There isn’t a single universally accepted set of criteria for rating photographs. Evaluation depends heavily on purpose: personal selects, client delivery, stock, and competitions often prioritize different things.

What is common is to separate technical quality from more subjective qualities. Typical factors include focus/sharpness, exposure, lighting, color balance, composition, storytelling, creativity, and emotional impact. Even technical judgments can be subjective—for example, motion blur may be a flaw in one image and a strength in another.

Many contests use their own judging rubrics for consistency, but those systems are designed around the contest’s goals and may not fit your own editing needs. A well-known example is the Professional Photographers of America approach, which uses multiple judging elements such as technical excellence, lighting, color balance, storytelling, and creativity.

For personal star ratings, a practical approach is to define your own criteria based on your goals. Many photographers first filter for technically acceptable images, then do additional passes to narrow down the strongest images by comparison. So: no universal standard, but yes—there are common categories you can adapt into a consistent rubric for your own work.