diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index ce82c3f..331a627 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ RUN adduser --system --uid 1001 nextjs
 
 COPY --from=builder /app/public ./public
 
+# Create the uploads directory and set ownership
+RUN mkdir -p /app/uploads && chown -R nextjs:nodejs /app/uploads
+
 # Automatically leverage output traces to reduce image size
 # https://nextjs.org/docs/advanced-features/output-file-tracing
 COPY --from=builder --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/.next/standalone ./