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Shipaton 2026: did anyone see judge activity in their app?

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Hi everyone,

 

I submitted Paparcar: ¿dónde aparcaste?, a community app for finding and sharing parking spots in real time in Madrid. Today I got the email saying it wasn't selected. That's fine, there were thousands of great apps and limited prizes.

 

What bothers me is something else. Since the submission deadline, I haven't seen any sign of judges using the app: no new accounts or activity during the review window. I know judges could have reviewed it in ways that don't show up in my analytics (the video, the store listing, testing without signing up), so I'm not claiming nobody looked. But I can't tell either way, and the rejection email says no individual feedback will be given.

 

So I'm curious:

 

Did any of you see clear judge activity (sign-ups, sandbox purchases, reviews) in your apps?

 

Does anyone know how the judging pipeline works? For example, is there a first screening before hands-on testing?

 

A suggestion for future editions: even a simple "your app was tested hands-on" or "your app was screened out at stage X" would go a long way. Nobody expects detailed feedback for thousands of apps, but knowing whether your app was actually opened would make the effort feel respected.

 

Congrats to everyone who shipped. Building and launching an app is hard, prize or not.

    4 replies

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    Quick correction to my first paragraph: Paparcar automatically detects when you park, saves where you left your car, and tracks your trips to estimate fuel use and costs. Sharing free spots with the community is an extra, not the main feature.

    erik-macinnis
    RevenueCat Staff
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    Hi Gonzalo,

    Thank you for submitting Paparcar. I can see it in the Shipaton Showcase.

    You can find a detailed explanation of the judging process in How we judge Shipaton. Since downloads are only required during final winner selection, it’s possible your app made it as far as Stage 3.

    I also submitted an app, so I can relate to wanting a bit more visibility into the process.

    I think your suggestion to let participants know which round their submission reached makes total sense, and I’ll pass that feedback along to the team.

    Thanks for sharing your feedback and congratulations on shipping Paparcar!

    All the best,
    Erik – Developer Support Engineer

    Erik MacInnis
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    Hi Erik, thank you very much for taking the time to answer and for passing the feedback along to the team. It's really helpful to know the app could have reached the judging stage without being downloaded. And thanks to the whole team for answering here, I appreciate it. Congrats on your own submission too, and good luck!

    erik-macinnis
    RevenueCat Staff
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    Of course! This was valuable feedback, and it’s something the team will definitely discuss improving for future events.

    I’m glad my answer was helpful, and I wish you all the best with your apps!

    Erik MacInnis
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