Emoji submissions re-opening April 2, 2024
It's April 2nd so you know it's not a joke ;-)
It’s that time of year. For some of us that means the birds are chirping and the weather is getting warmer 🐦🌱. For others, the leaves are changing color and you’re unpacking your coats 🧥🍂. No matter where you are in the world, you can submit an emoji proposal starting April 2, 2024 and The Unicode Consortium is looking forward to receiving your submissions. 👀
Whether you’re new to the process or a veteran contributor to the Unicode Standard please take note: a few changes have been made to the guidelines. So, as you prepare your documents, consider the following steps to ensure your work meets all the requirements to be considered.
Step 1: See if it’s already been approved or “under consideration” ✅
It seems obvious but if it’s already an emoji (or if we’ve reviewed a similar proposal) your job is done! Scan the list of Emoji Requests and see whether your proposed emoji has previously been submitted.
Emoji that are listed as “Prioritization Pending” or “Under Consideration” do not require additional proposals and emoji declined within the last four years are not eligible for re-review.⏳
Step 2: Familiarize yourself with Criteria for Inclusion 🫂
We recommend reading recently successful proposals. It may also be worth your time scrolling through the Emoji Submission FAQ, which includes common questions and answers. 🆕 A full list of the types that will not be reviewed can be found here.
🔥 Hot Tip: We’re hosting a webinar on April 16 with tips on “How to make your emoji proposal the best that it can be”. It’s free and you can register here.
Step 3: Prepare your proposal document 📝
Don’t skip any of the fields in the form. Completing the Guidelines for Submitting Unicode® Emoji Proposals is critical. Your document must contain all of the sections shown in this format, provide empirical evidence, and address all of the questions specified there as completely as possible. Take special note of the Selection Factors and the Emoji FAQ. Review your proposal document to confirm it is complete, has all of the necessary frequency citations, the images are not copyrighted, and meets all of the selection factors.
🔥 Hot Tip: The ESC has updated the required sources for frequency data. Previously Google & Bing statistics were accepted but recently removed a mechanism that quantified the queries. Moving forward, submissions should quote Google Books and Google Ngram Viewer stats.
Step 4: Submit your documents 📨
If you have gotten this far, congratulations. You’re almost done and the ESC’s work has just begun 🤯
Submit your proposal as a PDF with reference images using the Unicode Emoji Submission Form. Your complete submission will be made up of the completed form, which includes acceptance of the Emoji Proposal Agreement & License, and your proposal PDF.
🔥 Hot Tip: You no longer have to include images separately from the proposal PDF. All images can be contained within your PDF.
That’s it. After you submit you’ll be notified by November 30th if your document has moved on to the next stage for consideration. However, if your proposal is declined or not advanced I know it will come as a disappointment. 💕 For what it’s worth, there are loads of reasons why proposals are declined, including but not limited to:
➕ It can already be represented by a sequence. (Ex. Garbage fire 🗑️🔥)
🔍 It’s too specific. We can’t add every type of flower, every hairstyle, every color of drink, every breed of animal no matter how cute they are ;-)
💰 Very few are selected. Very few.
🐣 It's a transient concept. Think more, “Stable, long-standing concepts” and less “memes”.
❌ Many other factors for exclusion.
Reconciling the rapid, transient nature of modern communication with the formal, methodical process required by a standards body like the Unicode Consortium is the name of the game these days. Until we can send any image in the world alongside text messages and not just code points …. well, Unicode is here for the world’s emoji related needs. 💖
Good luck and happy emoji-ing! ✨😃🔎✍️✨
All i request is a grass, and trampoline emoji.
Dear Apple Emoji Team,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express a suggestion for a new emoji that I believe would add a fun and expressive element to the Apple Emoji Library: a dabbing emoji.
As you know, emojis play a significant role in modern communication, allowing users to convey emotions, actions, and reactions in a concise and universally understood manner. The dabbing gesture has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly among younger demographics, and is often used to signify excitement, celebration, or accomplishment.
Introducing a dabbing emoji would provide users with a new way to express themselves in conversations, adding a touch of humor and contemporary relevance to their messages. Given the widespread use of emojis across various platforms and digital communication channels, I believe that a dabbing emoji would be well-received by Apple users worldwide.
I understand that the selection process for new emojis is thorough and considerate, taking into account factors such as cultural relevance, inclusivity, and user demand. I hope that you will consider this suggestion and explore the possibility of adding a dabbing emoji to the Apple Emoji Library in a future update.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to seeing the continued evolution of the Apple Emoji Library and the creative ways in which users incorporate emojis into their conversations.
Best regards,
Mia Bartanen, Brooklynn Hall, Emma Love, Rylee Harrison, Marlee Aebersold, Glenalee Tash, Caleb Hartlage, Finn Gahan, Knox Turner, Violet Timmons, Sophia Sammons, Harrison Striby, and Jane Boofter (a bunch of annoying eighth graders)