Case Study

Content Creator
Awards

A full-stack awards management platform. From public entries to judged results — designed and engineered end-to-end.

4 Portals 7-Step Wizard Full Judging Pipeline
The Brief

Digitising an Awards Ceremony

The client needed a complete digital platform to manage their annual content creator awards — replacing manual processes with a modern, scalable web application spanning public engagement, creator submissions, expert judging, and full administrative control.

Scope

Full-stack web application spanning 4 distinct user portals, real-time database, multi-provider authentication, cloud file storage, role-based security, and automated deployment to edge infrastructure.

Platform Architecture

Four Portals, One Platform

Each user type gets a purpose-built experience — from public visitors browsing categories to administrators running roundtable analysis on judging scores.

01
🌐
Public Website
Homepage, categories, past winners, news, events, about, and FAQs.
7 Pages
02
✍️
Entry System
7-step wizard with auto-save, profile pre-fill, and media uploads.
7 Steps
03
⚖️
Judging Portal
Assigned entries, weighted scoring, conflict flagging, progress tracking.
Multi-Criteria
04
⚙️
Admin Dashboard
Statistics, entries table, judge management, roundtable analysis, CMS.
10 Modules
Public Experience

A Website That Builds Anticipation

The public-facing site sets the stage for the awards season with a live countdown timer, category browser, and past winners gallery that celebrates previous honourees.

A full news section keeps creators informed, while the events calendar with Google Calendar integration ensures no one misses a deadline or ceremony.

Countdown Timer Category Browser Past Winners News Section Events Calendar Google Calendar Sync
Hero · Countdown
Entry System

A 7-Step Submission Wizard

Guided creators through a structured entry process with intelligent validation, auto-save, and profile pre-fill from their account data.

01
Personal Details
Pre-filled from user profile, auto-populated on registration
02
Category Selection
Browse and select from 17+ award categories with previews
03
Platforms & Presence
Primary platform, social links, combined following count
04
Profile & Motivation
Creator bio and motivation with live word counter
05
Content Submission
Links to qualifying content with date-period validation
06
Metrics & Growth
Follower counts, engagement rates, year-on-year growth tracking
07
Review & Submit
Full entry preview with deadline validation before submission
Auto-Save
Every change saved automatically with 2-second debounce. Creators never lose progress, even mid-step.
Photo Upload
Headshot uploads to Firebase Storage with real-time preview and automatic URL linking to entry records.
Deadline Validation
Entry submissions are locked after the admin-configured close date. Draft entries remain accessible but cannot be submitted.
Profile Pre-Fill
Personal details and platform information pre-populated from existing user profile data to reduce friction.
Judging Engine

Weighted Multi-Criteria Scoring

Judges receive a personalised dashboard of assigned entries with progress tracking. Each entry is scored across configurable criteria with admin-defined weights, ensuring consistent evaluation across the judging panel.

The system supports conflict-of-interest flagging, allowing judges to recuse themselves from entries where they have a personal connection — maintaining the integrity of the awards process.

Content Quality 30%
Audience Growth 25%
Innovation 25%
Engagement 20%
📊
Roundtable Analysis
Aggregated scores with standard deviation tracking to identify scoring outliers and ensure panel consensus before winner selection.
Admin Control

Complete Operational Oversight

A comprehensive admin dashboard providing full CRUD operations, data exports, judge workflows, and content management — all from a single interface.

📈
Entry Statistics
Real-time counts by status: draft, submitted, review, shortlisted, winner.
🏷️
Category Management
CRUD with configurable weighted judging criteria per category.
🗃️
Entries Data Table
Searchable, filterable table with CSV export and status management.
👥
Judge Management
Invite judges, assign entries, track scoring progress per judge.
🏆
Winners
Declare winners, manage the past winners gallery and archive.
📰
News CMS
Create, edit, and publish articles with author attribution.
📅
Events CMS
Manage the events calendar with Google Calendar integration.
⚙️
Settings
Entry open/close dates, site announcements, current round config.
📊
Roundtable
Score aggregation, standard deviation analysis, consensus tracking.
Built With

Modern Stack, Production-Ready

Every layer chosen for developer velocity, type safety, and production reliability.

Next.js 16
Framework
TypeScript
Language
Tailwind CSS 4
Styling
shadcn/ui
Components
Firebase Auth
Authentication
Cloud Firestore
Database
Firebase Storage
File Storage
Vercel
Hosting
Security & Performance

Role-based Firestore security rules enforcing data isolation across admin, judge, and entrant roles. Three OAuth providers (Email, Google, Facebook). Server-side rendering with 60-second ISR revalidation for optimal performance.

4
Distinct Portals
17+
Award Categories
7
Wizard Steps
3
Auth Providers
Architecture

Engineered for Scale

🔒 Role-Based Access
Admin, Judge, and Entrant roles with Firestore security rules enforcing strict data isolation. Judges can only access assigned entries. Entrants can only modify their own drafts.
⚡ Real-Time Sync
Firestore listeners power live dashboard updates, entry status changes, and scoring progress — ensuring every stakeholder sees current data without manual refresh.
🌐 Edge Deployment
Deployed on Vercel's edge network with server components, ISR with 60-second revalidation, and optimised bundle splitting for fast load times globally.
Built by Lumanaire

Custom Built for

Full-stack web applications, designed and engineered from concept to production.

lumanaire.co.za