Categories and nominations

Categories and nominations are the first two modules in chapter I Entries, alongside Event Setup. A category is one award. A nomination is one entry filed against exactly one category. Everything downstream — judging, the slate, the letters — is built on those two records, so it is worth getting them right before you open a public link.

Before you start

• An event record with a date. See the quickstart.
• Your category names, and for each one: who is eligible, and what judges are being asked to weigh.
• Your closing dates for entries and for judging.

1. Create the categories

I Entries → Award Categories → Add Category. The record holds:

• Category Name and Description — the description is what a nominator reads before deciding whether they qualify, so write it for them rather than for you.
• Category Type and Scoring Method.
• Criteria Name and Weight rows — add one per criterion, for example Innovation 30, Impact 40, Quality 30. This is where weighting is defined; the judging module reads it, it does not set it.
• Max Nominations per Person and Minimum Judges Required.
• Allow Self-Nomination — off by default. Decide this per category, not globally.
• Nomination Deadline and Judging Deadline.
• Category Image and Status.

The list view shows Category Name, Nominations, Judges, Scoring Status and Status, with Edit and Remove per row. That Judges column is the fastest way to find a category nobody has been assigned to.

2. Build the nomination form

I Entries → Nominations → Form Builder. The default fields are Nominee Full Name, Nominee Bio, Award Category, Supporting Evidence, Why They Deserve This Award and Nominator Contact Details. Add your own with + Add Custom Field — each takes a Field Label, Field Type, Placeholder Text, a Required Field toggle and, for dropdowns, its options.

Keep it short. Every additional required field is a place where a nomination is abandoned half-finished.

3. Set up the public portal

The Public Portal tab holds the Portal URL you share, plus Event Logo, Accent Colour, Nomination Deadline and Welcome Message. Preview Live opens the form as a nominator sees it — do that on a phone before you send the link anywhere.

You can also embed the form rather than link to it. Award Categories offers Copy Embed Code in three flavours: iFrame, JavaScript and Raw HTML, with Preview Form, Download HTML and Refresh Preview next to it.

There is no single "open submissions" switch. What controls whether entries are accepted is the Nomination Deadline — on the portal and on each category — together with the category's Status. If you need to close early, change those.

4. Review what comes in

Nomination Inbox lists Nominee Name, Category, Nominator, Date Submitted, Status and Score. Review Queue is where you work through them and set eligibility. Only entries that have cleared review reach the judges, so an empty judging panel is nearly always a full review queue.

You can add entries yourself with + Add Nomination, bring a spreadsheet in with Import CSV, or take everything out again with Export.

Common problems

• An entry is filed under the wrong category. Edit the nomination and change the category. Do it before judging starts — moving a scored entry leaves its scores behind.
• Nominators say the form rejects them. Check Max Nominations per Person and Allow Self-Nomination on that category.
• Entries are still arriving after you meant to close. The category deadline and the portal deadline are separate. Set both.
• The import failed. Every row must name a category that already exists, spelled the same way. Create the categories first.
• Judges see nothing. See Judging workflows — assignment and review status are the two usual causes.