JUDGELAYER: Building a Hackathon Judging Platform You Can Actually Trust

JUDGELAYER aims to create a hackathon judging platform focused on trust. The project tackles concerns around judging transparency, security, and user roles. The core idea is to enforce strict access controls for each role: visitor, participant, judge, and organizer.

Each user type has its own dashboard, with the backend enforcing their specific access permissions. The UI clearly communicates these permissions. For example, judges can only view their assigned projects, not other participants' scores. The platform also includes a submission health check feature to ensure all required information is provided before submission.

A key aspect of JUDGELAYER is the "trust layer," which provides users with a clear understanding of the current security state. Judges can see which projects they have been assigned and that their peer scores are hidden. Participants have a simple workspace to manage their submissions, with a health check system to verify all necessary fields are complete. Judges receive a controlled queue of their assigned projects and can review evidence, add notes, and submit their evaluations.

The backend enforces strict access controls, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information. For instance, Judge A can't retrieve Judge B's private score, even if they have both reviewed the same project. Organizers have a comprehensive dashboard showing submission tracking, judge management, project assignments, review progress, and results audit information. The platform also includes an audit trail to provide a detailed timeline of all actions taken during the event.