diff --git a/src/app/(frontend)/voiceover/actions.ts b/src/app/(frontend)/voiceover/actions.ts
index e5675d1..f439209 100644
--- a/src/app/(frontend)/voiceover/actions.ts
+++ b/src/app/(frontend)/voiceover/actions.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ import config from "@payload-config";
 import { getPayload } from "payload";
 import { emitGameEvent } from "@/utils/event-log/emit";
 import { EventTypes } from "@/utils/event-log/eventTypes";
-import { broadcastToUser } from "@/lib/realtime/bus";
-import { notifyUser } from "@/lib/notifications";
 import hasRoles from "@/utils/access-control/hasRoles";
 import { isPayloadUser } from "@/utils/access-control/isPayloadUser";
 import { transcodeToMp3 } from "@/lib/voiceover/transcode";
@@ -245,34 +243,6 @@ export async function reviewVoiceSubmission(
       return { success: false, error: "The script for this submission no longer exists." };
     }
 
-    const submitterId = typeof submission.user === "number" ? submission.user : submission.user.id;
-
-    // Resolve the profile before mutating anything so a missing profile fails
-    // the review cleanly instead of leaving the submission accepted without XP.
-    let profileId: number | undefined;
-    let progression: {
-      xp?: unknown;
-      voiceover?: { xpEarned?: number };
-    } = {};
-    if (decision === "accepted") {
-      const profileRes = await payload.find({
-        collection: "profiles",
-        where: { user: { equals: submitterId } },
-        limit: 1,
-        depth: 0,
-        overrideAccess: true,
-      });
-      const profile = profileRes.docs[0];
-      if (!profile) {
-        return { success: false, error: "No profile found for the submitter." };
-      }
-      profileId = profile.id;
-      progression = (profile.progression ?? {}) as {
-        xp?: unknown;
-        voiceover?: { xpEarned?: number };
-      };
-    }
-
     await payload.update({
       collection: "voice-submissions",
       id: submissionId,
@@ -284,65 +254,6 @@ export async function reviewVoiceSubmission(
       depth: 0,
     });
 
-    if (decision === "accepted" && profileId !== undefined) {
-      const voiceover = progression.voiceover ?? {};
-      const xpEarned = (voiceover.xpEarned ?? 0) + script.xpAmount;
-      // Strip the virtual `xp` field before writing (computed, not stored).
-      const { xp: _xp, ...progressionRest } = progression;
-
-      await payload.update({
-        collection: "profiles",
-        id: profileId,
-        data: {
-          progression: {
-            ...progressionRest,
-            voiceover: {
-              ...voiceover,
-              xpEarned,
-            },
-          },
-        },
-        overrideAccess: true,
-        depth: 0,
-      });
-      broadcastToUser("profile-update", submitterId, {
-        reason: "xp",
-        xpGained: script.xpAmount,
-        profileId,
-      });
-      await notifyUser(payload, {
-        userId: submitterId,
-        type: "voiceover:accepted",
-        title: "Voiceover accepted",
-        message: `Your recording for "${script.title}" was accepted (+${script.xpAmount} XP).`,
-        link: "/voiceover",
-      });
-    } else {
-      await notifyUser(payload, {
-        userId: submitterId,
-        type: "voiceover:rejected",
-        title: "Voiceover rejected",
-        message: `Your recording for "${script.title}" was not accepted this time.`,
-        link: "/voiceover",
-      });
-    }
-
-    await emitGameEvent(payload, {
-      type: decision === "accepted" ? EventTypes.VoiceoverAccepted : EventTypes.VoiceoverRejected,
-      message: `${user.displayName ?? user.username} ${decision} a voiceover submission for "${script.title}"`,
-      actor: user.id,
-      targetCollection: "voice-submissions",
-      targetId: submissionId,
-      data: {
-        scriptId: script.id,
-        scriptTitle: script.title,
-        submitterId,
-        decision,
-        reviewNote: reviewNote ?? null,
-        xpAwarded: decision === "accepted" ? script.xpAmount : 0,
-      },
-    });
-
     return { success: true, data: { id: submissionId, status: decision } };
   } catch (error) {
     const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Unknown error";
diff --git a/src/collections/voiceover/VoiceSubmissions.ts b/src/collections/voiceover/VoiceSubmissions.ts
index 3234dec..f2baf01 100644
--- a/src/collections/voiceover/VoiceSubmissions.ts
+++ b/src/collections/voiceover/VoiceSubmissions.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,186 @@
-import { CollectionConfig } from "payload";
-import type { User } from "@/payload-types";
+import {
+  CollectionConfig,
+  type CollectionAfterChangeHook,
+  type CollectionBeforeChangeHook,
+} from "payload";
+import type { User, VoiceScript, VoiceSubmission } from "@/payload-types";
 import hasRoles from "@/utils/access-control/hasRoles";
 import { isSuperuser } from "@/utils/access-control/hasPermission";
+import { broadcastToUser } from "@/lib/realtime/bus";
+import { notifyUser } from "@/lib/notifications";
+import { emitGameEvent } from "@/utils/event-log/emit";
+import { EventTypes } from "@/utils/event-log/eventTypes";
+
+type PayloadType = Awaited<ReturnType<typeof import("payload").getPayload>>;
+
+async function fetchScript(payload: PayloadType, id: number): Promise<VoiceScript | null> {
+  try {
+    return await payload.findByID({
+      collection: "voice-scripts",
+      id,
+      depth: 0,
+      overrideAccess: true,
+    });
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+const scriptIdOf = (script: VoiceSubmission["script"]): number =>
+  typeof script === "object" && script !== null ? script.id : script;
+
+const submitterIdOf = (user: VoiceSubmission["user"]): number =>
+  typeof user === "object" && user !== null ? user.id : user;
+
+const reviewerName = (reqUser: unknown): string => {
+  const user = reqUser as Pick<User, "displayName" | "username"> | null | undefined;
+  return user?.displayName ?? user?.username ?? "A reviewer";
+};
+
+/**
+ * XP and notifications for review decisions live in hooks so both the
+ * frontend action and direct admin-panel edits take the same path. XP is
+ * awarded only on a pending-to-accepted transition, so ordinary re-saves
+ * never double-award.
+ */
+const guardReviewTransition: CollectionBeforeChangeHook = async ({
+  operation,
+  data,
+  originalDoc,
+  req,
+}) => {
+  if (operation !== "update") return data;
+  const nextStatus = data?.status;
+  if (!nextStatus || nextStatus === originalDoc?.status) return data;
+  if (nextStatus !== "accepted" && nextStatus !== "rejected") return data;
+
+  const script = await fetchScript(req.payload, scriptIdOf(originalDoc.script));
+  if (!script) {
+    throw new Error("The script for this submission no longer exists.");
+  }
+
+  if (nextStatus === "accepted") {
+    const profileRes = await req.payload.find({
+      collection: "profiles",
+      where: { user: { equals: submitterIdOf(originalDoc.user) } },
+      limit: 1,
+      depth: 0,
+      overrideAccess: true,
+    });
+    if (!profileRes.docs[0]) {
+      throw new Error("No profile found for the submitter.");
+    }
+  }
+
+  return data;
+};
+
+const applyReviewSideEffects: CollectionAfterChangeHook = async ({
+  operation,
+  doc,
+  previousDoc,
+  req,
+}) => {
+  if (operation !== "update") return doc;
+  if (previousDoc?.status !== "pending") return doc;
+  if (doc.status !== "accepted" && doc.status !== "rejected") return doc;
+
+  const submitterId = submitterIdOf(doc.user);
+  const script = await fetchScript(req.payload, scriptIdOf(doc.script));
+
+  if (doc.status === "accepted") {
+    const profileRes = await req.payload.find({
+      collection: "profiles",
+      where: { user: { equals: submitterId } },
+      limit: 1,
+      depth: 0,
+      overrideAccess: true,
+    });
+    const profile = profileRes.docs[0];
+    if (!profile) {
+      req.payload.logger.error(
+        `Voiceover submission ${doc.id} accepted but submitter ${submitterId} has no profile; XP not awarded.`,
+      );
+      return doc;
+    }
+
+    const progression = (profile.progression ?? {}) as {
+      xp?: unknown;
+      voiceover?: { xpEarned?: number };
+    };
+    const voiceover = progression.voiceover ?? {};
+    const xpGained = script?.xpAmount ?? 0;
+    const { xp: _xp, ...progressionRest } = progression;
+
+    await req.payload.update({
+      collection: "profiles",
+      id: profile.id,
+      data: {
+        progression: {
+          ...progressionRest,
+          voiceover: {
+            ...voiceover,
+            xpEarned: (voiceover.xpEarned ?? 0) + xpGained,
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+    broadcastToUser("profile-update", submitterId, {
+      reason: "xp",
+      xpGained,
+      profileId: profile.id,
+    });
+    await notifyUser(req.payload, {
+      userId: submitterId,
+      type: "voiceover:accepted",
+      title: "Voiceover accepted",
+      message: `Your recording for "${script?.title ?? "a script"}" was accepted (+${xpGained} XP).`,
+      link: "/voiceover",
+    });
+    await emitGameEvent(req.payload, {
+      type: EventTypes.VoiceoverAccepted,
+      message: `${reviewerName(req.user)} accepted a voiceover submission for "${script?.title ?? "a script"}"`,
+      actor: typeof req.user === "object" && req.user !== null ? req.user.id : undefined,
+      targetCollection: "voice-submissions",
+      targetId: doc.id,
+      data: {
+        scriptId: scriptIdOf(doc.script),
+        scriptTitle: script?.title ?? null,
+        submitterId,
+        decision: "accepted",
+        reviewNote: doc.reviewNote ?? null,
+        xpAwarded: xpGained,
+      },
+    });
+    return doc;
+  }
+
+  await notifyUser(req.payload, {
+    userId: submitterId,
+    type: "voiceover:rejected",
+    title: "Voiceover rejected",
+    message: `Your recording for "${script?.title ?? "a script"}" was not accepted this time.`,
+    link: "/voiceover",
+  });
+  await emitGameEvent(req.payload, {
+    type: EventTypes.VoiceoverRejected,
+    message: `${reviewerName(req.user)} rejected a voiceover submission for "${script?.title ?? "a script"}"`,
+    actor: typeof req.user === "object" && req.user !== null ? req.user.id : undefined,
+    targetCollection: "voice-submissions",
+    targetId: doc.id,
+    data: {
+      scriptId: scriptIdOf(doc.script),
+      scriptTitle: script?.title ?? null,
+      submitterId,
+      decision: "rejected",
+      reviewNote: doc.reviewNote ?? null,
+      xpAwarded: 0,
+    },
+  });
+  return doc;
+};
 
 export const VoiceSubmissions: CollectionConfig = {
   slug: "voice-submissions",
@@ -96,4 +275,8 @@ export const VoiceSubmissions: CollectionConfig = {
   // scripts, …) stay blocked by Payload's built-in checks.
   upload: true,
   timestamps: true,
+  hooks: {
+    beforeChange: [guardReviewTransition],
+    afterChange: [applyReviewSideEffects],
+  },
 };