Contents

• Overview 
• Key Terms
• What is the First Review Round
• Step-By-Step Instructions 
  • Access the Intake Round 
  • Check the Intake Round Status
  • ⚠️BEFORE STARTING FIRST REVIEW ROUND 
    • Confirm Review Round Setup 
    • Prepare Applications
  • Start the First Review Round
• What Happens After Starting the First Review Round 
  • For Administrators 
  • For Reviewers
• Related Articles 

Overview

This article shows Program Owners and Program Managers how to start the first Review Round in a Deadline-Based Award Cycle in Next. 

• Is this the right article for you? 
  • Here’s how to tell if your program is Deadline-Based or Rolling:
     
    • Deadline-Based: You wait for an application deadline to pass, then move all applications to review at once. ✅ This article is for you!
       
    • Rolling (Optional Feature): You move applications to review one-by-one as they come in. 
      • Rolling is enabled by the Program Owner or Manager during Cycle Setup (if it’s available). If you don’t see or didn’t enable this feature in ➡️Cycle Setup, then your program is deadline-based. 
      •  If you are using a Rolling Cycle, see ➡️ Rolling Cycles Administration. 
         

Key Terms 

Here are a few terms you'll see throughout this article.

What is the First Review Round? 

The first Review Round is the initial round of evaluation that begins after the first Intake Round closes. 

Some programs have only one Intake Round and one Review Round. Others have multiple Review Rounds — in that case, you’ll select which applications advance to later Review Rounds.

• Who Can Start the First Review Round?
  • Program Owner (PO)

  • Program Managers (PM)

    📌 Note: If you're an Organization Owner, you can assign yourself as the Program Owner to start the first Review Round.

⚠️ Important Notes: 

• In deadline-based cycles: 
  • You cannot start the first Review Round until the Intake Round deadline has passed. 
  • Applicants cannot be moved manually to the first Review Round. (💡Tip: If you want to manually move applications, consider using a rolling cycle instead. See ➡️ Rolling Cycles Setup)
     

Step-By-Step Instructions 

Access the Intake Round

1.  Logged in as the Program Owner or Program Manager, select the program you need.

2. On the Program’s page, make sure the correct Award Cycle is selected in the left-hand menu drop-down.
 

3. Click the Intake Round from the left-hand menu. (Note: This round may have a different name if you changed the title during workflow setup). 
 

Check the Intake Round Status 

⚠️IMPORTANT: You cannot start the first Review Round until the Intake Round deadline has passed. 

A. If the Intake Round deadline has not passed: 

• The text “Round In Progress” will be at the top of the screen with the intake deadline listed beneath it. 

B. If the Intake Round deadline has passed: 

• A blue pop-up message appears letting you know the Review Round can be started. Click Got it. 
  
  

⚠️BEFORE STARTING FIRST REVIEW ROUND

1. Confirm Review Round Setup 

Once you start a Review Round, you cannot change these: 

 - Workflow settings, including automatic reviewer assignments 
- Custom Feedback Form(s) (if you’re using one). 

✅ Check these settings: 

• Reviewers: Confirm all reviewers are invited, and assignments are correct. 
  • For more help, see ➡️ Assign Reviewers to the Round. If you need to invite new reviewers, see ➡️ Add New Program Members. 
• Custom Feedback Form: If you’re using this, review it to confirm it’s set up correctly (scoring fields are calculated correctly, required fields are marked, etc.). 
  • For more help, see ➡️ Custom Review Feedback Forms

2. Prepare Applications

Once you start the first Review Round, all eligible submitted applications will automatically move into it. 

✅ Take these actions (if relevant): 

• Approve any late submissions that you want to move forward. 
• Disqualify any applications you do not want to advance. 

For help with either of the above actions, see ➡️Manage Applications During Intake  
 

Start the First Review Round

1. Click the Start Review Round button at the top of the screen.

⚠️IMPORTANT: 

• The Start Review Round button only appears after the Intake Round deadline has passed.
• Only the Program Owner and Program Manager can see and use this button. It will not be visible to Organization Owners, Program Staff, or Reviewers. 

2. In the confirmation pop-up, click Start. 


 

What Happens After Starting the First Review Round

• All eligible applications submitted before the Review Round begins move into the first Review Round, including on-time submissions, approved late submissions, and on-time submissions with revisions requested.
   
• Once the Review Round begins, any submissions made afterward in the Intake Round (such as late submissions that were previously in Draft) cannot be moved into that Review Round.
   
• Applications that moved into the Review Round will still appear in the Intake Round, but you cannot manage them there. All actions, such as disqualifying an applicant or requesting revisions, must be done from within the Review Round. For more help, see ➡️ Manage Applications During Review.
   

For Administrators 

1. A blue pop-up message confirms the Review Round has started. Click Got it.

2. At the top of the Intake Round screen: 

• The text changes to “Review Round Started.” 
• The administrator’s name and date/time the round started are displayed.

• Applications are now visible in the Review Round tab. 
  
  
  

For Reviewers

• All assigned reviewers automatically receive an automatic email notifying them of new review assignments. 
   
  • 📌Note: This email is auto-enabled by the system. If you want to disable it or adjust delivery timing, see ➡️ How to Manage Your Email Communications Setup
    
    
• Reviewers can log in and see their assigned applications to review in their portal. 
   
  • 📌Note: For applications with requested revisions, reviewers will not be able to provide feedback until the revision is submitted. 
  • For step-by-step guidance on reviewing applications, see ➡️ Video Introduction for Reviewers 
     

Related Articles

- For help managing applications in a Review Round, see these articles: 

➡️ Access Submissions During a Review Round
➡️ Manage Applications During Review
➡️ Select Award Recipients 

- If you need to assign reviewers after starting the first Review Round, see ➡️Assign Reviewers Manually

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