Judging Interface

AwardKit provides different interfaces depending on the voting method you've configured. Judges and audience voters each get an experience optimized for their role.

Judge experience

When judges click their voting link, they see a dashboard with their progress and the list of entries to review. The dashboard layout adapts to the voting method. There is no login: the link is the judge's access.

Score Criteria

Dashboard

The judge dashboard greets the judge by name ("Welcome back, Maya!") under a "Judging at [program]" line, shows progress stats at the top (Total Entries, In Progress, Completed) and a searchable list of entries below, with an All categories filter. A Judging Guidelines sidebar reminds judges of the scoring process and what good evidence looks like for each criterion.

Each entry row shows the entry name, entrant or team members, and a progress indicator: the criteria scored so far (for example "2/4"), then All criteria reviewed when done, Not started until the first score, or Recused after a conflict declaration. Click any entry to open the scoring interface; previous and next controls at the bottom of an entry move through the queue without a trip back to the dashboard.

Scoring an entry

The scoring page uses a split layout: entry details on the left, scoring controls on the right.

The left side shows the entry's answers in form order under the same section headings the entrant filled in (sections with nothing to show are dropped), any video or attachments, and category badges. Questions scoped to one category carry a badge naming it. The right side shows one card per criterion with:

• Criterion name and description so judges know what to evaluate
• A slider from 0 to the max score (5, 10, or 100, depending on the scale you configured) that judges drag to set their score
• A score display showing the current value
• Weight badge (when criteria have non-uniform weights) so judges understand relative importance

A status line tracks saving: Saving..., Saved, Error saving, and All changes saved at rest. Scores auto-save as judges move sliders, so there's no submit button to forget. A summary card on the left shows the entry's running Score and an All criteria rated badge once every criterion is in. A feedback box ("Share your overall thoughts on this entry...") takes optional written comments.

The criteria a judge sees are the ones for the category they're scoring: a category's own rubric if it has one, otherwise the default rubric.

Multi-category entries

When a work is entered in more than one category, the scoring card is titled Score by Category instead of Rate this Entry ("This entry competes in 3 categories. Score it in each one, switching with the tabs below."). One tab per category, each labeled "Scoring category 1 of 3", and the judge scores the work once per category against that category's rubric. The summary card then shows an Average Score headline with a per-category breakdown, so the judge can see at a glance which categories they've finished and which still need scores. Each category's score is independent and feeds that category's leaderboard on its own.

Top Picks

Dashboard

The Top Picks dashboard replaces score-based progress with pick-based stats: total entries, Picks Used across every category (for example "4/6"), and Complete or In Progress.

Picks are per category. On a program with several categories, a Pick your top 3 in each category card lists every category as an equal-width tile with its progress ("Pick 3", "2 of 3 picked", or "Done" with a check) and a "1 of 4 categories done" line; the judge picks their favorites in the selected category, then moves on. Under it, a Your Top 3 in [category] section (or Your Top 3 Picks on a single-category program) shows the current selections with colored rank badges: gold for 1st, silver for 2nd, bronze for 3rd, and offers Next: [category] once the category is complete. Judges can use the arrow buttons next to each pick to reorder their rankings, or click the rank badge to move a pick to a different position.

Below that, the category's entry list lets judges browse and select their favorites. Click any entry to view its details.

Viewing an entry

Clicking an entry opens a detail sheet that slides in from the right. It shows the entry's answers, video, entrants, and category badges.

At the bottom of the sheet, the button reads Select as Pick #2 (the next free slot) or lets the judge remove the entry from their picks. If all pick slots are full, it reads "All 3 picks used" and the judge needs to remove a pick before selecting a new one.

Common features

Both voting methods share these judge experience features:

• No account needed: Judges access everything through their unique voting link
• Auto-save: Scores and picks save automatically. No submit button required.
• Written feedback: Judges can leave optional written feedback on each entry. Feedback appears in the expanded results view and CSV exports.
• Resume anytime: Judges can close the browser and come back later. Their link stays active until voting closes.
• Search and filter: Judges can search entries by name, description, or team, and filter by category
• Round context: on a multi-round program, a round switcher shows which round is open and keeps closed rounds as read-only history

Blind rounds

In a blind round, the dashboard shows the hint "Blind judging: entrant identities are hidden." Names and team members are gone from the list and the entry page, the search box reads "Search by name or description...", answers you marked Hide from judges are absent, and attachment file names are masked. Scoring works exactly the same.

Test mode

While the program is in Test mode, a Test mode preview. banner sits at the top of every judge page. Scores cast during Test mode never lock your setup and are cleared when you go live.

Declaring a conflict of interest

A judge who has a relationship with an entry can recuse themselves from it. On the entry, they click Declare a conflict of interest, give a short reason (the field suggests "e.g. I work with this entrant, or have a personal relationship"), and confirm. On a phone the form opens as a bottom drawer.

Once recused:

• The judge's view becomes read-only for that entry ("You recused from this entry, so scoring is disabled."), and any score they'd entered is excluded from the results (it's set aside, not deleted, so it returns if they undo the recusal). The confirmation toast says so: "Recused from Brand Identity. Your scores in Brand Identity won't be counted."
• Because judging is per category, a recusal is scoped to the work in that category: a judge conflicted in one category can still score the same work in an unrelated one.
• The recusal is recorded with its reason for your audit trail. Organizers see every recusal in a Conflicts of interest card on the Judging page, with columns Judge, Entry, Category ("Whole entry" when it covers every category), Reason, and Date, and an export to CSV.

The judge can Undo recusal at any time while judging is open, which restores their access and re-includes any score ("Recusal removed. Your scores will be counted again.").

Audience voting

Audience voting lets anyone with a link vote on entries. The round's audience ballot decides what they see: a favorites ballot (pick up to N per category), or the same ballot as your judges. This is separate from judge scoring and ideal for "People's Choice" awards or community engagement.

How it works

1. Flip the Public voting switch in Round Options on the Judging page (set per round on multi-round programs); the tile then shows the Audience ballot, Favorites by default
2. Share the Audience Voting Link or its QR code from the Audience Voting card with your community, social followers, or members
3. Voting opens during the round's judging window ("Voting opens during your judging window."); there is no separate open switch for the audience
4. Voters pick their favorites in each category (or, on a shared rubric, score the same sliders as judges)
5. No account needed for voters

The favorites ballot is the Top Picks dashboard described above, with a Voting Guidelines sidebar in place of the judging one; on a shared rubric the audience gets the Score Criteria pages instead. In a blind round the audience sees "Entries are anonymous: entrant identities are hidden." Audience votes are rate-limited per voter and per network; a voter who hits the limit sees "Audience voting has reached capacity" and can still browse the entries.

Audience stats

The Audience Voting card on the Judging page shows three key metrics:

• Voters: Total number of people who voted
• Total Votes: Total votes cast across all entries
• Completed: How many voters finished their ballot (every category picked, or every entry scored)