diff --git a/back-end/src/handlers/contests.ts b/back-end/src/handlers/contests.ts
index bd5f969..71d2bd4 100644
--- a/back-end/src/handlers/contests.ts
+++ b/back-end/src/handlers/contests.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { User } from '../models/user.model';
 ///
 
 const PROJECT = process.env.PROJECT;
+const STAGE = process.env.STAGE;
 const DDB_TABLES = { users: process.env.DDB_TABLE_users, contests: process.env.DDB_TABLE_contests };
 const ddb = new DynamoDB();
 
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ class ContestsRC extends ResourceController {
 
   constructor(event: any, callback: any) {
     super(event, callback, { resourceId: 'contestId' });
+    if (STAGE === 'prod') this.silentLambdaLogs(); // to make the vote anonymous
   }
 
   protected async checkAuthBeforeRequest(): Promise<void> {
@@ -115,10 +117,11 @@ class ContestsRC extends ResourceController {
     await ddb.transactWrites([{ Update: markUserContestVoted }, { Update: addUserVoteToContest }]);
   }
   private async publishResults(): Promise<void> {
+    if (!this.user.permissions.canManageContents) throw new HandledError('Unauthorized');
+
     if (this.contest.publishedResults) throw new HandledError('Already public');
 
-    if (!this.contest.voteEndsAt || new Date().toISOString() <= this.contest.voteEndsAt)
-      throw new HandledError('Vote is not done');
+    if (!this.contest.isVoteEnded()) throw new HandledError('Vote is not done');
 
     await ddb.update({
       TableName: DDB_TABLES.contests,
@@ -155,7 +158,7 @@ class ContestsRC extends ResourceController {
     if (!this.user.permissions.canManageContents) {
       contests = contests.filter(c => c.enabled);
       contests.forEach(contest => {
-        if (contest.publishedResults) delete contest.results;
+        if (!contest.publishedResults) delete contest.results;
       });
     }
 
diff --git a/back-end/src/models/contest.model.ts b/back-end/src/models/contest.model.ts
index 543db80..5921cb3 100644
--- a/back-end/src/models/contest.model.ts
+++ b/back-end/src/models/contest.model.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { Resource, epochISOString } from 'idea-toolbox';
 
 /**
- * A contest to which people can vote in.
+ * A contest to which users can vote in.
  */
 export class Contest extends Resource {
   /**
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ export class Contest extends Resource {
    */
   createdAt: epochISOString;
   /**
-   * Whether the contest is enabled and therefore shown in the menu.
+   * Whether the contest is enabled and therefore shown in the menu to everyone.
    */
   enabled: boolean;
   /**
-   * If set, the vote is active (users can vote) and ends at the configured timestamp.
+   * If set, the vote is active (users can vote), and it ends at the configured timestamp.
    */
   voteEndsAt?: epochISOString;
   /**
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export class Contest extends Resource {
   candidates: ContestCandidate[];
   /**
    * The count of votes for each of the sorted candidates.
-   * Note: the order of the candidates list must not change after a vote is open.
+   * Note: the order of the candidates list must not change after the vote is open.
    * This attribute is not accessible to non-admin users until `publishedResults` is true.
    */
   results?: number[];
@@ -66,9 +66,10 @@ export class Contest extends Resource {
   safeLoad(newData: any, safeData: any): void {
     super.safeLoad(newData, safeData);
     this.contestId = safeData.contestId;
-    this.results = safeData.results;
+    this.createdAt = safeData.createdAt;
     if (safeData.isVoteStarted()) {
       this.candidates = safeData.candidates;
+      this.results = safeData.results;
     }
   }
 
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ export class ContestCandidate extends Resource {
    * The country of the candidate.
    * This is particularly important beacuse, if set, users can't vote for candidates of their own countries.
    */
-  country: string;
+  country: string | null;
 
   load(x: any): void {
     super.load(x);
diff --git a/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contest.page.ts b/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contest.page.ts
index 1f37233..965cf20 100644
--- a/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contest.page.ts
+++ b/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contest.page.ts
@@ -49,11 +49,11 @@ import { Contest } from '@models/contest.model';
             <ion-card-title>{{ contest.name }}</ion-card-title>
             <ion-card-subtitle>
               @if(contest.isVoteStarted()) { @if(contest.isVoteEnded()) { @if(contest.publishedResults) {
-              <ion-badge color="primary">{{ 'CONTESTS.RESULTS' | translate }}</ion-badge>
+              <ion-badge color="ESNgreen">{{ 'CONTESTS.RESULTS' | translate }}</ion-badge>
               } @else {
               <ion-badge color="ESNpink">{{ 'CONTESTS.VOTE_ENDED' | translate }}</ion-badge>
               } } @else {
-              <ion-badge color="ESNgreen">
+              <ion-badge color="primary">
                 {{ 'CONTESTS.VOTE_NOW_UNTIL' | translate : { deadline: (contest.voteEndsAt | dateLocale : 'short') } }}
               </ion-badge>
               } } @else {
@@ -85,12 +85,12 @@ import { Contest } from '@models/contest.model';
                   <ion-button slot="end" fill="clear" (click)="_app.openURL(candidate.url)">
                     <ion-icon icon="link" slot="icon-only" />
                   </ion-button>
-                  } @if(contest.publishedResults) { @if( isCandidateWinnerByIndex($index)) {
-                  <ion-icon slot="end" icon="trophy" color="ESNgreen" />
+                  } @if(contest.publishedResults) { @if(isCandidateWinnerByIndex($index)) {
+                  <ion-icon slot="end" icon="trophy" color="ESNgreen" style="margin-left: 6px" />
                   }
                   <ion-badge
                     slot="end"
-                    style="width: 80px; text-align: right"
+                    style="width: 80px; text-align: right; margin-left: 6px"
                     [color]="isCandidateWinnerByIndex($index) ? 'ESNgreen' : 'primary'"
                   >
                     {{ contest.results[$index] ?? 0 }} {{ 'CONTESTS.VOTES' | translate | lowercase }}
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export class ContestPage implements OnInit {
     } catch (err) {
       this._message.error('COMMON.NOT_FOUND');
     } finally {
-      await this._loading.hide();
+      this._loading.hide();
     }
   }
 
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ export class ContestPage implements OnInit {
       } catch (err) {
         this._message.error('COMMON.OPERATION_FAILED');
       } finally {
-        await this._loading.hide();
+        this._loading.hide();
       }
     };
 
diff --git a/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contests.page.ts b/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contests.page.ts
index 8f00b1d..a8ef07e 100644
--- a/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contests.page.ts
+++ b/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/contests.page.ts
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@ import { Contest } from '@models/contest.model';
         <ion-item color="white" button detail (click)="selectContest(contest)">
           <ion-label class="ion-text-wrap">{{ contest.name }}</ion-label>
           @if(contest.isVoteStarted()) { @if(contest.isVoteEnded()) { @if(contest.publishedResults) {
-          <ion-badge color="primary">{{ 'CONTESTS.RESULTS' | translate }}</ion-badge>
+          <ion-badge color="ESNgreen">{{ 'CONTESTS.RESULTS' | translate }}</ion-badge>
           } @else {
           <ion-badge color="ESNpink">{{ 'CONTESTS.VOTE_ENDED' | translate }}</ion-badge>
           } } @else {
-          <ion-badge color="ESNgreen">{{ 'CONTESTS.VOTE_NOW' | translate }}</ion-badge>
+          <ion-badge color="primary">{{ 'CONTESTS.VOTE_NOW' | translate }}</ion-badge>
           } }
         </ion-item>
         } @empty { @if(contests) {
diff --git a/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/manageContest.component.ts b/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/manageContest.component.ts
index 9fbea0b..e4e6d0d 100644
--- a/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/manageContest.component.ts
+++ b/front-end/src/app/tabs/contests/manageContest.component.ts
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ import { Contest, ContestCandidate } from '@models/contest.model';
           </ion-item>
           <ion-item [class.fieldHasError]="hasFieldAnError('candidates[' + $index + '].url')">
             <ion-label position="stacked">{{ 'CONTESTS.CANDIDATE_URL' | translate }}</ion-label>
-            <ion-input [(ngModel)]="candidate.url" [disabled]="contest.isVoteStarted()" />
+            <ion-input type="url" [(ngModel)]="candidate.url" [disabled]="contest.isVoteStarted()" />
           </ion-item>
           <ion-item [class.fieldHasError]="hasFieldAnError('candidates[' + $index + '].country')">
             <ion-select
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ import { Contest, ContestCandidate } from '@models/contest.model';
               [(ngModel)]="candidate.country"
               [disabled]="contest.isVoteStarted()"
             >
+              <ion-select-option [value]="null"></ion-select-option>
               @for(country of _app.configurations.sectionCountries; track $index) {
               <ion-select-option [value]="country">{{ country }}</ion-select-option>
               }
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ import { Contest, ContestCandidate } from '@models/contest.model';
           }
           <ion-badge
             slot="end"
-            style="width: 80px; text-align: right"
+            style="width: 80px; text-align: right; margin-left: 6px"
             [color]="isCandidateWinnerByIndex($index) ? 'ESNgreen' : 'primary'"
           >
             {{ contest.results[$index] ?? 0 }} {{ 'CONTESTS.VOTES' | translate | lowercase }}
@@ -281,7 +282,8 @@ export class ManageContestComponent implements OnInit {
     this.contest.candidates.push(new ContestCandidate());
   }
   removeCandidate(candidate: ContestCandidate): void {
-    this.contest.candidates.splice(this.contest.candidates.indexOf(candidate), 1);
+    const candidateIndex = this.contest.candidates.indexOf(candidate);
+    if (candidateIndex !== -1) this.contest.candidates.splice(candidateIndex, 1);
   }
 
   isCandidateWinnerByIndex(candidateIndex: number): boolean {
@@ -300,7 +302,7 @@ export class ManageContestComponent implements OnInit {
       } catch (err) {
         this._message.error('COMMON.OPERATION_FAILED');
       } finally {
-        await this._loading.hide();
+        this._loading.hide();
       }
     };