Smarter forms, better entries: Meet Evalato’s conditional logic

Tsveta van Son

October 9, 2026

Read time:

min

Some questions are for everyone. Most aren't. A follow-up for one category in your awards program, a supporting document for another, a question that only matters if the previous answer was "Yes."

Over the past few weeks, we've made your entry data smarter and taken winner recognition to new heights. Now we're starting at the very beginning of the entrant journey: conditional logic is live in Evalato.

Smart forms that know what to ask

Conditional logic lets you show or hide any field, or a whole section of your entry form, based on conditions you set:

Answers to earlier fields: reveal a follow-up only when it's relevant.
Entry category: ask each category for exactly what it needs.
Entry tags: tailor the form to entries you've tagged.
Voting rounds: change what entrants see as their entry advances.

Combine as many rules as you need, and decide whether any or all of them must be true. The result is a dynamic form that adapts to each entrant, instead of one long form that asks everyone everything.

Whole sections, not just single fields

Fields under a section break now belong to that section, and the form builder shows them neatly nested. Add conditional logic to the section, and every field inside shows or hides together.

Branch with one rule: one qualifying field can open or close an entire block of follow-ups.
Reorganize by dragging: drag and drop fields into and out of sections.
Keep long forms readable: entrants only scroll through what applies to them.

One form for every category

Multi-category programs often need different information from different entrants. A technology category might ask for product specs, while a sustainability category asks for impact data. Instead of building separate forms or burying instructions in field descriptions, build one dynamic form:

Category-specific fields: show each field only to the categories that need it.
Cleaner data for judges: every entry contains what its category asks for, and nothing that doesn't apply.
Less form maintenance: one form to update instead of several to keep in sync.

Weed out ineligible entrants early

Say your program is open to adults only. Add a question at the top of the form, "Are you 18 or older?", and make the rest of the form conditional on a "Yes." Entrants who don't qualify find out before they've spent an hour on their entry, and you don't spend time reviewing submissions you'd have to reject anyway.

The same approach works for any eligibility criterion: location, organization type, or professional status. Ask once, early, and let the form do the filtering.

Multi-step submissions, built in

Some programs collect information in stages: a short initial application, then a full submission for entries that make the cut. With round-based conditions, a single form can handle every stage.

Keep a section hidden at first and show it only when an entry is assigned to a specific voting round. Shortlisted entrants see the new section in their entrant portal, ready to complete. Everyone else keeps a simple, finished entry. Step one, step two, step three, each with its own set of questions.