Onboarding Users

Everything you need to get your judges and applicants set up — from creating a single user with custom group permissions, to importing hundreds in one go via Excel.

Method 1: Create a User Individually

Best for: Adding a single judge or applicant, or when precise group and permission setup is needed upfront.

Step 1 — Contact details

Navigate to Admin → Contacts and click + Create. You will be walked through a 3-step wizard.

On the first step, select the Account Type (Judge or Applicant) and fill in the user’s login credentials — their email address and preferred login method.

Step 2 — Group handling

Assign the user to a group. You have three options:

• Skip — Create the contact without attaching them to any group. Useful when the group hasn’t been set up yet.
• Use existing group — Attach the user to a group that already exists. You’ll be able to see the current member count before confirming.
• Create new group — Set up a brand new group and place this user in it as the first member.

You can also assign extra permissions at this stage if the user needs access beyond what their group provides.

Step 3 — Review and confirm

A summary screen shows everything before any account is created:

• Account type and login details
• Group assignment
• Any additional permissions

Click Create contact and apply setup to finalise. The user will receive an invitation Email/ SMS (depends on the login channel) to set their password and log in.

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Method 2: Batch Import from Excel

Best for: Onboarding multiple judges or applicants at once, such as at the start of a new award cycle.

Step 1 — Open the batch upload dialog

From Admin → Contacts, click Batch Upload Contact. A dialog will appear asking you to select the account type you are importing (e.g. Judge or Applicant).

Step 2 — Download the template

Click Download Template for [Account Type]. This gives you a pre-formatted Excel file with the correct columns and validation rules already in place.

The template includes the following required fields:

Field	Notes
Email/ Phone	Must be a valid email address
Status	Accepted values: active, password_reset_required
Preferred Language	e.g. en_US
Password	Must meet password strength requirements
Profile Dynamic Field	Profile Dynamic Fields

Step 3 — Fill in the template

Enter one user per row. All required fields must be completed — the system will reject rows with missing or invalid values. Save the file when done.

Step 4 — Upload and confirm

Return to the batch upload dialog and upload your completed file. The system will validate each row and create the contacts. Any errors will be flagged for you to review and correct before resubmitting.

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Tips & Best Practices

• Start with a test import. Before uploading a large list, try a 2–3 row file first to confirm your template is formatted correctly.
• Groups can be assigned after import. If you’re unsure which group a judge belongs to, you can batch-import first and assign groups later through the Contacts table.
• Use the Visible Columns toggle to customise what information is shown in your Contacts list — helpful for auditing after a large import.
• Status matters. Set new users to active if you want them to log in immediately, or password_reset_required if you’d like them to set their own password on first login.
• Exported data can be re-imported. Use the Export button to pull your current contact list, make edits, and re-upload — useful for bulk status changes.