Award Force supports five distinct judging modes, each of which can be configured for a select group of invited users or for all users with a given role.
- Qualifying – reviewers provide pass/fail decisions
- Top pick – judges rank their preferred entries
- VIP judging – judges score entries using defined criteria
- Voting – users vote for their favourite entries
- Gallery – users view entries without judging
Qualifying
Use case: early-stage screening of entries to confirm eligibility or minimum quality.
This mode is typically used as the first stage of judging to eliminate entries that do not meet basic program requirements. A team of reviewers gives each entry a simple pass/fail mark.
Unlike moderation, qualifying allows multiple evaluators to review entries. The qualifying leaderboard calculates the group’s consensus decision based on the qualifying score set configuration.
Moderation, in contrast, is performed by a single program manager who approves or rejects entries directly.
See: Qualifying configuration.
Top pick
Use case: quick preference ranking or shortlisting.
In Top pick mode, judges choose their favourite entries and rank them in order of preference.
Because each judge selects only a few entries, this mode works best with either:
- A large number of judges, or
- A small number of total entries
Award Force uses the single transferable vote (STV) system to calculate results. STV is a ranked voting method that ensures proportional representation for multi-winner outcomes.
See: Top pick configuration.
VIP judging
Use case: structured scoring with defined evaluation criteria.
In VIP judging, judges assign numerical scores to each entry based on scoring criteria. Criteria can be weighted, and results are calculated as an average score across all judges.
This mode is designed for a relatively small, expert judging panel who can dedicate time to detailed evaluation. Each entry receives equal consideration against consistent criteria.
If your program has a large number of entries, you may wish to limit assignments per judge to ensure fair workload distribution.
See: VIP judging configuration.
Voting
Use case: public or community-based selection.
In Voting mode, participants cast votes for their favourite entries.
You can set rules to limit how votes are distributed. Results are a simple tally of votes per entry.
This mode is ideal for audience engagement, such as People’s Choice or Audience Favourite awards.
Encourage entrants to share their entries on social media to expand your program’s reach and visibility.
See: Voting configuration.
Gallery
Use case: public or internal display of entries without scoring.
The Gallery mode allows users to view entries only — no judging or evaluation takes place.
Galleries can be used by judges or the public (including non-registered users) and are not restricted to a single season. They’re ideal for:
- Showcasing shortlisted or winning entries
- Maintaining an archive of past entries
- Displaying submissions on-screen during in-person judging sessions
See: Gallery configuration.
Good to know
- You can use different judging modes across stages within the same program.
- Qualifying is often used first to filter entries, followed by VIP judging for final evaluation.
- Top pick and Voting work best for engagement or rapid selection.
- Gallery is ideal for public display and ongoing visibility.
- Judges can be assigned to one or multiple judging modes depending on their role.