How are ranking points calculated?
Every image that is entered into a contest will earn some leaderboard ranking points, based on how well it does in that contest, and the type and size of the contest.
If the contest has a crowd vote, the image earns points depending on how highly it finishes in the crowd vote.
If the contest has an expert judge, it will also earn points if the judge gives it a Commended, Highly Commended, or a Top 10 placing or (if there's a shortlist) it is shortlisted.
Note that if a contest has both a crowd vote AND an expert judge then the ranking points for both are combined. If a contest only has an expert judge, the ranking points are doubled, so you’re not penalised for entering a contest with no crowd vote.
But... not all contests offer the same ranking points:
- The more images are entered into a contest, the more points that contest is worth (because it's harder to win!)
- And the type of contest also matters. Premium Contests are worth 1.5x more than Community Contests and Photography Awards. And our New Joiners contests for those new to the site are worth double the ranking points, to help welcome people to the site.
An easy equation to use when thinking about how ranking points are calculated is as follows:
Points earned in a contest = (How well the image did in that contest Crowd vote position + expert judge position x what type of contest it is x how many total images were entered into that contest
If you want to see the detail of how your current ranking is calculated, check out the Your Rankings page.
To find out the exact details of how ranking points are calculated, click here.