I chose the main entrance signage for the hospital that i work at and got the following feedback.
The submission lacks uniqueness or historical and cultural meaning
I will grant that my description might not have conveyed uniqueness or historical or cultural significance, but the is a major hospital.
I live near a poke gym of a sign for park rules. I would say that lacks uniqueness or historical and cultural meaning.
So i guess my question is how do I convey Uniqueness or historical and cultural meaning better than the information provided for the sign near my house “Signage setting out the access rules in the local park.”?
I challenge that a poke stop at a local shop or MacDonald has less historical and cultural significance or even uniqueness. So why are these even factors in a poke stop submission?
Hi, and welcome to the forum.
Not alle wayspots you see in the game are good examples of what a wayspot should be. Normally a wayspot should either be a place you would like to explore, be social or where you would go to exercise.
A hospital is not by design intended for these purposes, so a hospital entrance, or sign is something I would not submit.
However a hospital can have places that do encourage exploring (for example Art), or encourage socializing (restaurant in a Hospital). Naturally you cannot nominate anything that would block emergency services, but many Hospitals do have potentially interesting spots to nominate.
Also it is important to know that not all pokestops and gyms have been submitted by the community. There are also sponsorship deals, that’s why you will see a lot of McDonalds, Starbuck etc in the game. And there is currently a test in some countries, where Scopely placed pokestops at streetcorners. This is just a test, so we can’t submit streetcorners, but you may see them in the game.
Can you explain how the sign for your hospital or your hospital is a great place to:
- explore
- be social
- exercise
If you can’t explain how it functions as one of those things, then it is not eligible as a wayspot. I also work at a hospital and even after 3 years of serving as a Wayfarer Ambassador, I can’t explain how my hospital functions as any of those things.
Let’s see I come up with an example of why this should be listed under:
- explore
- be social
- exercise
That still doesn’t explain why my listing was rejected under the excuse of lacking uniqueness or historical and cultural aspects.
We are told that when Reviewing if the nomination does not meet any of the main 3 criteria we should reject with “Permanent and Distinct”.
The message you have got is what is sent when this option is used.
You could make up reasons that it meets the 3 criteria but in Wayfarer it doesn’t. You don’t go to the Hospital to Socialise, Exercise or Explore.
I could walk (exercise) to the dog poo bin, chat (socialise) with the other dog owners and check (explore) what breeds they have…
It’s still not eligible…
I would argue that a hospital is definitely a place where people go to socialise. All staff members socialise with each other(several hundreds of them, and many i know that play Pokémon go). Children and adults who are regularly here for medical or non medical reasons socialise with other children and adults. The fact is that on any given day thousands of people move through a hospital. So that inherently means that it would be a perfect location for socialising.
A hospital is designed to be a place where people go to get treated for illnesses and ailments. It’s not designed as a place to socialise. Incidental socialising that happens there does not make it a great place to socialise. The same applies to places like supermarkets. I wouldn’t go to the hospital or the supermarket just because I wanted to hang out with someone and have a chat.
That being said, if the hospital has a café, then that might meet the social criteria, as cafés are areas that are specifically designed for socialising. And as the other comments say, there may be other things on the hospital grounds that meet the eligibility criteria. Our local hospital has 5 wayspots, all of which are different pieces of art.
By comparing notes, we have determined that this is the rejection reason when community reviewers chose “Generic Business”. That makes sense for rejecting the hospital.
You could use that argument for almost anywhere. I often chat to neighbours as I leave my house so I will have a wayspot at the front of my house. It is also the start point of my exercise trail so it meets at least 2. Still not eligible.
I again repeat the Dog Poo Bin analogy…
The issue isn’t whether a hospital building itself is a social venue. I agree that people generally don’t visit hospitals specifically to socialise in the same way they would visit a café or community centre.
My concern is that submissions located on hospital grounds appear to be rejected simply because the word “hospital” is attached to them. The locations I am submitting are not treatment areas, emergency facilities, or places that would interfere with patient care. They are publicly accessible outdoor features such as entrance signage, landscaped community spaces, walking areas, and other points of interest.
Niantic’s criteria assess the eligibility of the object being submitted, not merely the type of property on which it is located. A piece of public art, a walking trail marker, a community garden, a historical marker, or a notable landmark does not automatically become ineligible simply because it happens to be located on hospital property.
For example, many hospitals already contain eligible Wayspots such as artwork, memorials, gardens, chapels, cafés, and outdoor gathering spaces. These are accepted because they encourage exploration, exercise, or social interaction and do not obstruct medical services.
In the case of the main hospital entrance sign, my argument is not that it is a place for medical treatment. Rather, it is a permanent landmark that identifies a major public institution, is safely accessible via footpaths, and serves as a recognised point of reference for the local community. It should be evaluated on its own merits rather than rejected simply because it is associated with a hospital.
None of that is part of Wayfarer criteria. There is a reason we keep repeating the same three phrases over and over: socialize, exercise, explore. Those are the critieria for Wayfarer. Being a major public institution isn’t part of criteria. Being a reference point for the community isn’t part of the criteria.
Yes, things on hospital grounds can be eligible. But we would have to see each one individually to understand why it was rejected.
Entrance signs need to meet criteria - social, exercise, exploration - just as every other wayspot does.
The entrance sign for a hospital is not a place to be social, exercise or explore, the same as for the hospital itself. The entrance sign is being evaluated on its own merits, it just doesn’t meet wayfarer criteria.
An area where you can walk needs to be a bit more distinct than just an area where you can walk, as this would be the same as almost any sidewalk.