From 84d90e19780e6a99ea0db850cadc8c187dc93f0d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Matt <matt@letsbe.solutions>
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2026 00:04:28 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] fix: soften award notification email tone from "selected" to
 "under consideration"

The email was implying projects had won the award. Updated banner, subject,
and body copy to clarify they are being considered, not awarded.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 src/app/(admin)/admin/awards/[id]/page.tsx |  2 +-
 src/lib/email.ts                           | 21 ++++++++++++---------
 src/server/routers/specialAward.ts         |  2 +-
 3 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/app/(admin)/admin/awards/[id]/page.tsx b/src/app/(admin)/admin/awards/[id]/page.tsx
index 69a524e..65b8dfe 100644
--- a/src/app/(admin)/admin/awards/[id]/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(admin)/admin/awards/[id]/page.tsx
@@ -718,7 +718,7 @@ export default function AwardDetailPage({
                 open={notifyDialogOpen}
                 onOpenChange={setNotifyDialogOpen}
                 title="Notify Eligible Projects"
-                description={`Send "Selected for ${award.name}" emails to all ${award.eligibleCount} eligible projects.`}
+                description={`Send "Under consideration for ${award.name}" emails to all ${award.eligibleCount} eligible projects.`}
                 recipientCount={notifyPreview.data?.recipientCount ?? 0}
                 previewHtml={notifyPreview.data?.html}
                 isPreviewLoading={notifyPreview.isLoading}
diff --git a/src/lib/email.ts b/src/lib/email.ts
index aee5d38..e007feb 100644
--- a/src/lib/email.ts
+++ b/src/lib/email.ts
@@ -1808,7 +1808,7 @@ Together for a healthier ocean.
 }
 
 /**
- * Generate "Selected for Special Award" notification email template
+ * Generate "Under Consideration for Special Award" notification email template
  */
 export function getAwardSelectionNotificationTemplate(
   name: string,
@@ -1819,12 +1819,12 @@ export function getAwardSelectionNotificationTemplate(
 ): EmailTemplate {
   const greeting = name ? `Dear ${name},` : 'Dear Applicant,'
 
-  const celebrationBanner = `
+  const announcementBanner = `
 <table role="presentation" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="margin: 20px 0;">
   <tr>
-    <td style="background: linear-gradient(135deg, #d97706 0%, #f59e0b 100%); border-radius: 12px; padding: 24px; text-align: center;">
-      <p style="color: #ffffff; margin: 0 0 8px 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 2px;">Congratulations</p>
-      <h2 style="color: #ffffff; margin: 0; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 700;">Your project has been selected!</h2>
+    <td style="background: linear-gradient(135deg, ${BRAND.darkBlue} 0%, ${BRAND.teal} 100%); border-radius: 12px; padding: 24px; text-align: center;">
+      <p style="color: #ffffff; margin: 0 0 8px 0; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 2px;">Special Award Consideration</p>
+      <h2 style="color: #ffffff; margin: 0; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 700;">Your project is under consideration</h2>
     </td>
   </tr>
 </table>
@@ -1840,8 +1840,9 @@ export function getAwardSelectionNotificationTemplate(
 
   const content = `
     ${sectionTitle(greeting)}
-    ${celebrationBanner}
-    ${infoBox(`<strong>"${projectName}"</strong> has been selected for the <strong>${awardName}</strong>`, 'success')}
+    ${announcementBanner}
+    ${infoBox(`<strong>"${projectName}"</strong> has been shortlisted for consideration for the <strong>${awardName}</strong>.`, 'info')}
+    ${paragraph('This means your project has caught the attention of our selection committee and is being evaluated for this special recognition. Please note that this is not a final award — further review and evaluation steps may follow.')}
     ${
       escapedMessage
         ? `<div style="background-color: #f5f5f5; border-radius: 8px; padding: 20px; margin: 20px 0; color: ${BRAND.textDark}; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7;">${escapedMessage}</div>`
@@ -1853,16 +1854,18 @@ export function getAwardSelectionNotificationTemplate(
   `
 
   return {
-    subject: `Your project has been selected for ${awardName}: "${projectName}"`,
+    subject: `Your project is under consideration for ${awardName}: "${projectName}"`,
     html: getEmailWrapper(content),
     text: `
 ${greeting}
 
-Your project has been selected!
+Your project is under consideration for a special award.
 
 Project: ${projectName}
 Award: ${awardName}
 
+Your project has been shortlisted for consideration for the ${awardName}. This means your project has caught the attention of our selection committee and is being evaluated for this special recognition. Please note that this is not a final award — further review and evaluation steps may follow.
+
 ${customMessage || 'Our team will be in touch with more details about this award and next steps.'}
 
 ${accountUrl
diff --git a/src/server/routers/specialAward.ts b/src/server/routers/specialAward.ts
index 75dfb7b..d1816cb 100644
--- a/src/server/routers/specialAward.ts
+++ b/src/server/routers/specialAward.ts
@@ -1347,7 +1347,7 @@ export const specialAwardRouter = router({
               recipient.name || '',
               'AWARD_SELECTION_NOTIFICATION',
               {
-                title: `Selected for ${award.name}`,
+                title: `Under consideration for ${award.name}`,
                 message: input.customMessage || '',
                 metadata: {
                   projectName: e.project.title,