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 Emoji Standard and Research Working Group is looking
forward to receiving your submissions. ππ
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 for
Submitting Unicode® Emoji Proposals. 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. π 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.
Note: Some proposals will not be considered for
encoding which include but are not limited to flags, logos, UI
icons, specific people, or designs that include text. π A full list
of the types that will not be reviewed can be found here.
Hot tip: Advocating for an emoji on behalf of an
important social cause? A proposal may be advanced despite a “cause” argument - if other factors are compelling - but will not
be advanced because of it.
Step 3: Prepare your proposal document
Completing the Guidelines for Submitting
Unicode® Emoji Proposals is critical. Take note of
the Selection
Factors and Emoji Encoding
Principles as well as this section on Limitations
on Emoji Encoding. Don’t skip any of the fields in the form!
The Emoji Standard and Research Working Group [ESC] receives a lot of submissions, and complete
proposals helps the ESC best evaluate them.
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. 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 Search
was 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: π You no longer have to submit images
separately from the proposal PDF. All images will now be included
directly in the PDF.
The submission window will be open April 2 through
July 31, 2024 and all submissions will be notified of their status
by November 30, 2024.
Good luck and happy emoji-ing! ✨ππ✍️✨
Hot Tip: Register now for the upcoming webinar on April 16, “How to make your emoji proposal the best that it can be!”
Adopt a Character and Support Unicode’s Mission
Looking to give that special someone a special something?
Or maybe something to treat yourself?
π️ππ️π¨π₯πη±₿♜π
Adopt a character or emoji to give it the attention it deserves, while also supporting Unicode’s mission to ensure everyone can communicate in their own languages across all devices.
Each adoption includes a digital badge and certificate that you can proudly display!
Have fun and support a good cause
You can also donate funds or gift stock
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