How to Create a Contest

Creating a contest on Reveal The Winner is quick and easy. Follow these steps to get started.

If you don't have an account yet, sign up for free. If you already have an account, log in to your account.

Step 2: Navigate to Dashboard and Choose Contest Type

Once logged in, you'll be taken to your dashboard. Click the "Create New Contest" button. You'll be asked to choose between two contest types:

Judged Voting: Judges score entries across multiple categories (like Taste, Presentation, Creativity). Perfect for bake-offs, chili cookoffs, and competitions where detailed scoring matters.
Simple Voting: Voters pick a winner for each position (like President, Vice President, or Best in Show). Perfect for elections, board voting, and contests where you just need to pick winners.

Step 3: Fill Out Contest Details

Enter the following information:

Contest Name: Give your contest a memorable name (e.g., "Family Bake-Off 2026")
Contest Type / Apply Template: Choose a template that matches your contest type (Bake-Off, Chili Cookoff, BBQ Competition, Cocktail Contest, Board Voting, Student Council, etc.) or select Custom
Date: Select the date of your contest
Description: Add an optional description

Note: For judged voting contests, templates include pre-configured categories. For simple voting contests, templates include pre-configured positions.

Step 4: Configure Scoring

Scoring Mode: Choose between "Invited Judges/Voters" or "Open Voting"
Blind Judging: Enable if you want to hide entry owner names during scoring (judged voting only)
Public Submissions: Allow public submissions if using open voting mode

Step 5: Add Categories or Positions

After creating your contest, add scoring elements based on your contest type:

For Judged Voting:
- Add scoring categories:
- Category Name: e.g., "Taste", "Presentation", "Creativity"
- Weight: How important this category is (0.0 to 1.0)
- Max Score: Maximum points for this category (e.g., 10)

For Simple Voting:
- Add positions (like "President", "Vice President", "Best in Show"):
- Position Name: e.g., "President", "Best Photo", "First Place"
- Description: Optional description of what this position represents

Step 6: Add Entries

Add entries to your contest:

Entry Name: Name of the entry (e.g., "Chocolate Chip Cookies")
Note: For simple voting contests, entry names are optional
Owner Name: Who created this entry
Note: For simple voting contests, owner names are optional and won't be displayed on results
Description: Optional description about the entry
Photo: Upload an optional photo for the entry (perfect for photo contests, art shows, and visual competitions)
Note: Photos are automatically deleted 90 days after the contest is archived
Positions (Simple Voting only): Assign this entry to one or more positions
Optional: Create judges/voters when creating your entry. Linking them keeps the judge/voter from voting for their own entry

Step 7: Add Judges or Voters

Invite judges (for judged voting) or voters (for simple voting) to participate in your contest:

Judge/Voter Name: Name of the judge or voter
Email: Optional email for sending invitations (you'll send invitations manually)
Link to Entry: If the judge/voter also has an entry, link them to prevent self-voting

Once your contest is set up:

Share the Contest Code with judges or voters
Or share the QR Code for easy mobile access
Judges/voters can scan the QR code or enter the code to start scoring or voting

Step 9: Start Voting

It's voting day and time to vote:

Visit the contest dashboard
Change the status from Draft to Open
The contest is now open for submissions

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