is still open.

5. Make Sure You Know the Workflow:

Before reaching the deadline, you should be comfortable with the basic CODAworx commissioning process.

Make sure you know how to:

• Navigate the CODAcommission Dashboard
• Edit and manage your open call
• View incoming applications
• Understand how artists apply
• Review applications
• Prepare for the jury process
• Find CODAworx help documentation and support resources

Once the application deadline has passed, you can begin the formal selection process by creating your jury rounds, assigning jurors, reviewing scores, and advancing applicants.

Continue to How to Manage Your Jury and Select an Artist.