¶ Purpose
Quick answers to the questions people ask most — before you have to ask in the group chat.
¶ Before You Begin
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Know your role on the contest (judge, producer, contestant, and so on)
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Know whether the contest is active or inactive
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Have this wiki open so you can jump to the longer how-to when a short answer isn't enough
¶ Step-by-Step Instructions
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Skim the section below that matches your problem (login, scoring, applications, or guest list / surveys).
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Try the short fix.
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If you still need clicks-and-screenshots help, open the Related Topics link for that answer.
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Still stuck? Follow Finding help and send a screenshot to the right human.
Producer - My Contests
¶ Login & access
Is Log in only for staff?
No. Anyone with an account uses the same login page: contestants, volunteers, judges, tallymasters, and producers. Public forms and the public contest hub do not need an account.
Can minors use SquirrelScore?
No. SquirrelScore is adults only (18+). That's a Terms rule — Producers must not enroll minors through forms or accounts. When the age check is on, the application also asks visitors to confirm they meet the minimum age before they can use the site. See Age check.
Why can't I see Manage?
Only producers (and co-producers) manage contests. Judges, tallymasters, volunteers, and contestants have different menus. You're not broken — you're correctly limited.
It says my login is disabled.
Login for that account may have been turned off. Ask your producer; refreshing won't help.
I never got a password.
Ask your producer to send a set-password link. Then use Logging in.
How do I become a producer so I can create contests?
On the login page, use Request Producer-Level Access. Your request is reviewed. Contest owners can only add you as a co-producer after you already have producer-level access.
Forgot my password.
Use Forgot your password? from the login page.
MFA codes fail.
Check automatic phone time, wait for a fresh code, or use a recovery code. If you're fully locked out, ask your producer — see Security & MFA.
¶ Contests & navigation
Login works but I see the wrong contest.
Use Selecting a contest. Check the role badge on each card, or ask to be enrolled in the right contest with the right role.
My Contests is empty.
You're not on any contests yet, or you're on the wrong account. Confirm the email/login with your producer. If you do belong to a contest but it has no buttons, scroll down to Inactive Contests.
Why is my contest under Inactive Contests?
You belong to it, but you don't have actions right now (inactive judge/tallymaster/volunteer, or contestant results not released yet). Contact the producer if that looks wrong. Details: Dashboard overview.
Where's the help link?
Left sidebar > Wiki/Support. Details in Finding help.
The Home Screen icon is a letter, not the favicon.
Delete that shortcut and add it again from the live site (Share → Add to Home Screen, or the browser Install menu). On iPhone Chrome or Brave, use Open in Safari on the login popup first. Phones will not use a tiny tab .ico as the app picture. Details: Install the app icon.
A popup asked if I want to add this to my home screen.
That is optional. Install only appears when the browser can add the icon. iPhone Safari shows Share steps instead. iPhone Chrome and similar show Open in Safari. No thanks hides it until next time; Don't remind me stops it on that browser. Details: Install the app icon.
¶ Scoring & results
What's Olympic scoring?
A contest setting that drops the highest and lowest judge totals for each section. With fewer than three Judge-category scores for a contestant in a section, that section totals 0. Your producer enables it in contest settings. You don't turn it on from a judge score form.
What's point-system normalizing?
A contest setting (formerly labeled Averaging) that combines judge scores, then scales a section's total to the section's max points (not max × number of judges). Your producer enables it in contest settings.
A section says Locked.
The tallymaster froze scoring for that section. Judges can view but not edit unless it's unlocked. See Locking sections.
Why are my contestant results blank?
Contestant My Results appear after the producers have completed the necessary steps for them to be released. Ask your producer if nobody has given you a release date.
Can I change a score after I saved?
If the section is unlocked and the contest is active, usually yes — open the contestant again and save. If it's locked, ask the tallymaster.
¶ Guest list, surveys, and announcements
If you are not sure which tool you landed on, this picture helps:
What's a registration email?
The address someone used when they signed up for the event (ticket, weekend pass, guest list). It is not a SquirrelScore login. Producers keep one contest list (and may grant a volunteer access) and can use it for audience scoring, surveys, and contest updates. Details, including how to export from ticketing and upload a CSV: Registration Emails.
How do I get my ticketing guest list into SquirrelScore?
Export attendees from Eventbrite (or whatever you use), open the file in a spreadsheet, save it as a CSV (not an Excel workbook), then Add it on Registration Emails. Extra name/ticket columns are fine.
How do I put the live schedule on my WordPress / Squarespace / Wix site?
That is the SquirrelGenda website embed (an iframe plus a small script). Paste both lines into a Code / Custom HTML / Embed block, not a Text box. Click-by-click for WordPress, Elementor, Bricks, Squarespace, and Wix: SquirrelGenda — Website embed.
How do I create a Telegram bot for schedule notices?
Talk to @BotFather, send /newbot, then add the bot to a channel (as an admin that can post) or a group. Paste the token and chat on that contest’s SquirrelGenda page. Click-by-click: Create a Telegram bot.
How do I send a thank-you or "doors at 7" email?
Producers use Contest Updates — a message you write yourself. That is different from the 24 automatic email templates (approvals, invites, credentials, weeks, Contact Us, vendor).
How do I collect feedback that is not a score?
Producers use Feedback Surveys. Public QR answers stay anonymous; a personal invite email is one completion per person. Surveys do not change Results. If you meant crowd scoring that counts, that is Audience Scoring.
My audience score form says I'm not on the list.
Ask the producer (or a volunteer they granted Registration Emails) to add your registration email. You cannot fix that from the public form.
I forwarded my survey invite and now a friend used it.
That personal link is yours. Ask the producer to send you a new invite if needed, and tell friends to use the public QR if the producer shared one.
¶ Applications & forms
The apply link says unavailable.
You'll typically see Form is not currently enabled. The producer hasn't enabled the form yet — or turned it off. Contestant apply, volunteer apply, Pop Questions, and judge agreement also need the contest to be active. Contact Us and vendor / sponsor inquiry follow their own enable switches; they can stay open when the contest is inactive.
Someone wants to write the contest without applying.
That is Contact Us, not contestant apply. No account is created.
Someone wants to vend or sponsor.
Use Vendor / sponsor inquiries. After you approve them, send an upload link from contest media if you need files.
Where do I turn on Home Screen / browser alerts?
On My Contests, open Notifications on that contest’s card. Producers also have a Notifications card on Manage. Details: Notifications and Push notifications.
It asks for a passphrase.
That's intentional. Use the passphrase your producer shared (often in the same message as the link).
I applied - now what?
Wait for review. If approved, watch email for login / set-password instructions. You can later open My Application for a read-only copy of what you submitted when you have an account.
Judge invite link doesn't let me change email.
Correct — the invite is tied to the invitation. Use the email the producer invited.
The producer asked me to send photos or a video.
That is a media upload link, not the vendor inquiry form and not a profile picture. You can send up to 5 files each time you open it.
¶ Tips
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Make sure emails from SquirrelScore (
[email protected]) aren't blocked — that's where system mail comes from. -
Active vs inactive and locked vs unlocked answer half of all mysterious issues.
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Screenshot errors before they vanish and make sure to provide it with any support requests.
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When two people disagree about what the site "should" show, compare roles first.
¶ Common Mistakes
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Treating FAQ one-liners as a substitute for the full how-to when you're doing a multi-step task
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Asking everyone in the crew for a site-level fix instead of your producer
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Assuming blank results mean scores were deleted (usually they're just not released yet)
¶ Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there an FAQ section inside the FAQ page?
Every wiki page in this set uses the same structure. The answers that belong here live in the sections above.
What if my question isn't here?
Open Finding help, then the guide for your role. Still stuck? Ask your producer for contest or login questions, and the tallymaster for live scoring traffic control. Project-level contact options are on Home.
What does SquirrelScore cost?
Core contest functions stay free no matter what. Optional paid tiers for advanced extras may come later; if that happens, beta users will be grandfathered with a healthy feature set. Details: Home — What does it cost?. Optional ways to say thank-you: Support SquirrelScore.
Why is it still in beta?
Labor of love, ongoing polish. See Home and the Implementation backlog.