About YB100
Six lists of one hundred, maintained by twenty-four editors across twelve time zones. Updated monthly, on the first Tuesday. Nothing on this list arrived by algorithm.
01What is YB100
YB100 is a living editorial project. Six categories — film, books, music, technology, places, and games — each ranked from one hundred down to one. Every entry must earn its position through a formal review process, not popularity or recency.
The project launched in 2024 as a response to algorithmically generated “best of” lists. Everything here was chosen by humans who care deeply about their subject, argued over in meeting rooms and long email chains, and ranked with the understanding that all rankings are provisional.
02How we rank
Nomination
Any editor can nominate an entry. Nominations require a written case — why this entry, why now, what would it displace. Unsupported nominations are closed without discussion.
Review panel
Each category has a four-person panel. The panel scores the nominee against the existing list on craft, context, and consensus. Two rejections close the nomination.
Placement vote
Accepted entries go to a placement vote. The panel proposes a rank. All twenty-four editors vote. The final rank is the median vote, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Displacement
Every entry that moves down is re-evaluated. If displacing an existing entry would drop it below a score threshold, the nomination fails. The list protects its tail.
Edition lock
Changes freeze three days before the first Tuesday of each month. The new edition publishes at 00:00 UTC. The changelog records every move, addition, and removal.
Appeals
Any editor can call a review of any entry, once per edition. Reviews can result in a rank change, removal, or a written rationale for why the entry stays where it is.
03Editions
Each monthly release is a numbered edition. The major version increments when more than 20% of any list changes in a single cycle.
04The editors
Twenty-four editors across twelve time zones. Each brings domain expertise and a mandate to argue for what they believe belongs on the list.
05Get involved
Propose an entry
Have a strong case for something that belongs on a list? Write it up and submit it via the form below. Unsupported nominations are closed without review.
Press & licensing
YB100 rankings are published under a Creative Commons licence. For commercial licensing or press enquiries, reach out to the editorial team.
Newsletter
A monthly dispatch: what moved, what fell, what the editors argued about. Published the same day as each new edition.