What is Dapple and who is it for?

Dapple is a submissions and workflow platform built primarily for the creative industries. It helps organisations collect, review, manage, and report on submissions, applications or entries in one place without relying on inboxes, spreadsheets, or outdated application tools. Dapple is for creative organisations such as art institutions, publishers, literary magazines, awards bodies, agencies, festivals, academic institutions and teams running open calls, contests, or applications. It's also designed with creators in mind, making submissions clearer and more transparent.

How does Dapple help reduce admin?

Dapple centralises everything—submissions, reviews, communication, statuses, and reporting—into one structured workflow. This removes manual tracking, cuts down on repetitive tasks, and saves teams hours of administrative work in the process.

Can multiple people review submissions?

Yes. Dapple supports collaborative reviewing with clear permissions, allowing multiple reviewers to assess submissions independently and remotely.

Is Dapple suitable for small teams?

Absolutely. Dapple is designed to scale with you—whether you're a small team managing a few hundred submissions or a larger organisation handling thousands.

How is Dapple different from other submission platforms?

Dapple is built specifically for the creative world, aimed at solving the problems often found in these industries. Its modern, sleek interface helps make often complex workflows very simple. It focuses on clarity, fairness, and respect for both organisations and creators, rather than corporate or generic workflows.

Do applicants need an account to submit?

Yes, however, it's very quick and simple to create and can be done in a matter of seconds. When a creator opens a form, they will be prompted to create a free account. They can either use their Google/Microsoft account, or they will be sent a link via email to confirm. Once created, they will be able to use their account to track the status of all their submissions, any messages, payments made and download any attachments.

Can I communicate with applicants through Dapple?

Yes. Dapple has an inbuilt messaging platform enabling you to manage communication in one place, keeping inbound/outbound messages organised and linked directly to each submission. You are able to send single or bulk messages to multiple applicants, create message templates and configure whether an applicant can respond.

Yes. Dapple is built with modern security standards and role-based permissions to ensure submissions and data are handled safely and responsibly.

Is there a free trial?

You can create an account for free with no credit card details required. We allow this in order to try the system out, see how it works and set everything up in advance of setting your forms live. We automatically add 10 free submissions to every newly created account in order for you to launch and experience live submissions coming through to your dashboard. Once live, you will be able to upgrade to a paid account through the billing section. Please note that there is a 'demo mode' feature enabling you to create different projects and workflows, make test payments and submissions without affecting your live data.

What are my payment options?

Just enter your card details when you upgrade and you'll automatically be billed on a monthly or annual basis. If you require a different mode of payment, please reach out to us directly.

I'd like to add another organisation. Is this possible to add to my account?

Yes! You can add multiple organisations to your Dapple account. You will be billed for each new organisation you'd like to add to your account. Please reach out for more details.

How can I cancel my subscription?

If on the monthly subscription, you can cancel your account at any time. Your account will remain open until the end of your billing cycle. If signed up to an annual plan, your account will remain active until the end of your billing cycle.

I'm stopping submissions for a while. Can I pause my account?

Yes! You have the option to pause your account on every plan. We'll keep your account on ice, keep your setup complete and data safe so you can come back later.

The Best Art-based Call for Entry Platforms in 202

Which one should you choose?

In 2026, running art calls for submissions, whether for juried exhibitions, awards, open calls, residencies, or competitions, has moved well beyond simple forms and inboxes. If you’re running ad hoc calls with a handful of entries, maybe you can get by with a Google form and a PayPal link, but chances are, the proverbial wheels will soon be off, and your artists will be left frustrated and disappointed. The right platform acts as the backbone of your programme: collecting entries, coordinating jurors, handling payments, automating workflows, and providing the communication bridge between you and your applicants.

But with great power also comes great complexity (and responsibility, of course). Some platforms are simple and affordable but shallow in capability. Others are highly capable but priced for large institutions with deep pockets. What organisations really want is a sweet spot: easy-to-use workflows, modern features, a delightful UI and most importantly for 2026, affordable pricing.

Below is a snapshot of the leading art-based platforms in 2026, including how they work, who they’re best for, and where they might fall short.

The platforms

Call for Entry (CaCaFÉ

A long-standing submission management platform rooted in the arts world.

What it does well

CaFÉ has been a go-to destination for arts organisations and artists alike for many years, offering a centralised way to collect entries, accept payments, and manage jury selections. It’s backed by a large network of organisations and artists and includes basic tools to handle submissions, deadlines, and juror evaluations.

Good for

Organisations seeking broad artist visibility and a platform with historical usage in the public art and museum sectors.

Where it can fall short

Interfaces and workflows feel dated and clunky compared to newer tools.
Feature depth (especially around automation, advanced analytics, and permissions) can be limited.
Workflows are inflexible and can’t be customised.
Pricing includes setup fees, per-call charges and renewal subscriptions that can add up quickly for frequent users.

Best suited to single calls or organisations that prioritise reach over workflow or management sophistication.

Submittable

The enterprise standard in submission and review workflows.

What it does well

Submittable is widely used for grants, non-profits, corporate responsibility, employee giving, volunteering and social impact schemes. Its strengths include deep workflow control, powerful review and collaboration tools, custom forms, team management, and robust reporting features.

Good for

Large organisations with complex processes, many reviewers, and extensive submission volume.

Where it can fall short

High cost and annual contracts starting at $10k.
A focus on enterprise corporations outside of art or creative industries.
High transaction fees (5% + $0.99) with no immediate payouts.
Interface complexity can feel overwhelming for smaller teams.

Ideal for large organisations that require a suite of enterprise-grade features and have fewer budgetary constraints.

Dapple

Dapple bridges the gap between lightweight tools and heavyweight enterprise systems.

What it does well

Dapple combines modern workflows with powerful feature depth to cater for a range of requirements from entries, applications, awards and contests. Its toolkit includes multiple simultaneous calls, richly customisable forms, advanced juried submission workflows, bulk actions and messaging, image-based gallery boards, a central analytics hub and numerous automations.

Good for

Creative organisations that need more sophistication than lightweight tools but want clarity and affordability compared with enterprise-priced systems. Prices start from as little as $35 per month and include 500 submissions.

Where it can fall short

Feature-heavy for ultra-simple, one-off calls.
No public voting.
New and so lacks database reach.

A growing choice for organisations balancing capability, workflow customisations, and budget.

EntryThingy

A platform that focuses on simplicity and affordability.

What it does well

EntryThingy is built to help galleries and arts organisations collect entries quickly and manage jury review with clean tools. It supports embedded forms, multi-image uploads, direct payments, and basic jury scoring—all with transparent, per-submission pricing and instant PayPal deposits.

Good for

Small and mid-sized organisations that want a straightforward tool with predictable costs.

Where it can fall short

Limited submission management feature set.
No automations or analytics.
Permissions and workflow complexity are basic.
Best for fewer concurrent calls rather than large portfolios.

A solid choice for galleries and smaller programmes that want simplicity and basic features without surprise fees.

ShowSubmit

A focused platform for juried shows and exhibitions.

What it does well

ShowSubmit’s interface is designed specifically for art exhibitions and similar shows. It streamlines submissions, jury notifications, and awards under one roof, and often surfaces accepted work in curated online galleries.

Good for

Organisations that run individual juried exhibitions and value a polished presentation alongside submission handling.

Where it can fall short

The feature set is narrower compared to broader-scope tools.
Not as strong for multi-call programmes or automation.
Flat fees per call can add up if you run many calls per year.

Good for single seasonal shows or competitions where presentation matters.

Zealous

An awards management platform.

What it does well

Zealous emphasises streamlined submission collection and intuitive judging panels. Its pricing is usage-based and designed to scale from smaller programmes up to major international opportunities without long-term contracts.

Good for

Organisations running competitions, awards, or large open calls with varied media types and public voting.

Where it can fall short

Some advanced organisational features and analytics tools may feel lighter than enterprise systems.
Awards focused with less flexibility for applications or general submissions.
Not for those budget-conscious
Limited workflow management and automations

Best for teams that value public voting, judge experience, and a focus on awards.

What will change in 2026

Thanks to the rise in technology, lots of creative orgs reported an increase in overall entries, applications and submissions in 2025, and the need to manage these became more acute. At the same time, budgets are being cut, and the cost of running a call is becoming more of a factor than ever before. Put simply, platforms need to offer more, move with current technology and do so at an affordable cost. And it isn’t just the number of features, it’s how those features work together. Modern expectations include:

Running several calls at once
Flexible, tailored entry forms
Collaborative, transparent juror workflows
Automations to cut repetitive admin
Clear roles and permissions
Analytics, data and visibility across projects
Affordable pricing without surprises or complexity.

Conclusion

There’s no perfect submission platform for every organisation. But whether you’re a small gallery, a festival director, an awards organiser, or a museum curator, the choice you make now should reflect:

Your budget and the number of submissions you expect to receive.
Flexibility of workflow.
Automation and analysis you need.
Ease of use for both submitters and reviewers.

When you balance those practical needs with feature depth, the distinctions between platforms become clearer.

Learn more about Dapple

If you'd like to know more about Dapple and how this platform can help you, book a call in with our team below.

The Best Art-based Call for Entry Platforms in 2026

Which one should you choose?

The platforms

Call for Entry (CaCaFÉ

What it does well

Good for

Where it can fall short

Submittable

What it does well

Good for

Where it can fall short

Dapple

What it does well

Good for

Where it can fall short

EntryThingy

What it does well

Good for

Where it can fall short

ShowSubmit

What it does well

Good for

Where it can fall short

Zealous

What it does well

Good for

Where it can fall short

What will change in 2026

Conclusion

Learn more about Dapple

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