diff --git a/apps/challenges/utils.py b/apps/challenges/utils.py
index cfbaaec90b..6c859fb081 100644
--- a/apps/challenges/utils.py
+++ b/apps/challenges/utils.py
@@ -383,6 +383,8 @@ def get_aws_credentials_for_submission(challenge, participant_team):
     repository, created = get_or_create_ecr_repository(
         ecr_repository_name, aws_keys
     )
+    if repository is None:
+        raise ValueError("Failed to create or retrieve ECR repository")
     name = str(uuid.uuid4())[:32]
     docker_repository_uri = repository["repositoryUri"]
     federated_user = create_federated_user(name, ecr_repository_name, aws_keys)