CSV Import
Bulk import judges on AwardKit from a CSV file. Map columns, preview rows, and add up to 1,000 judges at once with automatic deduplication and auto-assignment.
CSV import is the fastest way to bring a judging panel in from a spreadsheet, an old form provider, or another platform. Click Import in the Judge Voting card header (next to Add Judge) to open the import wizard.
When to use it
- Bringing in a sponsor's judging panel from a shared spreadsheet
- Carrying last year's panel forward when you spin up next year's program (or duplicate it and skip the import entirely)
- Adding a partner organization's full slate of judges in one batch
- Loading a list compiled outside AwardKit (Notion, Airtable, an email thread)
For a single judge, use Add Judge instead. CSV import is optimized for batches.
Download a sample CSV
The upload step has a Sample CSV button (next to the dropzone). Clicking it downloads a awardkit-sample-judges.csv file with the two columns the importer expects (Name, Email) and three example rows, the third of which leaves email blank to demonstrate that email is optional.
Use it when you're not sure how to name your columns or just want a clean starting point you can paste your judge list into.
CSV requirements
The importer accepts standard CSV files (comma-separated, UTF-8). Up to 1,000 rows per import.
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Up to 255 characters |
| No | Must be a valid email if present | |
| Other columns | No | Ignored |
Header names are matched flexibly: anything close to "name" or "email" maps to the right column. Other columns are ignored.
Email is optional for judges. Judges without an email can still vote, they just won't get an email invitation, you'll need to share their voting link manually using the Copy links action on the Judging page. See Adding Judges.
The import wizard
The wizard steps through four stages:
Upload
Drag a CSV file onto the dropzone or click to browse. Nothing is imported until you confirm.
Preview
The preview shows the first five rows with the column mapping AwardKit inferred from your headers. You can:
- Reassign any column to Name or Email
- Toggle other columns off, they're ignored anyway
- See per-row validation errors before continuing (missing name, invalid email)
The summary line tells you how many rows are valid and how many have issues. Only valid rows continue to the import step.
Import
AwardKit imports the valid rows. The dialog stays open until it finishes.
Results
The results step summarizes what happened: imported, skipped duplicates, errors. Click Done to close, or Back to upload a corrected file.
Duplicate handling
Two duplicate checks run, but only against rows that have an email:
- Already in the system: a judge with the same email already exists on this program. The row is skipped and counted as "duplicate of an existing judge" in the results.
- Duplicated within your CSV: the same email appears twice in the same file. Only the first row imports; later rows are counted as "duplicate within file" so you can spot the issue in your spreadsheet.
Rows without an email are never deduped: this matches the Add Judge behavior, where multiple judges named "John Smith" are allowed when you don't have email addresses for them.
There is no cap on the number of judges per program. Building is free and unlimited, so the only limit is the 1,000 rows per file; run the importer again for a larger panel.
What happens after import
When the import finishes, AwardKit:
- Gives each new judge their own voting link
- Triggers auto-assign for each new judge so they get the same entry distribution as your existing panel
- Updates the Judging page so the new judges and their progress cards appear right away
After importing, share voting links using Invite all on the Judging page to email every judge their unique link, or Copy links to collect them all at once for a Slack message or shared spreadsheet.
Errors
Errors are listed in the results step with the original spreadsheet row number, so the row label matches what you see in Excel or Google Sheets (header is row 1, the first data row is row 2). Common causes:
- Missing name: the Name column is required on every row
- Invalid email: the Email column has a value that isn't a valid email
Fix the rows that failed and import just those rows. Judges with an email who were already imported are skipped; judges without one are added again.
Tips
- Start from the sample CSV if you've never used the importer before. The Sample CSV button on the upload step gives you a file with the right column names already filled in.
- Try a small file first. Run 3-5 rows through the wizard to confirm your column mappings before uploading the full batch.
- Use one judge per row. Multi-email or comma-separated emails in a single cell aren't supported, split them into separate rows first.
- Plan for at least 3 judges per entry to reduce individual bias, see Adding Judges.
Adding Judges
Add judges to your award program on AwardKit, share unique voting links, send email invitations, and track each judge's progress. No account needed for judges.
Judge Assignment
Control how judges are assigned to entries on AwardKit. Every judge reviews everything, assign per judge with auto-distribution, or organize parallel judging rooms, set per round.