Now that websites and email addresses are as ubiquitous as mailing addresses and phone numbers, organizations that accept submissions have a new way of receiving work from artists. Many find that receiving submissions via email can be overwhelming, and coordinating review of pieces among judges or editors can result in a lot of cluttered in-boxes and overlooked submissions. Getting a panel together to review portfolios for a competition may be costly, and relying on the numerous moving parts and unforeseen expenses adds a level of complication that could be unnecessary. Fortunately, there are a number of products that have been developed over the past few years that are designed specifically for everything from publishers to film festivals. These online tools enable organizations to receive submissions and have a review process that cuts out the need for endless emails or envelopes of slides or manuscripts.
All of the products below have a central place online where submissions are uploaded by applicants and stored for review, annotation, comments, and more by administrators or jurors. They each excel in different mediums, and have a variety of costs associated with them.
Submishmash
Developed by a writer, this free program was intended to enable small journals and publications to accept and review submissions in a more streamlined and organized manner. Slightly customizable to link from and match your website, this submission tool offers unexpected flexibility and enables publishers to accept payment (submission fees, etc.) electronically with the submission. Developers of submishmash have extended the scope of downloads to include photos, music, and additional types of media. Submishmash streamlines the review process, allowing editors to communicate with one another, make notes on what stage of the process they are in, and enable the authors of work to check in on their submissions to see what stage of the review process they're in. Files are downloaded to editor's computer for review. Quick list of notable features:
Handles word documents (automatically converts to PDF when reviewers download), images, and audio files
Ability to email form and personal letters to author and editors with one click
Ability to fund contests and publications by charging submission fees without setting up a PayPal account
Streamline the editing process and eliminating the messiness and confusion of email submission acceptance by putting all work in one place for review
Allows authors to submit word documents which are automatically converted into PDF for review
Publisher can run multiple competitions and calls for submissions simultaneously
Free to use (if you do end up charging for submissions, a small percentage of that is taken by developers)
Submishmash developers are working on more customizable and advanced versions that will be available for purchase, but plans to keep the current version free.
CueRate*
*CueRate is a product of the Center for Arts Management and Technology, home of this blog.
