diff --git a/src/components/admin/round/ranking-dashboard.tsx b/src/components/admin/round/ranking-dashboard.tsx
index b0429d2..80cfe9e 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/round/ranking-dashboard.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/round/ranking-dashboard.tsx
@@ -390,8 +390,10 @@ export function RankingDashboard({ competitionId: _competitionId, roundId }: Ran
   }, [projectStates])
 
   // ─── localOrder init (once, with useRef guard) ────────────────────────────
+  // Wait for evalScores too — the initial sort uses balanced (juror-corrected)
+  // averages, so we can't initialize until those are loaded.
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!initialized.current && snapshot) {
+    if (!initialized.current && snapshot && evalScores) {
       const startup = (snapshot.startupRankingJson ?? []) as unknown as RankedProjectEntry[]
       const concept = (snapshot.conceptRankingJson ?? []) as unknown as RankedProjectEntry[]
 
@@ -407,14 +409,18 @@ export function RankingDashboard({ competitionId: _competitionId, roundId }: Ran
       const dedupedStartup = dedup(startup)
       const dedupedConcept = dedup(concept)
 
-      // Sort by avgGlobalScore descending (the metric displayed to the admin), with
-      // compositeScore as tiebreaker.  This ensures the visible ordering matches the
-      // numbers on screen AND the threshold cutoff line lands correctly (it checks
-      // avgGlobalScore, so the list must be sorted by that same metric).
+      // Sort by balanced (juror-corrected) score descending, falling back to raw
+      // avgGlobalScore when no balanced score is available, then compositeScore as
+      // a final tiebreaker. The threshold cutoff line uses the same metric so the
+      // cutoff lands in the correct spot regardless of which score type is used.
+      const scoreFor = (projectId: string, raw: number | null | undefined) =>
+        evalScores.balanced[projectId]?.balancedAverage ?? raw ?? 0
       dedupedStartup.sort((a, b) =>
-        (b.avgGlobalScore ?? 0) - (a.avgGlobalScore ?? 0) || b.compositeScore - a.compositeScore)
+        scoreFor(b.projectId, b.avgGlobalScore) - scoreFor(a.projectId, a.avgGlobalScore)
+        || b.compositeScore - a.compositeScore)
       dedupedConcept.sort((a, b) =>
-        (b.avgGlobalScore ?? 0) - (a.avgGlobalScore ?? 0) || b.compositeScore - a.compositeScore)
+        scoreFor(b.projectId, b.avgGlobalScore) - scoreFor(a.projectId, a.avgGlobalScore)
+        || b.compositeScore - a.compositeScore)
 
       // Track original order for override detection (same effect = always in sync)
       const order: Record<string, number> = {}
@@ -455,7 +461,7 @@ export function RankingDashboard({ competitionId: _competitionId, roundId }: Ran
 
       initialized.current = true
     }
-  }, [snapshot])
+  }, [snapshot, evalScores])
 
   // ─── numericCriteria from eval form ─────────────────────────────────────
   const numericCriteria = useMemo(() => {
@@ -864,14 +870,19 @@ export function RankingDashboard({ competitionId: _competitionId, roundId }: Ran
                   : (evalConfig?.conceptAdvanceCount ?? 0))
                 const threshold = evalConfig?.advanceScoreThreshold ?? 0
 
+                // Effective ranking score = balanced (juror-corrected) average,
+                // falling back to raw avgGlobalScore. Both the sort and the
+                // threshold check use this same value so the cutoff lands in
+                // the right spot.
+                const effectiveScore = (id: string) => {
+                  const e = rankingMap.get(id)
+                  return evalScores?.balanced[id]?.balancedAverage ?? e?.avgGlobalScore ?? 0
+                }
+
                 let cutoffIndex = -1
                 if (isThresholdMode) {
                   // Find the FIRST project that does NOT meet the threshold — cutoff goes before it.
-                  // Works correctly because localOrder is sorted by avgGlobalScore (the same metric).
-                  const firstFailIdx = localOrder[category].findIndex((id) => {
-                    const e = rankingMap.get(id)
-                    return (e?.avgGlobalScore ?? 0) < threshold
-                  })
+                  const firstFailIdx = localOrder[category].findIndex((id) => effectiveScore(id) < threshold)
                   if (firstFailIdx === -1) {
                     // All meet threshold — cutoff after the last one
                     cutoffIndex = localOrder[category].length - 1
@@ -902,10 +913,9 @@ export function RankingDashboard({ competitionId: _competitionId, roundId }: Ran
                     <AnimatePresence initial={false}>
                       <div className="space-y-2">
                         {localOrder[category].map((projectId, index) => {
-                          const entry = rankingMap.get(projectId)
-                          const projectAvg = entry?.avgGlobalScore ?? 0
+                          const projectScore = effectiveScore(projectId)
                           const isAdvancing = isThresholdMode
-                            ? projectAvg >= threshold
+                            ? projectScore >= threshold
                             : (advanceCount > 0 && index < advanceCount)
                           const isCutoffRow = cutoffIndex >= 0 && index === cutoffIndex