Same footage.
Different eyes.
How judging works
ColoristArena exists so colourists can grow through honest feedback on their work. Everyone grades the same clip, so the only thing being compared is the grade. Judging is built to reward the grade, not the follower count, and every score comes with feedback the artist can learn from.
01At a glance
- GradeDownload the source clip, grade it and upload your render while submissions are open.
- Scoring opensWhen submissions close, scoring opens. Entries are shown by number only; nobody knows whose grade is whose.
- ScorecardsFellow artists and members of the community fill in a scorecard for each grade: three scores and one line of feedback.
- TotalsThe peer jury and the public jury are averaged separately, then combined: 70% peers, 30% public.
- RevealWhen scoring closes, names, scores and the ranking are revealed, and every artist reads the cards on their grade.
02Who scores
Peer jury
Artists who entered this contest. They graded the same footage, so they know exactly what each grade had to solve.
- You can't score your own grade.
- Please score every other entry; complete scoring makes the result fairer.
Public jury
Members who didn't enter this contest and who scored at least 3 entries in it. Joining the jury means giving feedback first.
- Your first two cards already reach the artists as feedback.
- From your third card on, all your cards count.
Feedback only
Cards from members who scored fewer than 3 entries. The artist still reads them; they just don't change the ranking.
To score at all you need to be signed in, have a username, and have created your account before scoring opened. Accounts created during scoring can watch, compare and leave frame notes, and can score in the next contest.
03The scorecard
Each card scores one grade on three criteria, each from 1 to 10, and carries one line of feedback (10 to 400 characters). The card's score is the average of the three.
A shared sense of the scale keeps scores comparable:
Write the line you'd want to read about your own grade: what works, and the one thing you'd change. Be specific (“skin drifts magenta in the close-up”), be kind, and talk about the grade, never the person.
04How the winner is decided
- Card score. Average of the three criteria on one card. Example: 8, 7 and 9 → 8.00.
- Peer score. Average of all peer cards on the grade. If a grade has 5 or more peer cards, its highest and lowest card are dropped first, so a single unusually high or low card can't swing the result.
- Public score. The same calculation, using public jury cards.
- Public share. The public jury counts for 30% once it has at least 5 members. With fewer members the share is smaller, so a handful of people can't carry 30% of the result:
Public jurors 1 2 3 4 5 or more Public share 6% 12% 18% 24% 30% - Total.
Total = 70% × peer score + 30% × public score(with a smaller public jury, the two percentages shift as in the table above; they always add up to 100%)If a grade has no public cards, its total is its peer score; if it has no peer cards, its total is its public score.
- Winner. The highest total wins. If two totals are equal, the higher peer score wins. If that's equal too, the win is shared.
- People's Choice. A separate award for the highest public score among grades with at least 3 public cards. It can go to the winner or to someone else.
The default split is 70 / 30. If a contest uses a different public share, it's stated on that contest's page before scoring opens.
05Example
Five artists entered, and eight members joined the public jury, so the public counts for the full 30%. Each grade received four peer cards: fewer than five, so nothing is dropped.
| Entry | Peer cards | Peer score | Public score | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #02 | 7.00 · 8.00 · 6.67 · 7.33 | 7.25 | 8.40 | 0.7 × 7.25 + 0.3 × 8.40 | 7.60 |
| #04 | 8.67 · 8.00 · 7.33 · 8.00 | 8.00 | 7.00 | 0.7 × 8.00 + 0.3 × 7.00 | 7.70 |
The public preferred #02, but the peer jury clearly placed #04 ahead, so #04 wins. #02 has the best public score, so it takes People's Choice. Had the peers scored #04 at 7.60 instead of 8.00, its total would be 7.42 and #02 would win: the public decides close races, but can't overturn a clear peer verdict.
Try it
07Fair play
- One person, one account. Scoring with more than one account voids all of that person's cards and may disqualify their entry.
- Keep your entry anonymous until the results. Don't share which number is yours, and don't ask anyone to score you up or someone else down.
- Score the grade, not the person. Don't score tactically against rivals; peer cards are trimmed and reviewed, and patterns are easy to spot.
- Feedback has to be real. Empty or copy-pasted comments, or abusive ones, can be removed, and their cards stop counting.
- Admins review every card. They can see each card's author and account age, and can void cards or disqualify entries that break these rules. Totals update automatically when a card is voided.
08Single-vote contests
Some contests run on a single vote instead of scorecards. The contest page always says which: a scorecard contest has a Judge section, a single-vote contest a Vote section.
- One vote per account. Pick the grade you think is best. You can't vote for your own.
- You can change your mind. Switch your vote while voting is open; your last vote counts.
- Only accounts created before voting opens can vote in that contest.
- Everything stays anonymous until the end. Vote counts and artist names are revealed when voting closes.
- Most votes wins. If two or more grades tie for the most votes, they share the win.
The fair-play rules above apply in the same way: one person, one account, and no asking for votes.
09Questions
Why do the public count for less than the artists?
The site is about getting better at grading, and the people who graded the same footage are the best placed to judge it. The public still decide close races, and they have their own award, People's Choice.
Why do I have to score 3 entries to join the public jury?
Because judging here means giving feedback. Three cards show you looked at more than one grade, and your first two cards still reach the artists even before you join.
Why are the highest and lowest cards dropped?
So a single unusually generous or harsh card can't decide the result. It only happens when a grade has at least 5 cards from that jury, so small contests aren't left with too few scores.
Why can't I score? I'm signed in.
Check three things: you have a username (Profile), the entry isn't yours, and your account was created before scoring opened. Accounts created during scoring can score from the next contest on.
Can I change my scores?
Yes. You can edit or remove your cards at any time until scoring closes. Only your latest card on each grade counts.
Who reads my comments?
The artist whose grade you scored, after scoring closes, without your name. Admins can see who wrote each card so they can stop abuse.
Is every contest judged with scorecards?
Most are. Older contests, and any contest the organisers set up that way, use a single vote per account instead; see Single-vote contests. The contest page always shows which system applies.