OpenRubric

OpenRubric is a managed judging service for hackathon organizers and judges who need one workflow for submissions, scoring, and results. It is strongest when events use weighted, track-based criteria and human review; classroom grading and holistic evaluation are poorer fits.

Overview

Projects can enter an event from a public Devpost URL, a CSV upload, or manual entry. Organizers then create tracks and weighted criteria, while judges score each criterion independently and may add comments. OpenRubric calculates rankings for each track and overall, and exports event data to CSV whenever needed. That combination removes spreadsheet collation from a busy event without taking award decisions away from people.

The product explicitly remains a coordination tool rather than an automated judge or cheating detector. Organizers and judges decide scores and awards, and the system does not deduct points automatically. This is a meaningful safeguard for events where context matters, though it also means organizers must perform the substantive review themselves.

Key features

Scoring and event operations

Analytic rubrics, weighted criteria, track assignment, independent judge records, and bulk scoring support a multi-judge workflow. Automatic winner calculations by track and overall make results faster to consolidate, while CSV export keeps the event data portable. Events built around one overall impression should look elsewhere: holistic rubrics are not supported.

Timeline review and summaries

With a configured GitHub token, OpenRubric scans repository dates, commits, and contributors as timeline signals for organizers to review. Those signals inform human judgment rather than trigger automatic penalties. AI can draft short project summaries to help judges orient themselves, and organizers can switch summaries off without changing ranking calculations.

Integrations and safeguards

Devpost and CSV imports cover common submission sources; GitHub supports repository review. Hosted data and authentication use Supabase, with judge scores isolated per judge through row-level security and the server-only service key kept out of the browser. The hosted service says it does not sell data or use it for advertising, and retains event data while an account or event remains active.

Pricing

Partner event

The Partner event plan costs 0.00 USD for the first event, billed Free, in exchange for sponsor recognition and permission for an anonymized case study. It includes setup and rubric configuration, Devpost or CSV import, judge onboarding, live judging support, rankings, and CSV export. This is the clearest route for a pilot organizer willing to provide that in-kind recognition; it is limited to one no-cost event.

Managed event

Managed events are billed at $50 to $100 per event, with larger events quoted before agreement. The fee includes AI credits, configured rubrics, tracks and judge assignments, GitHub timeline review, email support, and a CSV backup. It suits organizers who want operational help before and during an event rather than a self-service tool. Managed events include email support before and during the event, while pilot events include live support during judging.

The published license permits running an unmodified copy to evaluate the software or operate a bona fide judging event, but it does not permit redistribution or modification. That restriction matters to teams considering a customized deployment.

Platforms

OpenRubric is offered as a web service and can be self-hosted. The hosted option covers authentication, data handling, and event support; self-hosting may appeal to organizations that need deployment control, but the license still bars modification and redistribution.

Who it's for

Choose OpenRubric for hackathon organizers running judged events with multiple tracks, weighted criteria, independent judges, and a need for rapid rankings and exportable records. It is also a fit for judges who benefit from concise AI summaries and repository timeline context while retaining human authority.

Look elsewhere for classroom-oriented workflows, LMS integration, collaborative rubric authoring, or holistic scoring. OpenRubric has no LMS integration or collaborative authoring, and its analytic-only model may not match events that intentionally avoid criterion-by-criterion marks.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Devpost, CSV, and manual imports reduce submission setup work.
• Pros: Independent records, weighted tracks, bulk scoring, automatic rankings, and CSV export fit multi-judge hackathons.
• Pros: Human-controlled awards, optional AI summaries, and non-automatic GitHub signals preserve organizer judgment.
• Pros: Partner events include live judging support at no monetary charge for the first event.
• Cons: No holistic rubrics limits events built around a single overall assessment.
• Cons: No LMS integration or collaborative authoring makes it a weak classroom or team-rubric choice.
• Cons: The Partner plan's free use is one event and carries recognition and case-study conditions.
• Cons: Managed-event pricing varies by event size, with larger events requiring a quote.

Alternatives

For classroom assignment grading across Android, iOS, and web, Gradescope offers a freemium Basic plan with dynamic rubrics, question-by-question grading, statistics, regrade requests, and export. Rubric Scorer is a mobile option when you need up to three rubrics for one class free of charge. For API or web-based marking jobs, UniRubric provides a lifetime free lecturer job with rubric-anchored output and PDF export.

GradeBoard suits web users seeking AI-assisted learner submissions with a free monthly cap and 30-day retention. Pawtograder is the self-hosted, free instructor option for evaluation use. RubiStar is a free web rubric tool for educational use, with possible deletion for personal or commercial use. RubriqFlow fits institutions needing unlimited faculty and staff accounts with per-student semester billing. Feedbacker is an open-source project available on Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web.

Browse the broader Rubric Software category when your workflow is not specifically hackathon judging.

Verdict

OpenRubric is a strong choice for hackathon organizers who want structured, auditable scoring and fast track-based results while keeping awards in human hands. Choose it for its event-specific imports, judging support, timeline review, and export workflow; look elsewhere if you need holistic rubrics, LMS connectivity, collaborative authoring, or a conventional classroom grader.