Top pick configuration

The Top pick judging mode allow judges to choose and rank their top entry preferences. 

To determine the result, Award Force uses the single transferable vote (STV) method of counting. The STV system is designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting for multi-winner outcomes. The system is used for elections across much of the English-speaking world. For more details, see: How does Top pick (Single Transferable Voting) work?. 

To set up Top pick three things are required to be configured:

• A Top pick score set to record picks
• A judging round to control when judges can make their picks
• Panel(s) to assign who can pick which entries

To configure a Top pick judging round, you can follow the steps below or simply utilise the judging fast start. 

Create a Top pick score set

1. In the Manage workspace, go to Judging > Settings > Score sets
2. Click New score set
3. Provide a score set name and set the judging mode to Top pick
4. Top pick configuration options include:
   • Rules
     Winner calculations can either be by category, or across all categories linked to the score set
   • Quantity of winners
     The STV calculation relies on a target quantity of winners out of the total pool of entries
   • Quantity of preferences to allocate
     The number of picks that each user can make across the pool of entries; e.g. if the quantity of preferences is set to 5, each user can make 5 picks from 1 to 5 (first choice through the fifth choice)
5. Once you have all options configured, click Save

Under the 'Display' tab, you have many other options, such as:

• Category quick filter: to enable judges to filter by a category quickly
• Order entries: choose the order in which you want to display entries for judges
• List length default: choose the number of entries your judges see in their judging list view. This setting makes it easier for judges who have a lot of entries view everything at once. Options include 10, 25, 50, and 100 entries per page. 
• Commenting options: choose if judges can leave a comment on the overall entry or individual scores and if the comments are mandatory. You can also select if judges should be able to see each other's comments.
• Attachment options: choose if attachments should be displayed and/or available for download
• Share scores: control whether you display scores from another score set to judges on this score set. See more about displaying score matrixes to judges.
• Slideshow and Display: choose to create a slideshow for all media in the entry and choose to show/hide entry and entrant name--you can also choose to include scoring boxes on the judge PDF

Set up a judging round

1. In the Manage workspace, navigate to Judging > Settings > Rounds
2. Click Add round
3. Select the Judging round radio button under 'Round type'
4. Set Starts and Ends dates/times
5. Save

For more detailed instructions, see: Round configuration.

Create judging panels

1. From the Manage workspace, go to Judging > Settings > Panels
2. Create a New panel
3. Choose Top pick as the judging mode
4. Select the score set created earlier from the Score set drop-down
5. In the Entries section, check the categories/chapters/tags for entries that can be picked
6. In the Who section select who will be allowed to pick entries
7. In the When section, check the round configured earlier, for when picking entries will be permitted
8. Click Save

Wrapping up

Once all the above is done, and if you’re on a top pick panel, open the Judge workspace and view your assignments on the Judging page.

This view now includes a progress bar which will show judges their progress at a glance. There's also a toggle that toggles between all entries and a judge's own picks. This is particularly useful when judges have hundreds of entries in their view. They can use the toggle to restrict the view to just the entries they've selected.

If your program requires a ranked list of entries following the completion of your Top pick stage, follow the steps outlined in our dedicated guide: How to calculate a ranked list when using Top pick.