The evaluation process for the Special Group of Rio's Carnival, conducted on Wednesday at the Cidade do Samba in the port area, has debuted a new scoring model that aims to significantly alter the assessment of Carnival performances. For the first time, the nine criteria that determine the champion—such as rhythm, harmony, and samba-enredo—will be subdivided into multiple sub-criteria, totaling 26 detailed elements spread across the various fundamental aspects of the performances, as outlined in the Judging Manual developed by the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba (Liesa).

Previously, only five criteria were broken down, generally into two axes: 'conception' and 'execution', which distinguished the proposed narrative in the samba-enredo from its practical execution on the avenue. With the new model, each fundamental aspect can now be dissected into as many as four parts, incorporating elements such as rhythm, fluency, functionality, creativity, and spontaneity. This restructuring intends to provide a more granular assessment of each school's performance.

The practical implementation of these changes requires the 54 judges to aggregate scores from the sub-criteria to produce the final score that will be placed in the envelope. A rule prevents scores from being excessively low, encouraging a more thorough and equitable evaluation process that reflects the complexity and artistry of the performances during Rio’s Carnival.