How to write a call for applications: contents, template and common mistakes

What a call for applications is

A call for applications is the public document that sets the rules of a programme. Awards call it a call for entries, grant makers a call for proposals or an open call. Competitions often publish the same content as competition rules.

The call binds the organiser as much as the applicants. Evaluators score against it, the panel decides by it and any dispute is settled by what it says. Keep one version as the single source of truth, such as the web page. Every PDF is a copy of it.

What a call must contain

A complete call answers every question an applicant or evaluator will ask. The table lists the parts and what each one should say.

Publish the criteria and how evaluation works

Applicants write better applications when they know how they will be scored. Publish every criterion with its weight and the scale, for example 1 to 5 per criterion. Do not add or change criteria after the call opens.

Describe the evaluation in a few plain steps: who checks eligibility, how many evaluators score each application, whether they see the applicant's name, how conflicts of interest are handled and who makes the final decision. Say whether a shortlist goes to a second round, such as interviews or a pitch final. Say how ties are settled.

Write it in plain language

Plain language prevents misreadings. Applicants may read the call in a hurry, on a phone or in a second language.

• One rule per sentence. Short sentences.
• Use "must" for requirements and "may" for options. Avoid "should" in rules.
• Define a term once and use the same word every time, such as "applicant" or "project".
• Give numbers as digits: 500 words, 3 attachments, 10 MB.
• Set word limits, not page limits.
• Give an example wherever a rule could be read two ways.
• Ask someone outside your team to read the call and list their questions.

Mistakes that cause bad applications or disputes

A rule that is missing or can be read two ways invites disputes. Check the call for these mistakes before it goes out.

• A deadline without a time and a time zone. Write "15 March 2027, 23:59 CET" (an invented example), not "midnight".
• Vague eligibility, such as "young companies". Write "registered on or after 1 January 2023".
• Criteria that are not published or that change after applications arrive.
• Form questions that do not match the criteria, so evaluators lack what they need to score.
• Documents you ask for but never evaluate. Each one costs applicants time.
• Unclear prize conditions: when and how the money is paid and what it may be spent on.
• A PDF and a web page that say different things.
• No rule for ties, for too few applications or for changing the call.

In Juryline, the call page shows the deadline with its time zone. Applicants get an e-mail confirmation when they submit.

Turn the call into an application form

The form is the call in question form. Every criterion needs at least one question that gives evaluators what they need to score it. Every eligibility rule needs a question or a document that lets you check it.

Keep the form short: ask only what the jury or the eligibility check needs. Set a word limit on each open question and name the accepted file types. Mark the fields evaluators should not see, such as names and contact details, if the review is blind. Add a consent to the processing of personal data that links to your privacy notice.

In Juryline, you can paste your call text, up to about 30,000 characters, when you create a programme. AI drafts the categories, the form, the scoring criteria with their weights and the dates it finds. The eligibility rules it finds appear next to your applications for screening. You check and edit everything before publishing. The call text goes to Anthropic (Claude) for the draft; no applicant data is involved.

Call for applications template

Copy this outline and fill in each part. The headings follow the table above. Remove what does not apply.

[Programme name] [year]: call for applications

1. Purpose
What the programme supports and why.

2. Who can apply
Applicant types. Region. Age or stage limits, if any.

3. Eligibility
- Condition 1 (must be met on the deadline)
- Condition 2
- Number of applications per applicant: [number]

4. Deadline
[Date], [time] [time zone]. Late applications are not accepted.
Applicants may edit until the deadline: [yes / no].

5. What to submit
- Online form with questions on [topics], each with a word limit
- Attachments: [type], [format], [maximum size]

6. Criteria and weights
- [Criterion 1]: [what evaluators look for], weight [x]
- [Criterion 2]: [what evaluators look for], weight [x]
Scale: 1 to 5 for each criterion.

7. How evaluation works
- Eligibility check by [who]
- [Number] independent evaluators per application
- Evaluators declare conflicts of interest
- Evaluators do not see: [fields]
- Second round: [interviews / pitch final / none]
- Ties: [rule]
- Final decision by [body]

8. Timeline
Opens [date]. Deadline [date]. Results [date]. Final event [date].

9. Prizes or funding
[Amounts], [number of winners], [eligible costs], [payment terms].

10. Data protection
[Organiser] processes applicants' data to run this call. Evaluators see [what]. Data is deleted [when]. Privacy notice: [link].

11. Contact
[E-mail]. Questions until [date]. Answers published at [link].

Questions

What is the difference between a call for applications and a call for proposals?

The structure is the same. A call for proposals usually asks for a project with a plan and a budget, as in grant calls. A call for applications or entries is the wider term, used for awards, scholarships and competitions.

How long should a call stay open?

Long enough for applicants to prepare what you ask for. As a guide, allow at least 4 weeks for a short form and 6 to 8 weeks for a grant proposal with a budget.

Can I change a call after it is published?

Correct errors or extend a deadline if you must. Announce each change with its date on the call page. Do not change the criteria or the eligibility rules once applications have arrived.

Do I need separate competition rules?

Not if the call contains everything in the table above. If you publish both, make sure they say the same thing. State which one applies if they ever differ.

How long should a call for applications be?

As long as it takes to state each rule once. Aim for 2 to 4 pages plus the form. Move background and long explanations to a separate page.