diff --git a/config/config.example.yml b/config/config.example.yml
index c3dc673b537..ca3737122ce 100644
--- a/config/config.example.yml
+++ b/config/config.example.yml
@@ -234,6 +234,8 @@ submission:
         - value: default
           style: text-muted
           icon: fa-circle-xmark
+  # Whether to show submission form errors 'onload' or 'onblur'
+  showErrorStrategy: onblur
 
 #  Fallback language in which the UI will be rendered if the user's browser language is not an active language
 fallbackLanguage: en
diff --git a/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts b/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts
index 7097d63867e..a30be2acf49 100644
--- a/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/submission/form/submission-form.component.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   OnDestroy,
   SimpleChanges,
 } from '@angular/core';
+import { AbstractControl } from '@angular/forms';
 import { AuthService } from '@dspace/core/auth/auth.service';
 import { SubmissionDefinitionsModel } from '@dspace/core/config/models/config-submission-definitions.model';
 import { SubmissionSectionModel } from '@dspace/core/config/models/config-submission-section.model';
@@ -24,6 +25,11 @@ import {
   isNotEmpty,
   isNotUndefined,
 } from '@dspace/shared/utils/empty.util';
+import {
+  DYNAMIC_ERROR_MESSAGES_MATCHER,
+  DynamicFormControlModel,
+  DynamicFormValidationService,
+} from '@ng-dynamic-forms/core';
 import { TranslatePipe } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import isEqual from 'lodash/isEqual';
 import {
@@ -38,6 +44,7 @@ import {
   switchMap,
 } from 'rxjs/operators';
 
+import { environment } from '../../../environments/environment';
 import { ThemedLoadingComponent } from '../../shared/loading/themed-loading.component';
 import { UploaderOptions } from '../../shared/upload/uploader/uploader-options.model';
 import { SubmissionObjectEntry } from '../objects/submission-objects.reducer';
@@ -67,6 +74,18 @@ import { ThemedSubmissionUploadFilesComponent } from './submission-upload-files/
     ThemedSubmissionUploadFilesComponent,
     TranslatePipe,
   ],
+  providers: environment.submission.showErrorStrategy === 'onload' ? [
+    // Always show validation errors, even if input hasn't been
+    // blurred yet
+    DynamicFormValidationService,
+    {
+      provide: DYNAMIC_ERROR_MESSAGES_MATCHER,
+      useValue: (
+        _control: AbstractControl,
+        _model: DynamicFormControlModel,
+        hasFocus: boolean) => !hasFocus,
+    },
+  ] : [],
 })
 export class SubmissionFormComponent implements OnChanges, OnDestroy {
 
diff --git a/src/config/default-app-config.ts b/src/config/default-app-config.ts
index 91adee2e0f5..5229265ad59 100644
--- a/src/config/default-app-config.ts
+++ b/src/config/default-app-config.ts
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ export class DefaultAppConfig implements AppConfig {
         ],
       },
     },
+    showErrorStrategy: 'onblur',
   };
 
   // Fallback language in which the UI will be rendered if the user's browser language is not an active language
diff --git a/src/config/submission-config.interface.ts b/src/config/submission-config.interface.ts
index afc81a39e25..98de8faf063 100644
--- a/src/config/submission-config.interface.ts
+++ b/src/config/submission-config.interface.ts
@@ -31,9 +31,12 @@ export interface ConfidenceIconConfig extends Config {
   icon: string;
 }
 
+type ShowErrorStrategy = 'onload' | 'onblur';
+
 export interface SubmissionConfig extends Config {
   autosave: AutosaveConfig;
   duplicateDetection: DuplicateDetectionConfig;
   typeBind: TypeBindConfig;
   icons: IconsConfig;
+  showErrorStrategy: ShowErrorStrategy;
 }
diff --git a/src/environments/environment.test.ts b/src/environments/environment.test.ts
index bd456f328cd..1e3273de20c 100644
--- a/src/environments/environment.test.ts
+++ b/src/environments/environment.test.ts
@@ -194,6 +194,7 @@ export const environment: BuildConfig = {
         ],
       },
     },
+    showErrorStrategy: 'onblur',
   },
 
   // NOTE: will log all redux actions and transfers in console