I wish I had known this before applying to Contra Labs.

I received an email from Contra today letting me know that my application to the Contra Labs Network wasn’t selected.

Of course, rejection is part of freelancing, and I completely understand that.

But what caught me off guard was finding out that the Contra Labs application is a one-time opportunity and that the Labs section is removed from your sidebar after the application is rejected.

I honestly didn’t know that when I applied.

If I had known it was a one-time application, I would have approached it very differently. I would have spent more time reviewing my profile, selecting the strongest work, refining my application, and being much more intentional about how I presented myself.

Instead, I treated it like an opportunity I could potentially apply for again after improving my profile.

So now I’m curious about other freelancers’ experiences here:

Did you know the Contra Labs application could only be submitted once?

If you were rejected, were you also surprised that Contra Labs was removed from your sidebar?

Has anyone been able to get access to Labs again later?

And for those who were accepted, what do you think made your application stand out?

I’m not posting this just because I was rejected. I’d genuinely love to understand how the Labs application process works and learn from people who have gone through it.

Would really appreciate any insights, experiences, or feedback from the Contra community. 🙏

Exploring the Contra logo through motion. Glass, light, rotation, and precise assembly.

Glass and precise assembly are an interesting way to reinterpret the Contra mark. The material choice gives the logo a different character.