Voting Methods

AwardKit programs are judge-scored by default: a curated panel of judges evaluates every entry, which is what most professional juries want. Configuring judging on the Judging page comes down to one main decision, the voting method (how judges score), with an optional second step to also let the public vote.

The method controls live in the Scoring section. Pick Score Criteria for detailed weighted scoring, or Top Picks for fast pick-and-rank shortlisting. You can switch methods at any point before judges start scoring.

Score Criteria

Judges score each entry against weighted criteria on a numeric scale. This is the default method and the right choice for most professional award programs where you want detailed, defensible scores.

How it works

You define criteria (for example "Impact", "Innovation", "Execution") with weights that total 100%. Judges rate each entry on every criterion using a slider. The final score is the weighted average across all criteria.

Score scale

Choose the range judges use when scoring. The Score Scale control offers three options:

• 0 - 5: Simple, fast scoring. Good for shortlist rounds or non-specialist panels.
• 0 - 10 (default): The right balance of granularity and speed for most professional award programs.
• 0 - 100: Maximum differentiation. Useful when you have a large field and need to separate close entries.

Adding criteria

In the Scoring section on the Judging page, click Add criterion under the Default rubric (or under a category, see Per-category rubrics below).

Each criterion has:

• Name: What's being evaluated (for example "Impact", "Innovation", "Storytelling")
• Description (optional): Guidelines for judges on what to look for. The more specific, the more consistently judges score.

Which rubric a criterion belongs to is determined by where you add it, the default rubric or a specific category, not by a setting inside the dialog.

Weights

When you have two or more criteria, each one gets a weight. Weights must total 100% across all criteria.

You can edit weights directly in the scoring section by typing into the percentage fields next to each criterion. Click Equal to distribute weights evenly, or adjust them manually to prioritize what matters most for your program.

Per-category rubrics

If your program has multiple categories, each category is scored on one rubric. By default that's your default rubric, applied everywhere. Give a category its own rubric when it needs to be judged on different dimensions.

In the Scoring section, the Per category list shows every category. Click Customize on one to give it its own rubric, then add the criteria and weights it should use. A customized category shows a Custom badge with its criterion count; Reset returns it to the default rubric.

A category's own rubric replaces the default for that category, it does not add to it. An entry in a customized category is scored only on that category's criteria; an entry in any other category is scored only on the default rubric. This is what keeps a multi-category work judged independently in each category it entered.

For example, a "Best Sustainability Initiative" category could be scored on "Measurable Environmental Impact" and "Scalability" while the rest of your program runs on Impact / Innovation / Execution. Entries in that category see only its rubric; everything else sees the default.

Tips

• Keep the number of criteria between 3 and 5. More than that and judges either skim or burn out.
• Write clear descriptions so judges evaluate consistently. "Impact" alone is ambiguous; "Measurable results affecting more than 1,000 people" is specific.
• Match weights to your program's priorities. If you announce that "Impact" is what matters most, weight it accordingly.
• Use per-category rubrics sparingly. Most programs run every category on the default rubric; only customize a category that genuinely needs different dimensions.

Top Picks

Judges pick and rank their favorite entries instead of scoring individual criteria. This is a simpler, faster method best for shortlist rounds, smaller programs, or "best of" awards.

How it works

Each judge selects a set number of their favorite entries and ranks them. Final ranking is calculated based on how many judges selected each entry and where they ranked it. No criteria, no weights, just picks.

Configuring Top Picks

The only setting is Picks per judge: how many entries each judge can select (default is 3). Adjust based on your program size. For 30 entries, 5 picks gives judges enough room to differentiate. For a "40 Under 40" with 200 nominations, 10 picks per judge calibrates the long tail well.

When to use Top Picks

• Shortlist rounds where you're narrowing 200 entries down to 40 finalists
• Programs with non-specialist judges who can't reliably score on multiple dimensions
• "People's Choice" or community voting alongside formal Score Criteria judging
• Annual "best of" awards where you want gut-feel evaluation

Letting the public vote

By default only your judges score entries. To run a public people's choice vote alongside them, turn on the public-voting toggle in the Scoring section. It's off by default, because most professional-awards programs run on a juried panel alone.

The toggle is set per round. On a single-round program it reads Also let the public vote; on a multi-round program it reads Let the public vote in [round name], and each round decides independently whether the audience votes. The public voting link always follows whichever round is currently live.

When it's on:

• An Audience Voting card appears on the Judging page next to Judge Voting, with a shareable public link. Anyone with the link can vote, no account required.
• The audience uses the same voting method you configured for judges (Score Criteria sliders or Top Picks pick-and-rank).
• Audience and judge results are tallied separately, so you can compare them on the Results page and publish a "People's Choice" alongside the juried winners.

Turning the toggle off again is non-destructive: audience votes are kept in case you switch it back on.