v1.0 (HCB-2025)
Human Creativity Benchmark
1M+ verified creative experts vote to shape the tools of tomorrow.
v1.0 (HCB-2025)
Human Creativity Benchmark
1M+ verified creative experts vote to shape the tools of tomorrow.
v1.0 (HCB-2025)
Human Creativity Benchmark
1M+ verified creative experts vote to shape the tools of tomorrow.
v1.0 (HCB-2025)
Human Creativity Benchmark
1M+ verified creative experts vote to shape the tools of tomorrow.
Trusted by 1M+ independents and 50K+ companies like
Trusted by 1M+ independents and 50K+ companies like
Trusted by 1M+ independents and 50K+ companies like
AI doesn’t replace creativity
AI doesn’t replace creativity
AI doesn’t replace creativity
AI doesn’t replace creativity
It gives you superpowers. AI tools multiply leverage, they don’t replace expertise.
It gives you superpowers. AI tools multiply leverage, they don’t replace expertise.
The leaderboard
Main
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Originality & Creativity
Utility & Applied Fit
Motion Realism
Rank
Model
Elo
Win %
1
imagen-4.0-generate-preview-06-06
1532
78.87%
2
stable-diffusion-v35-large
1532
78.87%
3
seedream-3
1532
78.87%
4
flux-1-kontext-max
1532
78.87%
5
gpt-image-1
1532
78.87%
Main
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Originality & Creativity
Utility & Applied Fit
Motion Realism
Rank
Model
Elo
Win %
1
imagen-4.0-generate-preview-06-06
1532
78.87%
2
stable-diffusion-v35-large
1532
78.87%
3
seedream-3
1532
78.87%
4
flux-1-kontext-max
1532
78.87%
5
gpt-image-1
1532
78.87%
Main
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Originality & Creativity
Utility & Applied Fit
Motion Realism
Rank
Model
Elo
Win %
1
imagen-4.0-generate-preview-06-06
1532
78.87%
2
stable-diffusion-v35-large
1532
78.87%
3
seedream-3
1532
78.87%
4
flux-1-kontext-max
1532
78.87%
5
gpt-image-1
1532
78.87%
Benchmark methodology
Each model output is scored by 3+ professional creative evaluators from Contra’s network based on the following categories:
Each model output is scored by 3+ professional creative evaluators from Contra’s network based on the following categories:
Each model output is scored by 3+ professional creative evaluators from Contra’s network based on the following categories:
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Perceptual quality, composition, color balance, absence of artifacts
1 (poor) → 5 (exceptional)
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Perceptual quality, composition, color balance, absence of artifacts
1 (poor) → 5 (exceptional)
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Perceptual quality, composition, color balance, absence of artifacts
1 (poor) → 5 (exceptional)
Visual Quality & Aesthetics
Perceptual quality, composition, color balance, absence of artifacts
1 (poor) → 5 (exceptional)
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Fidelity to the prompt’s requested subject, action, or style
1 (not aligned) → 5 (perfect alignment)
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Fidelity to the prompt’s requested subject, action, or style
1 (not aligned) → 5 (perfect alignment)
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Fidelity to the prompt’s requested subject, action, or style
1 (not aligned) → 5 (perfect alignment)
Prompt Adherence & Accuracy
Fidelity to the prompt’s requested subject, action, or style
1 (not aligned) → 5 (perfect alignment)
Originality & Creativity
Novelty of concept, non-derivative style, imaginative value
1 (generic/derivative) → 5 (highly original)
Originality & Creativity
Novelty of concept, non-derivative style, imaginative value
1 (generic/derivative) → 5 (highly original)
Originality & Creativity
Novelty of concept, non-derivative style, imaginative value
1 (generic/derivative) → 5 (highly original)
Originality & Creativity
Novelty of concept, non-derivative style, imaginative value
1 (generic/derivative) → 5 (highly original)
Utility & Applied Fit (Production Readiness)
Usability in a real creative context (brand, design, storytelling)
1 (unusable) → 5 (production-ready)
Utility & Applied Fit (Production Readiness)
Usability in a real creative context (brand, design, storytelling)
1 (unusable) → 5 (production-ready)
Utility & Applied Fit (Production Readiness)
Usability in a real creative context (brand, design, storytelling)
1 (unusable) → 5 (production-ready)
Utility & Applied Fit (Production Readiness)
Usability in a real creative context (brand, design, storytelling)
1 (unusable) → 5 (production-ready)
Motion Realism (Video Only)
Smoothness, physics consistency, natural movement
1 (broken/jittery) → 5 (lifelike & fluid)
Motion Realism (Video Only)
Smoothness, physics consistency, natural movement
1 (broken/jittery) → 5 (lifelike & fluid)
Motion Realism (Video Only)
Smoothness, physics consistency, natural movement
1 (broken/jittery) → 5 (lifelike & fluid)
Motion Realism (Video Only)
Smoothness, physics consistency, natural movement
1 (broken/jittery) → 5 (lifelike & fluid)
Learn more about the methodology
How Contra’s 1M+ experts evaluate AI models on real-world creative work.
Learn more about the methodology
How Contra’s 1M+ experts evaluate AI models on real-world creative work.
Learn more about the methodology
How Contra’s 1M+ experts evaluate AI models on real-world creative work.
Learn more about the methodology
How Contra’s 1M+ experts evaluate AI models on real-world creative work.
Powered by Contra’s network of 1M+ creative experts
Designers
Writers
Marketers
Social Media Experts
Engineers
Video Editors & Animators
Music & Audio Engineers
Real-world creative professionals on Contra are earning 26x more per project than on other online marketplaces.
Real-world creative professionals on Contra are earning 26x more per project than on other online marketplaces.
Real-world creative professionals on Contra are earning 26x more per project than on other online marketplaces.
1M+
1M+
1M+
1M+
independent creatives
independent creatives
independent creatives
300+
300+
300+
300+
skills and tools represented
skills and tools represented
skills and tools represented
$120M+
$120M+
$120M+
$120M+
verified expert earnings
verified expert earnings
verified expert earnings
ADVISORS + PARTNERS
ADVISORS + PARTNERS
Fons Mans
Founder of design studio Offgrid, featured by The NY Times, Figma and The Wall Street Journal.
Fons Mans
Founder of design studio Offgrid, featured by The NY Times, Figma and The Wall Street Journal.
Fons Mans
Founder of design studio Offgrid, featured by The NY Times, Figma and The Wall Street Journal.
Fons Mans
Founder of design studio Offgrid, featured by The NY Times, Figma and The Wall Street Journal.
Dann Petty
Design director, investor & educator. Worked with Google, Nike, AirBnB, Uber and more.
Dann Petty
Design director, investor & educator. Worked with Google, Nike, AirBnB, Uber and more.
Dann Petty
Design director, investor & educator. Worked with Google, Nike, AirBnB, Uber and more.
Dann Petty
Design director, investor & educator. Worked with Google, Nike, AirBnB, Uber and more.
Ann Bordetsky
Partner at NEA, early stage AI. Portfolio includes Perplexity, Eleven Labs and Contra.
Ann Bordetsky
Partner at NEA, early stage AI. Portfolio includes Perplexity, Eleven Labs and Contra.
Ann Bordetsky
Partner at NEA, early stage AI. Portfolio includes Perplexity, Eleven Labs and Contra.
Ann Bordetsky
Partner at NEA, early stage AI. Portfolio includes Perplexity, Eleven Labs and Contra.
Tastemakers pick the tools of tomorrow
Tastemakers pick the tools of tomorrow
Tastemakers pick the tools of tomorrow
Tastemakers pick the tools of tomorrow
Contra connects top creative minds with AI teams training models to understand taste. It's the creative layer powering the next generation of AI.
Contra connects top creative minds with AI teams training models to understand taste. It's the creative layer powering the next generation of AI.
Contra connects top creative minds with AI teams training models to understand taste. It's the creative layer powering the next generation of AI.
Expert opinions help shape smarter tools
Expert opinions help shape smarter tools
Expert opinions help shape smarter tools
Expert opinions help shape smarter tools
Shape the future of creative AI with real human taste, all backed by the commission-free network trusted by top creatives.
Shape the future of creative AI with real human taste, all backed by the commission-free network trusted by top creatives.
Shape the future of creative AI with real human taste, all backed by the commission-free network trusted by top creatives.
Frequently asked
questions
What is the Human Creativity Benchmark?
The Human Creativity Benchmark is the new standard set by the results of Creative Arena voting, where Contra’s network of vetted creative professionals evaluates AI-generated outputs. It reflects how real experts judge creativity, style, and brand fit across text, visuals, audio, and user flows.
Who gets to vote and what do we evaluate?
Participation is powered by a commission-free network of vetted creative experts—including designers, writers, marketers, and other professionals with real-world experience. Only verified creative professionals on Contra can participate. You will review AI outputs across multiple formats and provide feedback on originality, brand alignment, and overall quality.
How does my vote shape the future of AI?
Your input helps shape Creative Human Data to train and refine generative models so they better reflect human taste and creative standards. This results in better tools for creatives to raise the floor for everyone. Stay current and shape smarter tools.
Frequently asked
questions
What is the Human Creativity Benchmark?
The Human Creativity Benchmark is the new standard set by the results of Creative Arena voting, where Contra’s network of vetted creative professionals evaluates AI-generated outputs. It reflects how real experts judge creativity, style, and brand fit across text, visuals, audio, and user flows.
Who gets to vote and what do we evaluate?
Participation is powered by a commission-free network of vetted creative experts—including designers, writers, marketers, and other professionals with real-world experience. Only verified creative professionals on Contra can participate. You will review AI outputs across multiple formats and provide feedback on originality, brand alignment, and overall quality.
How does my vote shape the future of AI?
Your input helps shape Creative Human Data to train and refine generative models so they better reflect human taste and creative standards. This results in better tools for creatives to raise the floor for everyone. Stay current and shape smarter tools.
Frequently asked
questions
What is the Human Creativity Benchmark?
The Human Creativity Benchmark is the new standard set by the results of Creative Arena voting, where Contra’s network of vetted creative professionals evaluates AI-generated outputs. It reflects how real experts judge creativity, style, and brand fit across text, visuals, audio, and user flows.
Who gets to vote and what do we evaluate?
Participation is powered by a commission-free network of vetted creative experts—including designers, writers, marketers, and other professionals with real-world experience. Only verified creative professionals on Contra can participate. You will review AI outputs across multiple formats and provide feedback on originality, brand alignment, and overall quality.
How does my vote shape the future of AI?
Your input helps shape Creative Human Data to train and refine generative models so they better reflect human taste and creative standards. This results in better tools for creatives to raise the floor for everyone. Stay current and shape smarter tools.
FOR AI LABS
FOR AI LABS
FOR AI LABS
The creative layer powering next gen AI
The creative layer powering next gen AI
The creative layer powering next gen AI
Shape the future of creative AI with real human taste, all backed by the commission-free network trusted by top creatives.
Shape the future of creative AI with real human taste, all backed by the commission-free network trusted by top creatives.
Discover hidden jobs in your network
Scan thousands of posts in your LinkedIn and X feeds, saving you countless hours.
Discover hidden jobs in your network
Scan thousands of posts in your LinkedIn and X feeds, saving you countless hours.
Discover hidden jobs in your network
Scan thousands of posts in your LinkedIn and X feeds, saving you countless hours.