Here’s How to Officially Suggest New Emoji.

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Next spring, you’ll notice several new emoji arriving on your iPhone or Android device. According to Unicode Emoji Subcommittee Chair Jennifer Daniel , nine new emoji are planned for 2027, including Cracked Face, Thumbs-Up Left, Thumbs-Up Right, Monarch Butterfly, Cucumber, Lighthouse, Meteor, Eraser, and Net with Pen. It’s not the most extensive update in emoji history, but it’s a fun set. (I can imagine Cracked Face being used.)

I always love it when new emoji are released (who could live without the recent “melting face”), but I’ve never really thought about how they actually come about. I think most of us who use these icons share this opinion. Some may think individual tech companies (e.g., Apple, Google, etc.) are responsible; others believe that some faceless “emoji council” makes the decisions. The truth is actually quite surprising: it turns out that it’s not organizations, but individuals, who decide which emoji appear next. You have a chance too, if you’re willing to take advantage of it.

You can specify which emoji you want to see next.

The thing is, there’s a sort of “emoji design board.” Emoji are developed by the Unicode Consortium , whose history dates back to 1991. While the consortium is responsible for developing and maintaining emoji, it doesn’t decide which emoji to create next. Whenever you see a new emoji, whether it’s “Cracked Face” or “Web with Pen,” the ideas come from real people outside the consortium, not from its members.

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Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as sending the consortium an email with a list of your brilliant ideas. If you really want the organization to take your emoji recommendations seriously, you’ll have to follow a strict set of rules . The first step? Make sure the emoji hasn’t already been approved (or rejected). You can check the consortium’s official “Emoji Proposal Status” page to see every emoji that has been officially submitted since 2015—more than a decade of submissions. There’s a lot of interesting stuff there: “Acne” was rejected in 2020; “Cannabis” was rejected in 2019; “mRNA” was rejected in 2022. It’s certainly an interesting list. Anything the consortium has rejected in the last four years is not eligible for reconsideration, meaning if you see something that was rejected more than four years ago, it’s perfectly acceptable.

Your proposal must follow the established formal format. The consortium has provided an outline on the guidelines page, which roughly resembles the following:

What do you think at the moment?

  1. Title: Emoji Suggestion [enter name here]

  2. Author: [your name]

  3. Date: [today’s date here]

  4. Identification: Keywords for your emoji and suggested category.

  5. Images: Include examples of images that comply with certain guidelines, as well as your licenses showing that you own the rights or have permission to use them.

  6. Inclusion criteria include evidence that the proposed emoji expresses multiple concepts, can be used with other emoji, introduces something new, is legible and distinct from other emoji, can be used frequently, complements an incomplete category, and is necessary for compatibility with other platforms.

You must also provide evidence that your emoji proposal does not meet any of the following criteria:

  1. Already presented

  2. Too specific

  3. Open

  4. Fashionable

  5. Covered by existing emoji

This is a brief overview of the rules. If you plan to apply, please read the consortium rules carefully.

Time is running out to send emoji.

Applications aren’t accepted year-round. The consortium opened its doors for 2026 on April 2 and plans to close on July 31. This means you only have a couple of weeks from the publication of this article to submit your applications. Given the complexity of the application process, I’d recommend starting as soon as possible if you’re serious about it.

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