Our current application process
(This post includes a tl’dr at the bottom for brevity and accessibility.)
How Do You Get Into NARIX?
A lot of folks have asked this question! Over the last two years, our application process has changed nearly every event, as we try things and as we adjust to an ever growing pool of applicants. So it makes sense that there’s confusion on what the process is today.
This post will explain our current lottery system, our values and principles when it comes to applications, and provide context for how and why changes were implemented over time.
First, some background and core principles:
About 10 years ago when NARIX first started, attendees applied and were selected by the steering committee. Feedback at the time was clear: folks were frustrated at the bias inherent in the process, and felt like gatekeeping was happening.
In the aftermath of that process, NARIX moved to a lottery. The goal of the lottery was that the process for determining who does and doesn’t get a ticket to NARIX would be fair and unbiased, and could not be influenced by the steering committee to benefit or penalize specific people.
We still use that lottery, and new principles guide us as we make decisions:
We follow set processes, which are agreed upon in advance, and cannot be influenced or changed by any one person.
We review each other’s decisions, and recuse ourselves from reviewing the applications of close friends, partners, and community members.
We are transparent about how decisions are made, publishing the process in our “NARIX by the numbers” posts, and by being honest and forthcoming when asked.
We consistently review the impact of our processes, to monitor for unforeseen outcomes.
And, every time we make a change, or consider a new policy, we consider: could future steering committee members use this in bad faith?
So, it’s a lottery?
If the number of accepted applicants is LESS than the max number of available spots, everyone who applied and meets the application criteria is accepted.
If the number of applicants is MORE than the max number of available spots we run a lottery which determines who gets a spot as well as the order of folks on the waitlist.
Since 2022, NARIX has consistently received and reviewed over 100 applications per event. And that number grows with every event. Most recently, the Austin event received over 200 individual applications. So, we’ve been doing the lottery for all of 2023 and 2024.
How do we run the lottery?
First, each application is reviewed for completeness as well as if it meets the application criteria. This process determines which applications are accepted or denied. If the number of accepted applications exceeds the number of available spots then we run a lottery.
The lottery is run by assigning a random number to each applicant and then sorting the applicants by that number. This creates the list of attendees in the order they will be accepted. We then accept everyone going down the list from 1 until we reach the maximum number of attendees. Everyone else after that maximum is on the waitlist and is accepted as people decline attendance.
Does anyone get to skip the lottery process?
There are a few exceptions that get to skip the lottery process: NARIX volunteers and folks benefiting from proactive efforts to increase the diversity of our events.
First, on volunteers:
NARIX is staffed year round by volunteers that work on various committees that help make all the NARIX programs possible. Some of these folks get automatic acceptance to a NARIX event because they function as essential staff that helps make the event happen.
Not every member of the committees gets accepted to each event. The limited spots allocated to committee members are filled based on the determination of each committee, either by vote or randomly. Currently the number of spots reserved for committee staff is capped at 14.
Committee members who receive an automatic spot to NARIX still go through the application approval process like every other applicant. Committee members who are not automatically accepted are still encouraged to apply, and some do get into the event through the random lottery process.
Next, on hosting a diverse event:
A big problem at previous events was the lack of diversity among attendees, especially racial diversity. We are now quickly getting twice as many applications as we have spots. And due to the nature of random lotteries, the fewer applicants in a demographic, the less chances that demographic will be represented in the attendee list.
As part of NARIX’s dedication to working towards more diverse events, we decided to test a change to the lottery process. The first step (but certainly not the last) towards more inclusive and diverse events is to increase the access that underrepresented folks have to the event. As of Montreal 2024, we implemented a guaranteed acceptance policy for underrepresented identities in the rope community.
In practice what this means is that we analyze the applicant pool, and look across age, race, and sexual and gender identity, and when any one group reviewed is severely underrepresented in the applicant pool, we automatically accept all of those members.
We recognize this is only one part of the solution. However, an increase in representation doesn’t happen overnight, it happens slowly with repeat attendance. Repeat attendance doesn’t happen if folks don’t get in the door the first time. It is our hope that eventually NARIX applicant pools will eventually be so diverse that a lottery does not result in an overrepresentation of certain attendees, but until that time underrepresented applicants will receive priority.
We recognize that this is an imperfect and temporary solution to the issue of representation. We might miss underrepresented groups. People might still feel uncomfortable because they represent a smaller number of attendees. Just like every policy and procedure we have, this one is subject to feedback, review and revisions and we hope that one day we won’t need a policy around this anymore. But for now, it is one of many steps we will take to try and address the very real issue of a lack of representation in the rope community and at NARIX.
Things we have tried that didn’t work:
With the increased popularity of NARIX events, we have tried several things to try to make the events easier for folks to get a ticket.
In 2022, we tried giving folks who were waitlisted for an event priority at the next NARIX event. Back then, we were only seeing waitlists of up to 20 people. But when implemented, especially as the applicant pool grew, we quickly realized that maintaining this policy would result in events that were filled completely by the prior event’s waitlist, and we would have no room to take new applicants. Because we did not want to effectively “lock” attendees in for an event that was not yet planned, due to all the spots being filled from a previous applicant pool, we scrapped that policy after Philly 2023.
In 2023, we attempted to solve for diversity by implementing a weighted scale that was added to the lottery based on a variety of factors including demographic data, attendance at previous events, location, etc. After utilizing this scaled system, we did an analysis on the weighted lottery vs the regular lottery and found that there was no significant difference between the two. It didn’t solve the diversity problem in the normal lottery, it was confusing to applicants, and it was a ton of added work for no reward, and so this policy was also scrapped after LA 2023.
Things we have never tried, but you know how rumors go:
There has never been a time where someone did not have to complete the application process in order to attend NARIX. Even folks with automatic spots for whatever reason must complete the application and pass the evaluation process.
There has never been a time where someone from the waitlist can defer their spot to a specific future event. The policy that we tried briefly and abandoned was folks on the waitlist could apply for and receive priority for the NEXT event only.
We have never selected specific applicants off the list who we want to attend and moved them to the front of the line. In fact, for Austin, 5 of the 6 steering committee members have partners that were either rejected or waitlisted.
We have never prioritized local applicants. While we understand that it can be disappointing to not attend an event like NARIX when it is happening in your hometown, giving special admission to locals would lead to an overrepresentation of that group over all others, primarily due to the overrepresentation of local applicants in the total applicant pool (you can read more about that in our NARIX by the numbers post).
Changes you may see in the future:
We continue to dedicate ourselves to striving towards our values, and you will probably see changes to the application and acceptance process as NARIX changes. Some of the things we are working on include:
Continuing to increase diversity at our events
Tracking and admitting applicants who have been waitlisted multiple times
An appeals process for applicants that were denied
Increased clarity on how applications are evaluated and approved
These items will take time for us to build. Sometimes what we try won’t work out, but that’s why we commit to the process of receiving feedback, reviewing, and revising for everything that we build within NARIX. We’ve changed the process as we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and that will continue to be the case, especially as we navigate increasing interest in the event.
TLDR:
If there are more applicants than there are spots at NARIX, we run a random lottery to determine who is admitted and who is waitlisted
This lottery is run via random number generator, and all approved applicants are included.
There are a few exceptions to the lottery:
Essential staff
Members of under-represented groups
In the past we have tried and decided to not continue:
Guaranteeing spots at the next event to folks who were waitlisted
Using a weighted scoring system to alter the lottery
We are committed to:
Continuing to work toward a more diverse event
Providing more clarity around the application and acceptance process
Taking feedback and making revisions to our process so it meets the needs of folks involved in NARIX
