How judging works

After judging is set up, you can begin the evaluation process. This guide explains how to manage judging rounds, assign projects, and monitor progress.

1. Use judging groups (Optional)

If you have many projects or judges, judging groups help you divide the work efficiently. For example, you can assign all "Mobile App" projects to one group of judges and "Data Science" projects to another.

• In the Judging section, go to Results.
• Click Create judging group, give it a name, and select which judges belong to it.
• After projects are submitted, you can assign specific projects to each group.

2. Configure your round settings

Before starting a round, click Round settings on the Judging page to choose your judging method. These settings apply to all judging groups within the round.

• Scored judging: Judges score each project against your criteria, and scores are aggregated into a final result.
• Ranked judging: Judges rank projects by preference, and higher ranks count more. You'll also set the number of rankings the judges can assign.

Round settings lock when the round starts.

3. Start the judging round

After the submission period is over and your setup is complete, click the Start Judging Round button. This notifies all assigned judges via email that it's time to begin.

If you're using weighted criteria, your weights must total exactly 100% before the round can start.

4. Conduct multi-round judging (Optional)

You can run multiple rounds of judging to narrow down finalists.

• To end the first round, click End judging round.
• You are prompted to Create round 2.
• This allows you to carry forward top-scoring projects for another round of evaluation by a new set of judges.

You can change your judging method between rounds. For example, Round 1 can use scored judging to narrow a large field, and Round 2 can use ranked judging to pick finalists. However, weighted criteria can't be edited between rounds.

5. Monitor progress and results

During the judging period, you can track progress in the Results screen. You can see which judges completed their score sheets and view each project's results.

How results are calculated depends on your judging method:

• Scored judging: Each project's overall score is the average of its criterion scores across judges. If weighted criteria is on, it's the weighted average instead, so higher-weighted criteria have a bigger impact.
• Ranked judging: Each project's result is based on the points earned from judges' rankings. Weighted criteria doesn't affect ranked results in any way — rankings alone determine the outcome.

To get more detailed insights, you can export reports:

• Scores & comments by judge: See individual scores and feedback. (For ranked rounds: Ranks & comments by judge.)
• Scores by project: See a summary of scores for each project. (For ranked rounds: Ranked judging results.)