How It Works

Judging & Voting

The World PMV Games uses a unique combination of expert judging and public voting to determine winners. Here's how it all works.

The Hot & Cold System

Our scoring system is designed to reward excellence while also accounting for specific bonuses and penalties. Each entry receives scores across multiple categories, which combine to form an overall "temperature" score.

Hot Points

Hot points are rated on a scale from 0 to 5 and reflect exceptional qualities such as outstanding theme incorporation, creative techniques, or going above and beyond in specific areas. Some years may include the possibility for separate hot bonuses, like managing to incorporate a dual theme.

Cold Points

Cold points are rated on a scale from 0 to 5 and are used as tie breakers when entries have the same score. They are based on how much certain issues impact the video. Because we prefer rewarding excellence over punishing for faults, cold points are weighted lower than hot points.

The specific categoi hot bonuses and cold penalties vary each year and are announced with the competition rules.

Two Phases of Judging

The judging process is split into two distinct phases to ensure every entry gets fair consideration while keeping the workload manageable for our volunteer judges.

1

Preliminary Round

In the preliminary round, each entry is reviewed by a subset of judges. Entries are distributed to ensure every submission gets evaluated by multiple judges. The scores are averaged to create a preliminary ranking.

  • All entries are reviewed
  • Multiple judges per entry
  • Top entries advance to finals
2

Final Round

The top-scoring entries from the preliminary round advance to the final round. In this phase, all judges review all finalists, ensuring the most comprehensive evaluation for determining winners.

  • Top entries from preliminaries
  • All judges review all finalists
  • Public voting opens

Categories, Themes & Awards

Entries are scored across multiple dimensions, each contributing to the final score. Additionally, special awards recognize excellence in specific areas.

Scoring Categories

Each entry is rated on core criteria like beat sync, audio mixing, visual flow, creativity, and the "XXX Factor" - that special quality that makes a PMV memorable. The specific categories and their weights may vary by year.

Annual Theme(s)

Each competition has one or more required themes. Incorporating a theme is essential for the yearly competition. Themes are meant to inspire creativity while ensuring entries align with the competition's focus.

Bonuses & Penalties

Beyond category scores, judges can apply hot (bonus) and/or cold (penalty) points for specific criteria announced each year. These can impact final rankings significantly in some cases.

Special Awards

In addition to the main competition, special awards recognize specific achievements like "Best Newcummer" (for first-time entrants), "Best Technical Prowess", "Most Creative", and more. These are determined by judge consensus.

Public Voting

During the final round, the public can vote for their favorites. Voters submit their top 5, which are averaged together to create a complete ranking. Public votes contribute to the final results alongside judge scores. We offer two voting modes to accommodate different preferences. Voting is done through this website and will open up during the final judging phase.

Simple Voting

Perfect for casual viewers. Watch entries and give each one a simple rating. Quick and easy - just rate what you watch.

  • Rate entries as you watch
  • Quick and easy
  • Drag & drop ordering

Advanced Voting

For dedicated fans who want more granularity, there is the option to use the same judging panel that our judges use. This allows voters to use the official scoring categories.

  • See what our judges see
  • Use official categories
  • Top 5 created automatically

All voters must verify their email to prevent fraud. One vote per person - we use multiple verification methods to ensure fair voting.

Final Results

The final rankings combine judge scores with public votes. While the exact weighting may vary by year, both components play a significant role in determining winners.

Judge Scores
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Public Votes
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Final Ranking

Winners are announced after voting closes, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place honors along with all special awards. All finalists are recognized for their achievement in reaching the final round.