Online judging software
Run multi-stage jury reviews for awards, competitions and grants. Your judges score entries against your criteria in their own free account, and you see every result ranked in real time.
What is online judging software?
Online judging software gives your judges one place to review, score and comment on entries, instead of spreadsheets, email attachments and shared folders. Dapple is an awards judging platform built for multi-stage jury review: you set the judging criteria, choose who judges what in each round, and watch scores come in live.
Multi-stage jury review
Multi-stage jury review
Most awards and grants don't decide in one sitting. Set up a review round for each stage of your process, from a first sift to a shortlist to a final jury, and give each round its own judges, guidance and scoring.
- A round for every stage: Run an eligibility check, then a longlist, then a final jury, each with its own panel.
- Category panels: Assign different judges to different categories, so each juror only sees the entries they're judging.
- Judges in several panels: One judge can sit on more than one panel or round without extra set-up.
- Move entries on in one click: Send the top-scoring entries to the next stage and the next panel picks them up.
- Due dates: Set a deadline for each round that shows in every judge's dashboard.
Judging criteria and scoring
Judging criteria and scoring
Score every entry against the criteria that matter to your programme, so decisions rest on more than a gut feeling. Choose how each panel scores when you set up the round.
- Rubric scoring: Weight several criteria, like originality and impact, into one clear score out of 100.
- Score scales: Rate entries on any scale you choose, from a quick 1–5 to a detailed 1–100.
- Votes: Record a decision like Yes, Maybe or No, or Shortlist and Reject, with your own options.
- Comments: Judges explain their scores in writing, so the reasoning is still there when the panel meets.
- Judging guidance: Add instructions to each round so every judge applies the criteria the same way.
Fair, blind judging
Fair, blind judging
Judges should assess the work, not the name on it. Hide any field from your panel and let each judge score on their own, so one strong opinion doesn't sway the rest.
- Anonymous judging: Hide names, contact details, institutions or any other field from judges.
- Independent scoring: Each judge scores privately in their own account before you compare results.
- Only assigned entries: Judges never see entries, projects or settings outside their own panel.
- Minimum reviews: Set how many judges must score each entry, so no decision rests on one opinion.
Remote judging
Remote judging your panel will actually enjoy
Your judges are busy and often volunteering their time. Dapple gives each of them a simple, free judging account that works on any device, wherever they are.
- Free judge accounts: Judges don't pay anything and sign in without a password.
- Any device: Judge from a laptop, tablet or phone, at home or on the move.
- Save and come back: Judges can save a review part-way through and pick it up later.
- Submit in one go: Judges send all their completed scores back to you in one click.
- Every file with the entry: Judges see the images, video, audio and documents attached to each entry, with no email attachments or shared folders.
Results, rankings and winners
Results, rankings and winners
Every score, vote and comment lands against the entry in real time, so there's no chasing spreadsheets before the final meeting.
- Live progress: See which judges have finished and which entries still need scores.
- Average scores and vote tallies: Rank entries by average score and filter to your shortlist.
- Side-by-side comments: Compare every judge's reasoning on one screen.
- Export: Download scores and results to CSV for your records or board report.
- Tell entrants: Message winners and unsuccessful entrants in bulk once the decision is made.
Public voting
Add a public vote
Run a people's choice award alongside your jury. Your public voting page can be live in a few minutes, branded to match the forms you already use, and only verified votes count.
- Verified votes: Voters confirm with email, Google or Microsoft, so duplicate votes don't count.
- Bot protection: CAPTCHA, rate limits and IP checks guard against automated voting.
- Live results: Track verified and total votes for every finalist, then export them.
- Live in minutes: Pick the stage your finalists are in and Dapple builds the public page for you, with your existing form branding and its own public link.
Judging in Dapple vs spreadsheets and email
What changes when your judging panel moves out of inboxes and into one platform.
| Judging task | Spreadsheets and email | Dapple |
|---|---|---|
| Getting entries to judges | Shared folders, email attachments and links that expire | Each judge sees only their assigned entries, with every file attached |
| Scoring | Spreadsheets that judges fill in differently | Rubrics, score scales, votes and comments set up per round |
| Blind judging | Someone strips names out of every entry by hand | Hide any field from judges with a setting |
| Multi-stage review | Copying shortlists between spreadsheets | Move top entries to the next round and panel in one click |
| Tracking progress | Chasing judges by email before the deadline | Live progress and due dates in every judge's dashboard |
| Final results | Merging everyone's scores the night before the meeting | Average scores, vote tallies and comments ranked in real time |
Judging software for every kind of programme
Awards and prizes
Category juries, shortlists and winners for awards of every size.
Contests and competitions
Judge thousands of entries across rounds, then announce results.
Grants and funding
Assessment panels that score applications against your funding criteria.
Scholarships and fellowships
Selection committees, interviews and multi-round shortlists.
Open calls and exhibitions
Juried selection for calls for work, shows and commissions.
Residencies
Selection panels for residency and fellowship cohorts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Online judging software is a platform that gives judges a single place to review, score and comment on entries for awards, competitions, grants and other selection processes. It replaces spreadsheets, email attachments and shared folders, and collects every score in real time so organisers can rank entries and pick winners.
You create a review round for each stage of your process, such as an initial sift, a shortlist and a final jury. Each round has its own judges, guidance and scoring method. When a round finishes, you move the top entries to the next stage in one click and the next panel picks them up.
You choose how judges score in each round, and every part of it is customisable. Build your own scoring rubric around your judging criteria, set the scoring scale, ask judges for written comments, and use a simple Yes or No vote or create your own voting options.
Yes. You can hide any field on the entry form from judges, such as names, contact details or institutions, so entries are judged on their merits. Each judge also scores privately in their own account.
No. Judges get their own free account, where they see only the entries assigned to them. They can judge on any device, save a review part-way through and submit all their scores in one click. They have no access to your admin dashboard or settings.
Starter includes up to 5 reviewers or judges, Growth up to 20 and Pro unlimited. A judge can sit on more than one panel or round at the same time.
Yes. Alongside your jury, Dapple Galleries can publish your finalists to a public voting page for a people's choice award. It can be live in a few minutes, branded to match your existing forms, and voters verify with email, Google or Microsoft, so duplicate votes don't count.
No. The same judging tools work for competitions, grants, scholarships, fellowships, residencies, open calls and exhibitions. Any programme that needs a panel to score and shortlist applications can run its review in Dapple.