Contents

• Overview 
• What is Publishing?
• ⚠️Before You Begin
• How to Publish an Award Cycle 
• After Publishing an Award Cycle 
  • Cycle Status Changes to “Active Workflow” 
  • Share the Program URL With Applicants 
    • Access the Program URL
• What Applicants See
  • Program Page
  • Help Articles for Applicants
     

Overview

This article shows Program Admins how to publish an Award Cycle in Next.
 

What is Publishing?

Publishing an award cycle in Next makes the cycle live and available to applicants. It is the “go-live” switch for your cycle. 

• Once a cycle is published:
  • Applications Open: Applicants can see it and start applying.
  • Shareable Link: You can share the URL with potential applicants. 
  • Workflow Starts: The first Intake Round begins, starting the official application process.
• Who can publish? 
  • Organization Owner 
  • Program Owner
  • Program Manager
• When to publish? 
  • Publish your cycle on the date you want to begin accepting applications.

⚠️Before You Begin

1. Test your cycle. 

• You must test your cycle before you can publish it. Test Mode lets you walk through the cycle as an admin, applicant, or reviewer without making it live. If you still need to test your cycle, see ➡️ How to Activate Test Mode. 

2. Review what locks after publishing.

• Many settings cannot be changed once you publish. See ➡️ What Can and Cannot Be Changed After Publishing an Award Cycle before you continue.

3. Close any previous active cycles (if needed).

• If your program has multiple cycles (e.g., you run your program annually or quarterly), only one cycle can be in “Active Workflow” status at a time. 
   
  • 🔄 Rolling Cycles: You must close the current cycle before you can publish the next one. 
  • 🗓️ Deadline-Based Cycles: The current cycle does not have to be closed, but there must be at least one awardee in the Award Recipient stage before you can publish the next cycle. 
     
• Closing a cycle prematurely can affect applicant statuses. Review this article carefully for instructions and important considerations ➡️Closing an Award Cycle.

How to Publish an Award Cycle

⚠️IMPORTANT: Once your cycle is published, it’s immediately open for applicants to apply to. As a best practice, publish on the date you want it to officially open.

1. In the award cycle, click Workflow in the top menu, then select Workflow Builder from the left menu. 

2. In the Workflow Builder, click Finish Testing in the upper-right corner. 

3. In the confirmation pop-up, click Confirm.  

 
A notification appears in the bottom-left confirming that your test data is being deleted.
 

4. Make sure your Intake and Review Round deadlines are set to their formal deadlines before publishing.

⚠️IMPORTANT: If your Intake and Review Round deadlines are set to dates in the past (from testing), the “Workflow ready to Publish” notice at the top will be yellow, and the Publish button will be unavailable.

• Once round deadlines are set to future dates/times: 
  • The “Workflow ready to Publish” notice will be green.
  • The Publish button will be clickable.

5. Click the Publish button.

6. On the confirmation pop-up, click Publish. 
 

Notifications appear in the bottom-left and upper-right corners of the screen confirming your program and workflow are published. 
 

After Publishing an Award Cycle 

Cycle Status Changes to “Active Workflow” 

• Immediately after publishing, the status of your cycle on the Award Cycles screen will update to “Active Workflow.” This shows that the cycle is now live and open to applicants.
  
  

Share the Program URL With Applicants

• The Program URL can be shared with potential applicants through websites, emails, or other communication channels. 

Access the Program URL 

1. In the program, click Program Settings in the left-hand menu.

2. In Program Settings, click the drop-down arrow on the far right of the Program URL section, then click Copy.

3. A message appears at the bottom-left of the screen confirming the URL was successfully copied. 
 

What Applicants See 

Program Page

• Here’s how your program’s landing page (accessed via the Program URL) will appear to applicants. They can see your Program Info and preview the eligibility check and application. To apply, they’ll need to log in or create an account (if they haven’t already). 
  
  
  
   
• By clicking on the “Opportunities” tab at the top of the program page, applicants are directed to the organization’s landing page, where they'll see all programs currently accepting applications under your organization. 
  
  
   

Help Articles for Applicants 

Feel free to share these resources with your applicants, as needed: 

• Quick Video Overview: 3-minute introduction to using Submittable Next ➡️ Video Intro for Applicants 
• Set Up an Account: Applicants need to set up an account with an organization to apply for opportunities ➡️ How to Create Your Account (Applicants) 
• More Help: Additional applicant help articles ➡️Applicant Help 

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