Voting Systems for Festivals
A guide for organizers who need to make collective decisions in a transparent, scalable, and defensible way.
The typical problem in festivals
Festivals often face unique challenges that make choosing the voting system critical.
Common challenges
- Many works (20–100+)
- Jurors with limited time
- Heterogeneous public
- Need for result legitimacy
Choosing the wrong system leads to
- Arbitrary results
- Jury frustration
- Suspicions of injustice
Voting systems analyzed
Click on each system to see full details, advantages, disadvantages, and ideal use cases.
Approval Voting
Approval Voting
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Score Voting
Score / Range Voting
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Borda Count
Borda Count
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Single Transferable Vote (STV)
Single Transferable Vote (STV)
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Condorcet Methods
Condorcet Methods
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Scale
Intensity
Ease
Quick comparison
| System | Large scale | Intensity | Ease |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approval Voting | ★★★★★ | ||
| Score Voting | ★★★★★ | ||
| Borda Count | ★★★★★ | ||
| Single Transferable Vote (STV) | ★★★★★ | ||
| Condorcet Methods | ★★★★★ |
Practical selection rules
Quick guidelines for choosing the right system according to your specific scenario.
If there are many works, don't ask for long rankings.
Use Approval or Score
If the jury is professional, use Score.
Captures evaluation nuances
If the public participates, use Approval.
Maximize participation
If you need public legitimacy, prioritize simplicity.
Transparency above all
Implement these systems in your festival
OxoAwards supports all these voting systems natively. Configure your ideal evaluation without technical complications.