Contest Mode

Contest mode is a setting a moderator can apply to an individual Reddit post that changes how its comments are displayed. When enabled, the order of comments is randomised on each load and the vote scores on comments are hidden, so no comment gains a visible lead. Replies to top-level comments are also collapsed by default.

The feature exists to keep early votes from snowballing. Normally the first comments to attract upvotes are pushed to the top, where they get still more votes; in a giveaway, poll or contest that early advantage can decide the outcome unfairly. Contest mode levels the field by hiding scores and shuffling order, so readers judge entries on their own merit rather than on existing popularity. It matters as a small but concrete example of how Reddit's moderation tools let communities deliberately switch off the platform's default ranking behaviour when that behaviour would distort a particular use case.