Feature focus: A faster way to manage judging assignments

Judging rounds rarely stay static. Entries move categories, judges become unavailable or need fewer assignments, conflicts of interest require reassignment and score sets sometimes need a different judging group entirely.

Each of these changes can create gaps, which can be easy to miss until judging is already underway.

Award Force’s new Entry assignments list view gives program managers one place to check assignment progress across current entries, catch gaps early and handle reassignments without digging through entries one by one, saving time and keeping judging on track.

Here are some of the ways this new view can help:

Review entry assignments from one place

The Entry assignments list view shows all current entries, including entries still awaiting assignments.

This gives program managers a complete view of the entries they need to manage, with assigned and unassigned entries visible together from the start.

From one place, teams can see each entry, who submitted it and how the assignment progress is tracking across every score set. Progress follows the same format used in the leaderboard, so it is easy to see how many judges have completed their assignments compared with the total assigned.

Find entries with no judges assigned

One of the most important assignment checks is one of the easiest to miss: finding entries with no judges assigned.

This can happen when entries move between categories, new score sets are added, judging rounds are adjusted or assignments are only partially completed.

Program managers can filter for entries missing assignments in a selected score set, then move straight into assigning judges from the same list.

Before judging begins, teams can check entry assignments early and resolve any gaps while there is still time to act.

Check assignments across different judging stages

Many awards programs use score sets to manage different adjudication stages, from eligibility checks and first-round scoring to finalist review, panel assessment and winner selection.

Each stage can involve different judges, criteria and assignment requirements.

The Entry assignments list view brings those score sets together in one place. Program managers can see which entries have assignments for each score set, where judging has started and where assignments are still missing.

This is especially useful for programs with multiple categories, chapters or rounds of adjudication.

Reassign judges when plans change

Judging assignments often need to change after they have been set.

A judge may withdraw. A conflict of interest may come up. Workloads may need to be rebalanced. A category may need an additional judge with specific expertise.

When this happens, program managers need to know which entries are affected before they can act.

From the Entry assignments list view, they can check assignment progress, spot gaps and assign judges without going through each entry one by one. This helps teams make changes quickly while keeping the judging process on track.

Focus on the entries needing attention

For larger awards programs, assignment checks can take time.

The new view includes filters for chapter, category, entry status, tags, entrant, organisation and score set assignment status. Program managers can narrow the list to the entries they need to review, whether they are checking a specific category before judging opens, reviewing entries for a chapter or finding entries that are missing assignments in a particular score set.

Check judging progress in context

The assignments list does more than surface gaps. It gives program managers a direct path from assignment status to the judging detail behind each entry.

When an entry needs a closer look, teams can review the relevant score set detail, assigned judges, criterion-level scores, recommendations and averages in the entry view.

This helps program managers understand whether judging is complete, partially underway or still missing input — and what action is needed next.

Manage judging with confidence

Judging rounds involve many moving parts. When entries span multiple score sets, categories and judging stages, assignment status needs to be easy to check.

The Entry assignments list view gives program managers one place to monitor progress, catch gaps before they become delays and handle reassignments without working through entries one by one.

With assignment progress visible across current entries, teams spend less time checking and more time judging.

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback as you explore the new dashboard experience.