🔁 Unsuccessful applications
What to do when the Validator Board does not approve your application, the most common reasons, and when you can apply again.
If the Validator Board does not approve your application, you can apply again. This page covers how to get feedback, the most common reasons, and the waiting rule.
Get feedback
After the results are announced, open a support ticket in The Vault Discord and ask for the board's feedback on your application.
Common reasons
Most unsuccessful applications come down to a few points:
- Missing supporting evidence: the board could not verify the contributions listed.
- Not enough ecosystem contributions, or contributions that are not clearly connected to the validator.
- Contributions made just before applying, or a GitHub that is empty or long inactive.
- An application too short or vague to judge.
- Services described that the board could not find, or contributions limited to testing other teams' software.
- Multiple validators that were not disclosed.
- A validator below the minimum requirements, or a commission the board considers high.
For how to address them, see Application best practices.
Apply again
Use the feedback to strengthen your application, then apply again in a later review cycle through the Validator application process (Figure 6.6).
Two unsuccessful applications in a row start a three-month pause: you can apply again three months after the second result. Apply when your contributions and evidence are ready.
Figure 6.6: Applying again