The complete journey
How Imagination League Works
Imagination League recognizes completed creative work through independent judging and long-term progression.
Artists are not required to revise, adapt, or resubmit their creations. Each creation is evaluated as the artist chose to present it.
01
Initial judging
After a creation is submitted to a prompt, it is evaluated through independent judgments. The number of qualifying judgments required for initial placement is set by the active policy.
The active policy currently requires 1 qualifying independent judgment for initial placement.
Every judge considers the creation’s imagination through the Spark questions. Judges also evaluate qualities such as:
Qualities considered
- Originality
- Story and emotional impact
- Craft and execution
- Experimentation
- Relevance and clarity
The combined results determine the creation's initial league placement.
02
League placement
Each creation has one active league placement at a time. Placement reflects the overall pattern found in its judging results.
Spark League
Spark League recognizes creations with exceptional imagination. Placement is driven primarily by the Spark Score.
How imaginative is this creation?
Excellence League
Excellence League recognizes creations that may not qualify for Spark but demonstrate strong achievement across two or more other evaluated qualities. Their value comes from broad quality across several dimensions.
Strength leagues
When a creation demonstrates one clear qualifying strength, it enters the corresponding strength league. Additional strengths may still appear in results, but the creation has only one active placement.
Originality League, Story League, Craft League, and Experimental League.
Discovery League
Discovery is a valid home for reliably judged creations that do not yet meet another league's requirements, including emerging potential, unconventional profiles, or qualities outside current placement standards.
Placement order
- 1
Does the creation qualify for Spark League?
- 2
If not, does it qualify for Excellence through multiple criteria?
- 3
If not, does it qualify for a specific strength league?
- 4
Otherwise, it enters Discovery League.
03
Five progression levels
Spark, Excellence, and the strength leagues each have five levels.
- 1
Entry
- 2
Emerging
- 3
Advancing
- 4
Distinguished
- 5
Premier
Examples include Entry Originality, Emerging Story, Advancing Excellence, Distinguished Craft, and Premier Spark.
Each creation progresses independently. A creator may have several creations in different leagues and at different levels.
04
Promotion cohorts
Initial placement and every promotion are criteria-first. Creations that meet the configured minimum criteria and evidence requirements enter the eligible cohort and are ranked against one another for the available capacity.
| Transition | Cadence | Percentage limit | Absolute limit | Additional judgments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery exit | Every 1 week | N/A | N/A | 1 judgment |
| Entry to Emerging | Every 1 week | 60% of current-season initial placements | 5 admissions per cohort | 1 judgment |
| Emerging to Advancing | Every 3 weeks | 30% of current-season initial placements | 3 admissions per cohort | 1 judgment |
| Advancing to Distinguished | Every 13 weeks | 15% of current-season initial placements | 4 admissions per cohort | 1 judgment |
| Distinguished to Premier | Annual | 5% of current-season initial placements | Minimum 1 admission, Maximum 3 admissions | 1 judgment |
Available quota never allows a creation that fails the minimum criteria to advance. When more creations qualify than capacity allows, the highest-ranked creations advance.
Percentage limits are cumulative within the progression season. Absolute cohort caps can further restrict admissions.
A qualified creation that is not selected remains at its current level and may compete again later. Repeated eligibility does not guarantee promotion because later cohorts may include new or stronger candidates.
Premier capacity does not guarantee admission. Creations must satisfy every Premier criterion before any admission can occur.
The season count includes creations that completed judging and received a valid initial progression placement, including Discovery placements. Drafts, unfinished submissions, duplicate placement attempts, deleted or invalid creations, and internal test records are not counted.
The active policy controls cadence, minimum criteria, percentage limits, absolute caps, evidence requirements, and required additional judgments.
Creations do not change or compete through resubmission. Progression is based on additional independent judgments of the original work.
05
Promotion standards
Every destination level has increasingly demanding requirements. These may include:
- A minimum Spark Score.
- Minimum scores in relevant criteria.
- Strength across multiple criteria.
- No significant weakness in evaluated areas.
- Sufficient agreement and reliability among judges.
- No unresolved judging or integrity concerns.
Initial placement and every promotion require the configured minimum criteria first. Capacity never substitutes for qualification.
If a creation does not meet the next standard, it remains at its current level.
06
Changing leagues
A creation's league may change when additional judging reveals a different profile.
Example paths
- Entry Originality to Emerging Spark
- Emerging Story to Advancing Excellence
- Entry Craft to Emerging Craft
Only the active placement changes. All earlier placements remain visible in the creation's history.
A move to Spark means cumulative evidence now demonstrates qualifying imagination. A move to Excellence means qualifying strength across several non-Spark criteria.
Moving from Discovery
Discovery is a separate starting area, not a progression level. A creation can leave Discovery for the Entry level of a specialized league only after it meets the configured Discovery-exit criteria and evidence requirements.
Leaving Discovery does not consume an Entry to Emerging promotion place.
If it does not meet the Discovery-exit standard or is not selected within applicable capacity, it remains in Discovery and may be considered in a later cohort.
07
Reaching Premier
Premier is the highest level. Eligible Distinguished creations are evaluated against the active Premier requirements on the configured cadence after receiving the required additional qualifying independent judgments.
- A creation must first meet every Premier requirement.
- Qualified creations are then ranked.
- Admissions to Premier follow the limits in the active policy.
- Only creations that qualify may be admitted.
- If none qualify, there are no Premier admissions for that cohort.
Available places are never filled merely because they are available.
Premier Spark is the highest recognition of imagination. Premier placements in Excellence or a strength league recognize exceptional achievement within those profiles.
08
A permanent creative history
Every judging result, placement, and promotion becomes part of the creation's history.
Artists can see
- Current league and level.
- Spark Score and evaluated strengths.
- Number of independent judgments received.
- Reliability.
- Placement and promotion history.
- Next promotion opportunity.
Imagination League respects completed artistic work, strengthens confidence through independent judging, and allows outstanding creations to gain recognition over time.