Photo Priority
A user's photo priority indicates the priority used when selecting photos to be compared by others. A higher priority means the user's photos may be rated faster than users with lower priority.
Priority Calculation
Photo priority is calculated based on the number of comparisons minus an amount based on the number of submissions you have had
The actual formula is
nf( t - c)
where
t is the sum total of all comparisons you have done
c is (n * 30) + (n - 1) * 20 * n / 2
where n is number of photos submitted
nf is function(n) { ((Math.sqrt(n/5))).to_i + 1 }
Priority Mechanism
Photos waiting for comparisons are put in a queue in a random fashion (not FIFO). When a user decides to compare photos on EloGrade, a random point is selected in that queue and 10 photos below that point are selected. Out of that group of photos the one with the highest priority is selected for comparison.
The effect of photo priority is therefore relative to the photo priority of other users who are currently in the queue.