Edit 2: Thank you everyone — it finally got accepted after two failed nominations! 
Edit: I attempted to resubmit it, but it was rejected. The details can be found in the replies. Thank you.
Hi, I’d appreciate some guidance and feedback before submitting an appeal for my rejected nomination.
The nomination is a statue located on the ground floor alfresco area of a condominium. The statue has a permanent place there, but it’s not easily visible on maps and can only be verified by visiting the location in person.
Although it’s within the community, the area is accessible to the public — non-residents can freely enter, especially during public mass services occasionally held there, and there’s also a cafe that welcomes outside guests.
How can I better clarify or support this accessibility and permanence in my appeal to improve the chances of approval?
Title: Statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Descriptions: This statue represents Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, a revered figure in Catholic faith symbolizing purity and divine grace. Depicted with a halo of twelve stars, standing on clouds with cherubs at her feet, she is often a site of quiet reflection and devotion. A meaningful cultural and religious landmark for the community.
Adding this as a PokéStop not only highlights an artistic and meaningful public display, but also encourages players to explore and appreciate local culture and values. It enhances the gameplay experience by connecting it with real-world landmarks that matter to the people who live nearby.
Reviewers provided these top reasons for not accepting this submission:
The submission is on private property which is not publicly accessible
The location of the submission does not match the photos, and/ or map
Thank you for the suggestions, I’ll definitely use them. However, I just want to clarify the first one: does the GPS coordinate need to appear directly on the photo, or is it okay if it’s already included in the photo’s details? I’m not sure how to add GPS coordinates to the photo manually. Thank you so much!
This statue is mass produced and can easily be purchased online. While it’s not on SFPRP, it’s just something that was purchased online and isn’t unique art.
Also, while most don’t care if game terms are mentioned in the supporting info, staff may see this as trying to influence reviewers, and could possibly see it as abuse.
Therefore, for these reasons, I would not appeal this nomination, nor would I resubmit it.
I see, and I definitely understand your point. However, I’d just like to add that this is used for Mass and holds religious significance. I may have used the wrong wording previously, but it is a religious sculpture. With this additional information, would it be possible to resubmit, or would it still not qualify? Thank you!
Yes, but it’s one that can be purchased on Amazon and other online retailers, and during an image search also showed that other churches have this same statue.
I see, I’ll take that information into consideration. Thank you again!
Many of us use an app called GPSmapcamera.
Free and prints the GPS details on the photo so it can be easily seen.
2 Likes
I think you are trying to nominate a shrine / devotional space where families gather to pray and honor the Holy Family or other patron saints. I believe that such shrines are prominent in the Philippines.
If this the case, I would submit a fresh nomination with the main photo focusing on the shrine (which includes the statue). The supporting photo needs to be geotagged (using an app like GPS Map Camera which is free) to help evidence the wayspot location.
You will need to include evidence (such as a weblink) in the supporting commentary that the location is a residential apartment block (.e. not SFPRP). If there are any weblinks that refer to this shrine, I would also include those as well.
Your supporting commentary should focus more upon the social aspects - spiritual fulfillment, sense of community and support, and personal growth and guidance - that make this shrine important to your local community.
Best of luck.
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Hello! I tried resubmitting the nomination, but it was rejected again. Do you think it’s still worth pursuing, or should I just let it go? I really appreciate your help and all the suggestions so far—thank you again!
Title: Shrine of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Description:
This devotional shrine honors Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and is located at the alfresco area on the ground floor of the Belmira Building at Cypress Towers, near the swimming pool. It is a peaceful space where residents and visitors gather to pray, reflect, and honor the Holy Family and other patron saints—an enduring tradition in Filipino culture.
Supplemental Information:
Beyond its religious significance, the shrine plays a key role in the spiritual and social life of the community. Masses are held here and are open to the public, fostering spiritual fulfillment and a welcoming sense of community. This space not only offers guidance and comfort to individuals, but also strengthens bonds among neighbors and guests, making it a valuable local landmark of faith and unity.
Reason: This submission was declined by Niantic’s automated process for not adhering to Wayfarer criteria
I assume that the reason that your new nomination was assessed so quickly was that the decision was completed by the AI Tool.
To appeal or not to appeal? If you feel strongly that your nomination meets at least one of the qualifying criteria (and I believe that you do) then you should submit an appeal. As the saying goes, you don’t want to die wondering….
I believe that you can make the argument that your nomination promotes exploration (of your religious faith), being social with others and a sense of community.
I think that your Supplemental Information makes some very strong points so why not reuse this information in your appeal.
In addition, you need to make the reviewers aware of the importance to many Filipino Catholics of a home shrine, dedicated to a religious figure, that can serve as a focal point for their devotion (noting that 78.8% of your country’s population are Roman Catholics).
Family/home shrines (and their importance) are something that are not common in my culture (I’ve never seen one) so I think that providing such clarification is important to educate the Appeals Team (who may be in a similar situation to me).
In addition, include the following weblink as evidence that the pinned location is a 20 level residential apartment building - https://www.dmcihomes.com/amp/cypress-towers.
In addition, I would state that the nomination is readily accessible with safe pedestrian access evident.
Good luck with your appeal. Feel free to let me know how your appeal turns out.
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Thank you again for responding. I’ll definitely try to appeal it. I really appreciate your help!
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Hello! Just wanted to give a quick update — Niantic finally accepted the nomination after two rejections! I added links from the church’s official social media pages and their website, and I think that extra detail helped push it through. Thank you again for all the help and support in getting this approved!
6 Likes
That’s great news. Well done
