Babel is dedicated to the fair review of stories. Our scoring system help us achieve this goal, while at the same time identifying great stories that align with our mission of promoting creative excellence.
Using our scoring system, we evaluate whether someone’s submitted work meets our criteria. We believe that stories meeting our criteria are more likely to be great. Our criteria are categorized into five key areas of storytelling: Technique, Immersion, Cohesion, Characterization, and Creativity. Each area comprises several criteria, rated on a scale from 1 to 5. Submissions are approved when they meet or exceed the required scores for these criteria. The dedicated reviewer makes the final decision on acceptance into a collection. Details of our rating process are outlined below.
KEY AREAS
TECHNIQUE
Technique looks at how well you’ve nailed the technical side of storytelling. The better your execution in writing, audio, and visuals, the higher your scores. Here’s what we consider:
Written Quality: We evaluate how well you’ve crafted your words. Clarity, coherence, flow, spelling, and grammar all affect your score. Well-written content keeps the audience engaged and makes your story easy to follow. This criteria only applies when the written work is visible to the viewer.
Audio Quality: If your story includes audio, we check for clarity, fidelity, and the effectiveness of sound editing. Integration of sound effects and music also plays a role in your score. Good audio enhances the listening experience and immerses listeners in your story.
Visual Quality: For stories with visuals, we look at resolution, aesthetics, and editing techniques like transitions and pacing. High-quality visuals improve the viewing experience and draw members of the audience deeper into your story.
The type of story you submit determines which criteria we assess when it comes to Technique. For example, written stories aren’t judged on audio or visual quality. This does not affect the overall score, as we adjust for the number of criteria considered.
IMMERSION
Immersion evaluates how well your story pulls the audience in and keeps them hooked. The better the engagement, impact, and immersive quality, the higher your scores. Here’s what we consider:
Immersive Quality: We measure how deeply the audience gets immersed in your story. Your narrative flow, storytelling strength, and ability to draw the audience into the story help determine your score. A story that fully immerses the audience sparks their imagination and curiosity, making them feel like a part of the story that’s being portrayed and allowing them to step into the story as if they were actually along for the journey themselves.
Engagement: We look at how well your story keeps the audience focused and interested. Factors like pacing, tension, consumability, and accessibility affect your score. An engaging story keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, eager to uncover what happens next.
Impact: We assess how deeply your story resonates emotionally. The way you handle themes, character emotions, and the overall emotional journey influences your score. A story with a strong impact lingers in the audience’s mind, sparking reflection and empathy even after finishing the story. Let it be clear that your execution determines your score here and not the presented themes or emotions themselves.
COHESION
Cohesion delves into the story’s structure and the core message it tries to tell. The more effective and coherent the plot, and the clearer the message it conveys, the higher the scores. Here’s what we consider:
Message: We examine the theme or main message you’re conveying with your story. The clearer and more developed it is, the better your score. A strong message resonates with the audience and enhances their enjoyment. It’s important to note that we only evaluate the clarity and development of the message, not the message itself.
Plot: We examine how your story’s events unfold and whether they align with your message. If your plot flows logically and supports your theme, you’ll score higher. A well-structured plot ensures members of the audience can follow the story easily and grasp its deeper meaning.
Example: Imagine the story’s all about never giving up when things get tough. But then, the main character faces a bunch of problems and just throws in the towel without even trying to fix things. This is an example of when the plot doesn’t align with the message!
Narrative Balance: We evaluate whether your story strikes a good balance between elements like action, character development, and others. Avoiding overemphasis on one aspect at the expense of others boosts your score. While story length may impact this balance, a well-rounded narrative usually makes for a more engaging and effective story.
Please note that the length or duration of your story may impact the cohesion score. For instance, when submitting a single scene, the available points for cohesion may be limited.
CHARACTERIZATION
Charactization dives into how well you’ve brought your characters and setting to life, both crucial for a good story. The better your character portrayal and world-building, the higher your scores. Here’s what we look at:
Characters: We assess how relatable and complex your characters are, considering their growth and development within the story’s length. Engaging, multi-dimensional characters who evolve make your narrative stronger. Even in short stories, resonant characters leave a lasting impact.
Setting: We evaluate how well you’ve portrayed the story’s environment and built its world. It’s about giving the audience a clear sense of where and when the story unfolds. Rich, believable world-building enhances immersion, transporting the audience into your story’s universe. And hey, this isn’t just for fictional stories. Even real-life tales can benefit from setting the scene, making it feel like you’re right there alongside the action.
Level of Detail: We measure the richness of detail in your storytelling, covering both characters and setting. This includes descriptions, characterization (in the traditional sense), and visual imagery. A story with a high level of detail feels vivid and captivating, pulling the audience deeper into its world.
CREATIVITY
Creativity delves into how original, inventive, and thought-provoking your storytelling is, as well as how innovatively you use your chosen medium. The more boundary-pushing and fresh your ideas are, the higher your scores. Here’s what we consider:
Freshness of Ideas: We look at how new and different your story’s ideas are. This checks if your narrative brings something fresh and exciting to the table or if it falls into clichés. Higher scores go to stories with novel concepts that challenge conventions.
Inventiveness: This assesses the creative execution and presentation of your story, focusing on freshness and innovation in storytelling techniques. Unique narrative structures, twists on perspective, and creative use of format elevate the experience. Scores rise for stories that engage the audience with inventive techniques.
Provocation of Thought: This examines how much your story makes the audience think in new or different ways. It evaluates whether your narrative challenges established beliefs, encourages reflection, and stimulates intellectual engagement. Higher scores go to stories that explore complex themes and inspire profound reflection.
LAURELS
Upon acceptance into select collections, your story will receive a badge of honor also known as a laurel, affirming the quality and excellence of your work. This badge may serve as a distinguished addition to your portfolio, showcasing your skills, talent, and achievements to the world.
Laurels are awarded to stories that meet or exceed our established criteria for specific collections. These laurels are directly linked to a particular version of our scoring system, reflecting the criteria and standards in place at the time of evaluation. When major updates are made to the scoring system or our criteria, we will release a new version of the laurel in question, visually changing it compared to previous ones. This ensures that every laurel represents a specific configuration of criteria and standards, providing transparency and consistency in our evaluation process.
Once a new version is released, you’ll have the option to resubmit your work to receive the laurel that reflects our latest criteria. However, resubmission is not mandatory. Once your work has been approved, it will remain a part of our collections for as long as you desire.
FEEDBACK
We provide basic feedback to everyone who submits stories to collections that employ the scoring system. Basic feedback includes a short summary of our findings and whether your work has been accepted into a collection or not.
Additionally, creators can opt for a paid feedback option (when submitting their work), which involves a dedicated reviewer scoring the submitted work. This option provides the average scores for each of the key areas, as well as the scores for the individual criteria that contribute to the average scores. In addition, you receive feedback for all criteria that were reviewed, helping creators understand where they excel and where they can improve. We are committed to delivering honest, constructive feedback aimed at helping you grow as a creator. Please note that some of our feedback may be subjective. While our scoring system aims for objectivity, some subjectivity is inevitable due to human involvement. For questions or clarifications, contact us here.
Please note that we do not offer personal feedback sessions at this time. Instead, paid feedback is provided in written form, offering comprehensive insights and evaluations of the submitted work.
ADDITIONAL INFO
The scoring system is selectively applied to stories submitted to specific collections. Currently, it applies to the following collections:
Official Selection: All key areas are reviewed when submitting to this collection. A story is approved when its scores meet or surpass all of the applicable criteria.
Menagerie: Only technique is reviewed when submitting to this collection. A story is approved when it meets or surpasses the criteria that fall in the technique category.
We’ve chosen not to share the specific score-thresholds for our criteria to preserve the integrity and uniqueness of our evaluation process, similar to how some film festivals maintain confidentiality in their selection criteria. Additionally, by not disclosing the thresholds, we mitigate the risk of individuals attempting to strategize or ‘game’ the system. However, we guarantee consistency and fairness by applying established thresholds to each story submitted to collections that employ the scoring system. If thresholds change, it’s treated as a major update to our scoring system, which means it will be announced to our community.
The length or duration of your submitted work may impact your scores, as longer narratives can offer greater depth, development, and storytelling opportunities. However, we ensure a fair evaluation, regardless of the length of your story.
Our scoring system may evolve over time as we continue to learn and grow, but our dedication to showcasing exceptional stories remains a constant. We will announce major updates to the scoring system when they are implemented, ensuring our community is informed of any changes or improvements.
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