How the Next
ART Gallery Selection Will Take Shape
A shared process in which appreciation, conversation and editorial judgement come together to protect the quality of every photograph considered for publication.
The ART Gallery selection is built through the meeting of community participation, editorial assessment and a rigorous commitment to photographic quality.
No single figure determines the result. Likes, valid comments, meaningful participation and editorial evaluation all contribute to a photograph’s final score.
Publication becomes possible exclusively when a photograph reaches 100%. The current threshold is set at 40 points. Progress is calculated proportionally, without artificial percentage bands: 10 points correspond to 25%, 20 points to 50%, 30 points to 75%, and 40 points to 100%. Any total above 40 remains displayed as 100%.
The Progressive Value of Likes
Likes have a progressive value. Likes 1–15 contribute 0.90 points each; Likes 16–20 contribute 1.10 points each; and every Like from 21 onward contributes 1.20 points.
Earlier Likes are never recalculated when a photograph enters a new level. This allows the score to grow continuously, without sudden retroactive jumps.
A Progressive Like Bonus
An additional cumulative bonus recognises sustained public support. Likes 10–13 add 0.50 points each; Likes 14–16 add 0.70 points each; Likes 17–18 add 1.80 points each; Likes 19–25 add 1.50 points each; and every Like from 26 onward adds 1 point.
The cumulative bonus reaches 2 points at the 13th Like, 4.10 at the 16th, 7.70 at the 18th, 18.20 at the 25th and 19.20 at the 26th. Each new Like adds only the amount assigned to its own position.
Why Your Comments Are Essential
ART Gallery is not looking only for photographs that attract an immediate reaction. It is also looking for images that invite people to stop, observe and say something meaningful. For this reason, your comments form an essential part of the selection.
For each photograph, every person can contribute one valid comment to the score. Writing several comments on the same photograph does not increase the total. Comments written by the photographer on their own work are excluded, as are deleted comments.
If a person belongs to more than one recognised category, only the highest applicable value is used. These roles are refreshed from the current directories. The system examines the first page of comments and, when available, the second page as well; the analysis stops after page two.
17 Likes + 7 Different Valid Commenters
A further 2-point participation bonus is awarded when a photograph reaches both conditions. Neither is sufficient on its own. The bonus recognises the balance between visible appreciation and genuine conversation.
Initial Evaluation and Meaningful Activity
The initial editorial assessment may add 2 points for a strong evaluation or 4 points for an outstanding evaluation. These values are not cumulative: when the highest assessment applies, only the 4-point contribution is counted.
A lower initial assessment may reduce the overall Like value by 1 point. This is incorporated automatically and is not presented as a separate penalty. Meaningful user activity may also receive an independent contribution of 2 additional points.
Proportional Editorial Bonuses
Two alternative levels of editorial recognition may be applied: a primary bonus equal to 40% of the public score, or a secondary bonus equal to 20% of the public score. They are alternatives and are not added together.
The public score includes Like points, comment points, the progressive Like bonus, complete participation, the initial assessment and the contribution for meaningful activity. Because the editorial bonus is proportional, it respects the different level of public response achieved by every photograph.
Secondary bonus: +6 points
A Proportional Reduction
When a negative editorial adjustment is required, Like points and all bonus contributions are reduced proportionally by 25%. This includes the progressive Like bonus, complete-participation bonus, initial assessment, meaningful-activity contribution and any editorial bonus.
Comment points are never reduced. They retain their full value because authentic discussion remains an independent and important expression of the community’s response. The adjustment is incorporated into the affected figures and is not displayed as a separate negative statistic.
How the Ranking Is Formed
The ranking appears only after the necessary information has been processed. Up to 15 photographs are evaluated and the six highest-ranked works are displayed.
The ranking is dynamic and represents the evolving response of the community. It informs the selection, but it does not replace the final responsibility of the editorial team.
A Living Standard, Designed to Protect Quality
The present publication threshold is 40 points. If the selection needs to become more demanding or more accessible in the future, the threshold can be recalibrated without changing the value of Likes, comments or bonuses.
A threshold of 45, for example, would make 40 points equal to 89%; a threshold of 50 would make the same result equal to 80%.
Publication Begins at 100%
Reaching 100% is an essential condition for publication. ART Gallery is a prestigious gallery, and the algorithm, artificial intelligence and editorial team work together to protect the exceptional quality of every photograph admitted to the final selection.
Vote for the photographs that move you—and tell us why. Your voice is part of the selection.
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