Getting Started – Round 1
In the Xposure International Photography Contest, the judging process comprises three rounds, with the first round being an elimination round. During this stage, the Jury assesses each entry as a PASS or FAIL to determine the finalists.
To ensure a fair and efficient evaluation, the total number of entries per category is distributed among the jury members. However, each image is viewed by a minimum of 8 jury members to ensure a comprehensive assessment and avoid any biased decisions.
The system is designed to allow the Jury to manage their elimination votes seamlessly, and they can use both desktop and mobile platforms to score the entries. Although the process aims to be quick, the Jury is encouraged to take their time to make the right selection since there are no second chances in the elimination round.
Additionally, each judge has a progress table that displays the number of entries that require scoring. The judges can access the platform at any time during the judging period, and new entries will be automatically added to their remaining images to be scored.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We strongly recommend using the Chrome Browser for the judging process and avoiding Safari due to inbuilt cache features that can cause reloading images especially the last images in each batch.
Despite any reloading of images, decision scores will only be applied once.
START YOUR PROCESS
To initiate the elimination votes in the Xposure International Photography Contest, judges can select a category from the “My Progress” menu. The progress table displays the status of each available category, indicating the number of scored and unscored entries.
Once the judge selects a category with unscored entries, a screen with thumbnails of the images will appear. Judges can click on the first thumbnail to view a lightbox and obtain a better visual impression of the image.
It is important to note that entries containing visible watermarks, photographers’ names, or any other text added after the original capture should be disqualified. This ensures that judging is based solely on the visual content of the image and avoids any bias towards the photographer’s identity or reputation.
COMPLETION DEADLINE – UPDATED
The contest in all categories closes for entries on 30 November 2021 at 23:00 GST.
Before this time it is a good idea to be up-to-date on the Round One scoring so that we can quickly advance to score in Round Two.
Scoring for Round One will close:
7 December 2021
Scoring for Round Two will close:
12 November 2021
IRREGULARITIES
On occasions when the system is busy your Y, N or E entry may not record on the first keystroke. As a failsafe, the system is designed to represent the entry for your judgement and will continue to do so until your decision is saved in the database.
DESKTOP OS
In the Xposure International Photography Contest, judges can use their keyboard to mark each image as PASS or FAIL. They can press the Y key to pass an image, the N key to fail an image, or the E key to mark an image as Exceptional. If a judge wishes to temporarily pass on voting for an image, they can use the right arrow key to skip it. Skipped entries will remain in the progress table and can be judged later.
Judges can use the mouse wheel to scroll through unjudged images in a category. When they come across an image they want to evaluate, they can use the N, Y, or E keys as described above.
To close the lightbox view, judges can click outside the picture area. This process allows for a quick and efficient evaluation of each entry while ensuring accurate and fair judging.
MOBILE OS
When using a mobile device to judge in the Xposure International Photography Contest, judges will see a red stripe on the bottom right side of their screen and a green stripe on the bottom left side of their screen. To mark an image as FAIL, judges can select the Red Stripe, and for PASS, they can select the Green Stripe. If a judge wishes to temporarily pass on voting for an image, they can swipe the image to the right. Skipped entries will remain in the progress table and can be judged later.
Judges can swipe the screen to scroll through unjudged images in a category. Once they reach an image they want to evaluate, they can select the Red, Green, or Purple stripes as described above.
To close the lightbox, judges can swipe the image in an upward direction. This process enables judges to evaluate images efficiently and accurately on their mobile devices while maintaining fairness and consistency in the judging process.
Moderation of entries
We have elected 3 moderators with professional experience as picture editors to participate in the moderation of image entries and eliminate entries that are not in accordance to contest guidelines and rules and are considered lacking in quality. Short film entries are also moderated.
EXCEPTIONAL ENTRIES
In the Xposure International Photography Contest, judges can identify exceptional entries during Round 1 by using the ‘E’ key on their desktop OS or looking for a Purple bar displayed at the top of the screen on their mobile OS. When more than two judges concur on an exceptional entry, a weighting of 1.5 will be applied to each of those judgments, giving the entry a higher score and pushing it up the leaderboard in Round 1. However, judges are encouraged to use this feature sparingly and limit exceptional entries to ten in any one category.
It is important to note that judges must add a comment to any image they mark as exceptional, explaining why they believe the image deserves this distinction. This comment will be taken into consideration by the higher rounds of judging and will also be made available to the entrant. Any exceptional image previously marked by other judges will be displayed with a purple border to help judges identify them.
By requiring judges to explain their reasoning behind marking an image as exceptional, the Xposure International Photography Contest ensures that the judging process remains transparent and fair. It also provides valuable feedback to entrants and helps to promote excellence in photography.
RANDOM SEQUENCING
We have applied random sequence loading of images in categories. Each time a new batch of images is processed for judgements, they will be randomised from the database of images remaining for judgements. To speed up the loading we have reduced the number of images in each batch.
At the end of your decisions made on the current batch, the next batch will be processed for loading. This may take a few seconds.
PREVIEW CATEGORY ENTRIES
In the Xposure International Photography Contest, we have implemented a preview function that allows judges to view entries in a category before making any judgments. In lightbox mode, judges can use their mouse scroll wheel to advance or return through entries, stopping at any point to make a judgment on an image.
This preview feature is also available on mobile OS, where judges can simply swipe the displayed image left or right to preview other entries in the category before making a decision.
By providing judges with the ability to preview entries before making judgments, the Xposure International Photography Contest aims to ensure that all entries receive a fair and thorough evaluation. This feature helps judges to take their time and carefully consider each image before reaching a decision, ultimately resulting in a more accurate and equitable judging process.
Short Film – Round 1
For entries in the Short Film category, please note that films that are shorter than the minimum required length of 3 minutes or longer than 20 minutes should be failed.
Due to the large file size of the entries, they are run from a separate AWS server, which may cause a delay in playback while buffering. Judges can use the Red or Green sidebars on mobile devices or the N or Y keys on a desktop with a keyboard to indicate whether they want to FAIL or PASS the entry.
To advance to the next video, judges can swipe right on a mobile device or use the “Right Arrow” key on a desktop.
We appreciate your attention to detail and adherence to the guidelines in evaluating entries in the Short Film category.
Leaderboard – Round 1
For an entry to proceed to Round 2, it must have a minimum PASS ratio of 60%, which is based on the number of judgments made, not the total number of jury members. The system will generate a leaderboard in the background based on the average PASS/FAIL ratio from the judges who have scored an entry, and the top 50 entries in each category will be listed.
After Round 1, around twenty-five entries from each category will move forward to Round 2.
Getting Started – Round 2
Round 2 scoring will begin at a predetermined time after Round 1 scoring has closed. Once Round 2 scoring is open, entries from Round 1 will no longer be eligible for qualification.
The scoring system is designed for both desktop and mobile platforms, but judges may find that using a desktop is more comfortable when entering numerical values.
The system is optimized for speed, and background saving will occur while you advance to the next image to be scored.
Scoring in Round 2 will be based on three criteria: Image Composition (score 1-8), Technical Quality (score 1-6), and Expression of the Category Theme (score 1-4). If you come across an image with a visible watermark or name tag, you should assign the lowest possible score for each criterion and add a comment to inform other judges.
START YOUR PROCESS
To begin scoring in Round 2, choose a category from the “My Progress” menu, where you can track your progress for each available category. If there are unscored entries in a category, selecting it will display a screen with thumbnails.
Click on the first thumbnail to open a lightbox for a more detailed view of the image. In Round 2, we have included a zoom feature in the image lightbox to enable closer inspection of details.
Additionally, for Round 2, the EXIF information of each image will be displayed to judges.
COMPLETION DEADLINE
The scoring of Round Two requires each Judge to rate the top 25 images in their assigned categories from Round One, so this should be a quick process.
DESKTOP OS
To assign scores to each criterion, you have two options: you can either use your number keypad or place the cursor in the score box and use the mouse scroll wheel to increase or decrease the score to the desired level. If you want to skip an entry, you can use your right arrow key to move to the next image. Skipped entries will still appear in your progress table.
To view an image in greater detail, click on the image to expand it and open the lightbox. To zoom in on the image, double-click on it once it has opened.
To exit the lightbox view, click outside the image area.
MOBILE OS
When using a mobile device, you will find the scoring criteria displayed below the image, and you can input your scores into the appropriate field and save them to advance to the next image in the category to be scored. We have designed the system to work seamlessly on mobile devices, and you can also use the lightbox and zoom feature for a closer view of the images. To close the lightbox, simply swipe the image in an upward direction.
We believe that the mobile interface is user-friendly and intuitive, making the scoring process more convenient and accessible for judges who prefer to use their mobile devices. However, we recommend using a desktop or laptop for scoring Round 2 to take advantage of the additional features and functionality available on these devices.
CHECKING EXIF – Round 2
The EXIF information, such as the Date Image Taken, can provide valuable background information, and comparing it to the entrants’ Image Taken Date claim can help determine the image’s integrity. If an image is missing EXIF, it should raise a red flag and be scrutinized more closely to validate the image’s ownership.
Some images may have Geolocation or GPS coordinates recorded in the EXIF information. To help validate the entrant’s claim about the place taken, we have live-linked any coordinates to Google Maps. Clicking on any red links will open a new window in Maps.
We have deliberately avoided providing certain EXIF information that could easily identify the entrant of the submitted image. If you discover the identity of an entrant, we ask that you abstain from scoring if you know the individual. We recommend that judges use this information responsibly to maintain the integrity of the competition.
COMMENTS
We have included a feature that allows judges to add comments to an image. These comments will be visible to other judges who have not yet scored the image. If a comment has been added to an image, you will see the word “comments” in red text below the image. Clicking on this text will open a popup window where you can read the comments left by other judges.
To add your own comment, simply click on the “Add Comment” link located under all images.
ABSTENTION
To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the contest, we have taken measures to remove any personal information that could identify the entrant of an image. However, if you have a connection with the entry or the entrant, or if you fall under certain criteria that prohibit you from scoring an image, we have included an option for you to formally exclude yourself from scoring. You can use the ABSTAIN button located below the scoring fields to refrain from scoring a particular image.
Leaderboard – Round 2
After all the judges have completed scoring the entries, the total scores achieved in each criterion will be divided by the number of judgements made for the same criterion. This will result in an average jury score for each entry.
The average jury score for each entry will be used to create a leaderboard that lists the top 8 entries with their corresponding average scores for all categories combined.
The entry with the highest overall ranking from all categories will be declared the winner of the competition and will be removed from their respective category.
The remaining top 7 entries in each category will form the leaderboard and receive awards.
In the event that two or more entries have the same ranking in any category, they will move on to the third and final Tie Break round.
Getting Started – Round 3 (TIEBREAKER)
Should a Tie-Breaking round be required only the judges that evaluated more than 90% of their allocated entries, will be invited to participate in the Tiebreaker and instructions will be issued on an individual basis.
JURY SPOKESPERSON
A Spokesperson for the Jury will be assigned to write comments about the winning images. Details from the judges that processed over 90% of the allocated entries in round one will be invited to share notes.
