This is the friendly "highlights reel" of SquirrelScore features and around when they were introduced for beta use.
SquirrelScore has had two big lives so far: a WordPress-based first chapter that proved contests could live online without a binder full of mystery spreadsheets (and headaches), and a dedicated second-version application built to grow with real contest weekends. The new app didn't stay theoretical for long - by mid-May 2026 it was already the scoring system used for a live contest. Everything after that is the fun part - new tools landing as producers, judges, and tallymasters asked for them.
Dates are when the feature landed for real use (approximate if a few related updates shipped close together).
Small polish, behind-the-scenes maintenance, and routine fixes are usually folded into a nearby feature instead of getting their own row.
| Feature / function | What it does | When |
|---|---|---|
| SquirrelScore 1.0 - WordPress era | The original public release - contest scoring that lived as a WordPress-based experience. It was the "wait, we can do this online?" moment: applications, scores, and results without chasing down dozens of sheets and trying to read someone's chicken scratch (I have horrible handwriting, apologies to anyone that's had to decipher it while under pressure). Regular updates kept that first version humming through contest after contest until the dedicated second version was ready. | 18 January 2025 |
| SquirrelScore 2.0 - dedicated application | The big leap: SquirrelScore leaves the WordPress world and moves into its own dedicated, containerized application built with modern languages and tooling. Same mission - run contests without chaos - but with a home designed for multi-role crews, steadier growth, and the feature wave that followed. Think of it as trading a clever apartment share for a venue built for your production. | 2 March 2026 |
| Look & feel + password change | Cleaner styling, your own password change on My Account, and a proper logo on the login page. | 3 May 2026 |
| Contest sidebar navigation | Jump between contest pages from the left sidebar once you're inside a contest. | 3 May 2026 |
| Contest management overhaul | Richer Manage tools: rename, clone, Olympic scoring, averaging, subsection editing, and related producer controls. | 5 May 2026 |
| Scoring screen polish | Clearer contestant picking, tighter score entry (including whole-number scores), and more dependable lock behavior for tallymasters. | 5-6 May 2026 |
| Olympic & averaging at contest level | Scoring modes live on the contest settings where producers expect them. | 6 May 2026 |
| Sub-contest results groups | Results can rank each sub-contest / division on its own instead of one giant mixed list. | 9 May 2026 |
| Photo crop for profiles | Square crop-and-confirm when uploading profile / application photos so the user avatar looks like it should. | 9 May 2026 |
| Time penalties that stick | Section time-penalty settings save and show up correctly when scoring and totaling. | 10-11 May 2026 |
| Minimum placing % | Contests can require a minimum overall percentage before someone places. | 12 May 2026 |
| Olympic scoring refinements | Fairer "drop highs/lows" style scoring behavior when Olympic mode is on. | 12 May 2026 |
| Producer score adjustments | Optional whole-number adjustments to a contestant's overall total when contest settings allow it. | 12 May 2026 |
| Contest logos | Upload a contest logo so the generated materials are branded for your contest. | 12 May 2026 |
| Live tallymaster progress cues | Fresher status while judging is underway, plus clearer role navigation. | 12 May 2026 |
| Exports: PDFs, CSV & Producer Notes | Download branded results/feedback PDFs, raw CSV data, choose how judge names appear, and read producer-facing notes from scoring. | 13-14 May 2026 |
| Emcee Reveal | Stage-friendly placement reveal for producers and tallymasters once scored sections are locked. | 14 May 2026 |
| Scoring Details (read-only) | Everyone who needs the rubric can open a clear, read-only scoring structure page. | 14 May 2026 |
| Contest Details pages | Publish schedule/venue/rules-style info sections that contest people can read in-app. | 14 May 2026 |
| Contestant applications | Public apply links, producer review queues, and the start of the modern applications workflow. | 15 May 2026 |
| First real-world show (Gainesville, FL) | The new dedicated application's debut under stage lights: data entry, calculations, and reporting for an actual contest in Gainesville, Florida. No "demo mode," no safety spreadsheet hiding under the table - just SquirrelScore running the numbers while the weekend happened in real time. It was a resounding success, the kind that let some folks finally exhale and say, "okay - this platform WORKS." | 16 May 2026 |
| Application form extras | Date-style custom fields, producer edits to submitted apps, calmer empty/unavailable pages, and a more consistent look. | 16 May 2026 |
| Unsaved score warning | Judges and tallymasters get a "hold up, you have unsaved changes" nudge before wandering off mid-score. | 23 May 2026 |
| Simpler sidebar chrome | Cleaner sidebar buttons/links (less visual noise, same destinations). | 1 July 2026 |
| Applications cleanup | Tidier application flows after real-world use - same job, fewer rough edges. | 5 July 2026 |
| Approve > enroll / create contestant | Approving an application can enroll or create the contestant account the way producers expect. | 22-23 July 2026 |
| Flat time penalty option | Sections can use a simple one-time time penalty mode instead of only interval-style penalties. | 24 July 2026 |
| Easier photo uploads | Auto-friendly cropping and clearer "photo optional" labeling on forms. | 24 July 2026 |
| Application email notices | Optional emails when applications need attention (when email delivery is set up for the site). | 24 July 2026 |
| Human checks on public forms | Extra "are you a human?" checks on login and public apply/passphrase flows when enabled. | 24 July 2026 |
| Contestant home: application, details & results | Contestants can open their own application, contest info, scoring details, and results (when released by producers). | 24 July 2026 |
| Optional apply passphrase | Producers can lock public application forms behind a shared passphrase. | 24 July 2026 |
| Change approve / reject later | Producers can revisit an application decision instead of living with unchangeable first responses. | 24 July 2026 |
| Custom contest email templates | Per-contest wording for the usual notices (approvals, credentials, judge-related mail, and friends). | 24 July 2026 |
| Easier account setup links | Safer "set your password" style links for new or invited accounts (no password treasure hunts in email). | 24-26 July 2026 |
| Contest Overview dashboard | A producer "how's the show going?" board for scoring progress, standings peek, and application queues. | 24-25 July 2026 |
| Forgot password | Reset your password from the login page when your brain files the old one under "definitely remember (not)." | 25 July 2026 |
| Co-producers, volunteers & multi-role people | Share contest management, run volunteer positions/applications, switch contests/roles cleanly, and support people who wear multiple hats. | 25 July 2026 |
| Account cleanup tools (admin) | Admins get better tools for spotting duplicate accounts and combining them carefully when two logins are really one human. | 25 July 2026 |
| Edit your name & email | Update profile name/email from My Account (with the usual "that email's taken" guardrails). | 25 July 2026 |
| Optional MFA for everyone | Authenticator-app MFA and recovery codes from My Account - recommended, not just for admins. | 25 July 2026 |
| Clearer login & closed-form messages | Better guidance when accounts can't sign in yet, login is turned off, or a public form isn't enabled. | 25 July 2026 |
| Judge invitations & agreements | Invite judges with a private link, collect their agreement answers, then approve/reject before they join the roster. | 25 July 2026 |
| Tiebreak helpers | Extra producer/tally tools for sorting out sticky predicaments when scores are tied. | 25 July 2026 |
| Role menus & Overview home base | Cleaner per-role navigation with Contest Overview as the producer's pulse-check home. | 25 July 2026 |
| Chaos Ops checklists | Optional contest checklist / prep tracking (tasks, stages, due dates, and "My preparation" for participants). | 25-26 July 2026 |
| My Results release gate | Contestant results (and related PDFs) wait until the scored sections are locked and contest is marked by the producer as inactive. | 26 July 2026 |
| Pop Questions | Audience question form with producer review approval that feeds a random selection page for stage use. | 26 July 2026 |
| End-user wiki & help site | This documentation set - how-tos for producers, judges, tallymasters, volunteers, contestants, admins, and public forms. | 26 July 2026 |
| Terms & site coverage updates | Combined Terms / Privacy published for the marketing site, wiki, and application, with clearer "what's covered" language. | 26 July 2026 |
| Automatic Tiebreak (opt-in) | Optional Contest Settings checkbox: when ties happen under Olympic/averaging, only the tied contestants are re-ranked in place (Olympic off, then averaging off if needed), with clear labels on Results, PDFs, and Emcee Reveal. Still stuck? Use Score Adjustments. | 26 July 2026 |
| Designing your contest guide | New producer wiki guide for planning sections, weights, penalties, Olympic/averaging, and tiebreak philosophy before you click through the score sheet. | 26 July 2026 |
| Wiki Home & Support pages | Public wiki Home (story, beta, role quick links, contact), optional Support SquirrelScore thank-yous, and an Implementation backlog pointer. | 26 July 2026 |
| Producer-level access requests | Login CTA + public request form; admins approve/reject; set-password magic link when approval creates a new account; Terms disclaimer on login and public forms. | 27 July 2026 |
| Site Emails + staff form notify | Admin-editable site-wide email templates (producer access, co-producer added, ownership transfer, contest form staff notify). Owner/co-producers emailed when public contest forms are submitted. | 27 July 2026 |
| Co-producer by email only | Contest owners add existing producer-level accounts by email (no new producer create from that form). | 27 July 2026 |
| More reliable set-password links | Shorter one-time password links that survive email wrapping better; newest link wins; clearer guidance when a link says expired. | 29 July 2026 |
| Overview scoring progress by points | Contest Overview completion estimate uses locked section max points vs contest max points (not equal weight per section). | 29 July 2026 |
| Contestant Applications page titles | Producer contestant form settings and review queue titles say Contestant Applications / Contestant Application Form (less easy to confuse with volunteers). | 29 July 2026 |
| Producer Markdown + form reorder | Producers can format descriptions with Markdown (headings as bold/underline at body size; lists, links). ↑/↓ reorders form questions and scoring sections/subsections. Chaos Ops Markdown visible to assignees; mobile UI spacing fixed; safer link policy; description length caps; concurrent reorder locking. | 10 August 2026 |
| Additional Logging/Audit info | Public/form submissions store additional unique visitor data, visible to producers. Section pages show last judge's score update. | 10 August 2026 |
| Go Do the Things | Participant Chaos Ops checklist renamed from My preparation; incomplete items note to contact the producer. | 10 August 2026 |
| SquirrelGenda + Contest Details reorder | Contest schedule with timezone-aware now/next, change notices, random-token public page and iframe embed. Contest Details sections/items get ↑/↓ display order like scoring and forms. Clone copies Contest Details and SquirrelGenda items. | 10 August 2026 |
| Pop Question stage draw | Random Selection UI updated to a more mobile-friendly, Emcee Reveal-like style. Much easier to use on stage. | 10 August 2026 |
| Pop Questions fixed form | Public form is question (required) + name (optional) only. Producers enable/passphrase the form but do not edit custom fields. Optional name on submission is for producer review; draw shows question only. | 10 August 2026 |
| Edit submitted Pop Questions | Producers can edit question text after submission (spelling/clarity) without changing approve/reject status by itself. | 10 August 2026 |
| Required custom form fields | Producers can mark custom fields required on contestant, volunteer, and judge agreement forms (optional toggle on edit). Public forms show * and block empty required answers. | 10 August 2026 |
| Judge invite regenerate / resend | From Invitations or agreement review, regenerate the private link and resend email. Completing a resent invite overwrites the prior agreement for that invite (approved judges are unenrolled until they finish again). | 10 August 2026 |
| Show-weekend capacity defaults | Public form rate limits and other security items like anti-abuse refined to shore up security while not false-flagging for legitimate surge of contest traffic. | 10 August 2026 |
| Audience Scoring | New "Scored by Audience" section mode (instead of judges/tallymaster): unique public link + QR per contestant, one submission per required email, per-subsection feedback, and producer/tallymaster controls (enable, open/close/re-open, passphrase, rotate, audit/exclude). Contestant PDF formatting updated. | 10 August 2026 |
| QR codes for producer signage | Producer (and tallymaster, where relevant) manage pages offer Copy link + Download QR for public forms, Audience Score links, SquirrelGenda, and open judge invitations — for materials and signage. | 10 August 2026 |
| SquirrelGenda theme colors | Producers set hex colors (background, text, borders, accent, notices) with native color pickers and a live mini-preview for the embed option. Colors clone with the contest; the public link page uses site defaults. | 23 August 2026 |
| SquirrelGenda time format, day headers | Producers choose 24-hour or AM/PM for schedule times. Public/embed boards show day headers (Monday - August 10, 2026) and use the same page-header + card layout as other public forms. Custom colors apply only to the embed; the public link uses site defaults. Embed header is the bold contest name (no “SquirrelGenda” title). |
10 August 2026 |
| AJAX list reorder | Producer ↑/↓ reorder (scoring sections/subsections, Contest Details, application/volunteer/judge form fields, volunteer positions, Chaos Ops tasks) saves without a full page reload; errors show only when the save fails. | 23 August 2026 |
| Backup & restore (CSV) | Manage > Backup & Restore: export/import spreadsheet-friendly CSV "packages" for scoring structure, contest details, application/agreement/volunteer forms, Pop Questions, judge invitations, Chaos Ops tasks, SquirrelGenda (timezone + time format + embed theme + items), and email templates. Export-only packs for results snapshots and feedback. Audience Score Audit import (if, for example, the data was collected elsewhere) works only before a link closes; export only after. Things like passphrase hashes, tokens, and passwords are of course never included. | 10 August 2026 |
| Automatic Tiebreak: Alternate Judge step | When Automatic Tiebreak is on and tied contestants survive the Olympic-off and averaging-off peels, SquirrelScore compares them once more using Judge + Alternate Judge scores together (no Olympic, no averaging) before falling back to Score Adjustments. Results/PDF/Emcee label this step when it decides a place. | 10 August 2026 |
| Audience Score exclude reasons | Producers/tallymasters can add an optional reason when excluding an audience submission; it shows on the audit table and round-trips through the Audience Score Audit CSV package. | 10 August 2026 |
| Raw CSV Alternate Judge columns | The Raw CSV export lists a column for every Alternate Judge alongside regular Judge columns, clearly labeled "not counted" so reviewers can see what alternates submitted without mistaking it for a counted score. | 10 August 2026 |
| Timezone “current time” preview | Admin Site Settings (server timezone) and producer Edit Contest / SquirrelGenda settings show Current time for server/contest is about: for the selected IANA zone, using the server clock (same basis as SquirrelGenda now / next up). | 10 August 2026 |