At the 2025 EGOS Conference in Athens, the Social Evaluations sub-theme gathered scholars to advance a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances that shape how we judge individuals, organizations, and institutions. A recurring theme in the field is its tendency to frame evaluations in binary terms: good vs. bad, legitimate vs. illegitimate, responsible vs. irresponsible. This year’s discussions challenged that dichotomy, asking whether positive and negative evaluations always exist at opposite ends of a single spectrum or whether they can coexist, overlap, or simply resist such categorization. Participants explored these gray zones between traditionally binary categories and examined how context, audiences, and polarization influence social evaluations. Contributions drew on a rich array of theoretical lenses – such as social identity theory, categorization, or cognitive dissonance – to develop a more nuanced understanding of how these evaluations form. Lively presentations and discussions set the stage for future interdisciplinary research that moves beyond the current black-and-white conceptualizations to the development of richer, spectrum-based perspectives on how individuals and other entities are perceived and evaluated.