Please advise why this could be rejected

[Pokebaronas]

Hi all, new to nominating, so maybe missed something why this got rejected. Nominated this bench

It is a unique bench for the area, as there are no others close in the vicinity. Based on the criteria for nomination in my eyes it fits as it meets these: it is close to a fenced garden, it is good to be social with others. It is next to a paved walkway, no other pokestops are nearby and it is good place to rest and keep on going to some place nearby. It is not on private property, the bench itself is dug in, can’t be moved away

[P1dg3ySlayer]

Welcome to the community.

The bench looks generic to me. What’s special about this bench? What makes it unique (to the area)?

[cyndiepooh]

Welcome to the community @Pokebaronas and so glad you have found us.

You can’t just go by what you see in game to make nominations. Please study the criteria before submitting. Start here: Niantic Wayfarer

Must meet at least one of the three eligibility criteria

• A great place for exploration
• A great place for exercise
• A great place to be social with others

A generic bench is not a good thing to submit.

Edited to clarify that just being a place that you could be social doesn’t make it a “great” place to be social. Also, distance from other pokestops doesn’t matter.

[DTrain2002]

Hello and welcome,

I agree that this bench appears to be generic; it doesn’t seem to have anything that make it stand out.

There is clarification on benches, and how they may or may not be eligible here:

Seating Benches

Memorial benches can only be eligible under the criteria for exploration if they are dedicated to a notable figure and that notability is described in the nomination. Mass produced memorial benches dedicated to friends and family are not eligible unless the nominator provides evidence of the individual’s importance to the community. Just stating that someone was important to the community is inadequate. [image] Note that benches that are artistically crafted like the bench above can also …

[TurboGrom]

Hello, according to photo this bench looks generic. If it’s unique in some way you should add it in the description and explain why it should be a wayspot.

[Doc420UK]

If there’s no special marker or cultural importance for this location, like a memorial plaque, it might just be seen as an ordinary spot and not a strong candidate for nomination. However, if there was a memorial plaque, it would make the nomination more valid and worth approving.

[elijustrying]

If the memorial bench is for someone of significance in the community.it can be considered.

[Pokebaronas]

Hello there, thanks for the reply! From my perspective (as a local to the area) the bench was pleaded by the locals to the city council for over 10 years (no joke), as there were no areas for people to rest up when going across the street it is located in now. That is what it makes unique. Also a plus is that it is placed next to a garden kept by the residents of the visible address, so overall it is a nice place to rest and chat up with others who stop here. Regarding “generic”, well there are a lot of playgrounds around (some even in fenced off due to the residents having fences in their yards and not accessible by those not living in the apartments) and the playgrounds are identical in cases but each have pokestops. Do those not need to be not generic also? Thanks!

[LetsRollGirl]

Benches can be tough. Now that you have the Criteria Clarification for benches you may be able to write it up better and it may pass. But it might still be a challenge.

Play parks are great for kids and their families to be social and exercise. They are still eligible even as part of a gated apartment facility since the people that live there and their guests can access the common spaces.

Here is more about play grounds:

Playgrounds

Playgrounds meet the criteria for exercise, exploration, and socialization, and as long as they are not located on single-family private residential property or K-12 schools can be considered eligible. Playgrounds should be nominated as whole and not individual playground items. Even if the area includes separate slides, climbing frames, sandboxes and or swings, there should be one Wayspot nomination marking them all as a collection. If there are separate, clearly divided playgrounds for young …

[Pokebaronas]

thank you for the great reply. clarifies it a lot now.

[P1dg3ySlayer]

If the bench had a plaque on it that was dedicated to someone notable, I could see how it could be significant. Without it, it’s just a bench. There are a lot of benches in my local area that have been around for decades, and doesn’t have anything to say how or why they are significant, but I could argue, without any proof, that these are significant to the local area.

Playgrounds are significantly different and I believe Niantic have provided Clarification that these are ok and a place where people can socialise and exercise as already mentioned.