Judges

Judges decide the severity, validity, and quality of findings and rate the performance of wardens.

Judging is a central part of the C4 competitive audit model.

In order to align wardens with sponsors, and remove the burden from each player in the arena from determining the ultimate severity of findings, C4 selects an impartial judge for each audit.

Judges review warden findings and sponsor input, and come to their own independent conclusion. Doing this enables C4 to determine awards for wardens and categorize findings for audit reports.

In order to ensure the impartiality of the process, C4 judges determine the severity of findings, considering input from both wardens and sponsors. Judges receive compensation for their work as a portion of the audit pool.

Becoming a judge

Judging is an important and elite Code4rena role. It also provides a guaranteed payout from each audit.

In order to ensure the impartiality and depth of knowledge we aim for among judges, judge applications are reviewed carefully by senior Code4rena staff.

Minimum criteria (subject to change)

• Compete in at least 3 Code4rena audits

• Find at least 3 high severity vulnerabilities

• Must be a Certified C4 contributor in good standing

Non-technical criteria

• Sense of fairness—i.e. evidence suggests you don't show favoritism, but instead aim for a fair competition where quality is rewarded.

• Discernment—ability to impartially a) assess the logic behind a vulnerability, b) verify its validity, and c) determine its severity, given the specifics outlined by the warden as well as the broader context of the code.

• Clear written communication—your English does not need to be perfect, but you should be able to engage in nuanced discussions with wardens and sponsors via written text.

How to apply

Complete this form and share:

• Short bio/intro and summary of relevant experience

• Links that help demonstrate your expertise

• 3 example submissions to Code4rena audits that were judged high severity

• Description of how each submission demonstrates your depth of knowledge

Note: judge applications are reviewed on an as-needed basis. Notices of application and review windows will be posted in the C4 Discord server.

Judge selection process

Being a judge is a critical role and we only have so many spots.

Judge applications are reviewed regularly by senior C4 staff. We will review your application and give you a "yes" or "not yet".

Is it possible for a warden who competed in an audit to judge that same audit?

Yes—but in the interest of impartiality, they must forgo any awards they would have received for their findings in said audit.

Teams that include the judge are also ineligible for awards in such cases, to avoid conflict of interest.

Staff oversight of judges

Judges' decisions and performance are reviewed and overseen by senior members of Code4rena staff.

Validators

The Validator role was deprecated in April 2025; the information here is to assist in understanding the evaluation process for validator-supported audits.

Validators triaged submissions from wardens with accuracy rates below the qualifying threshold; they also de-duped all submissions.

• Each competition had a qualifying threshold that allowed wardens to bypass validators. This threshold wass based on signal score, as well as being established as a quality contributor and as non-sybil.

• Qualified wardens’ submissions were shared with the sponsor team immediately after submissions closed.

• All other wardens’ submissions were routed through a Validator.

Validators reviewed submissions immediately after submissions close. The judge reviewed all submissions except those the Validator marked as spam.