On each graph, points are on the Y-axis, and squadron position on the leaderboard is on the X-axis. Both scales are logarithmic. The light grey line (diamond marker) is the numbers for the previous measured season. As in previous seasons, the approximate power-law distribution continues allowing estimates of total activity to be made without spending too long reading the boards. Results are based on late measures of the current season boards due to known bugs with the "last season" boards, and so may not reflect final outcomes exactly.
(Political is excluded, because there are well-known exploits to allow very high scores, and because it's not clear even without the exploits what it's supposed to be measuring: the in-game description of "large and happy faction" is clearly wrong - possibly this will change if they ever implement BGS happiness properly)
Because of the "last season" board bug, I wasn't able to get accurate data for season 37 and that report was skipped. "Last season" comparisons on the graphs are therefore actually with season 36
Anti Xeno (229 pages)
Winners: Dark Echo, Anti-Xeno Initiative, Wolves of Jonai
The total score and page count is a bit down on two seasons ago. Season 38 saw Thor fall, and perhaps as more and more of the bubble becomes unthreatened, there are fewer people still needing to fight. Still, Galnet suggests it's not completely over yet, so Season 39 might open with something more interesting.
Combat (801 pages)
Winners: Dark Echo, Stellanebula Project, Anti-Xeno Initiative
A lot of AX combat likely going into winning these trophies. Total participation is up - as might be expected with the general rise in activity following the engineering changes - though total activity is actually down slightly. Perhaps the new SCO drive means less ambient combat is happening?
CQC (21 pages)
Winners: We Rock You Roll, Romanian Special Division, Black Swans
Participation and activity is down, though it seems like there's a competition developing for who gets the Silver trophy here with the 2nd and 3rd places a reversal of season 36 and closely contested.
Exploration (858 pages)
Winners: Intergalactic Astronomical Union, A.C.E. Exploration, The Stellar Cartographers Guild
Both participation and activity is up here compared with season 36, though not significantly.
Powerplay (28 pages)
Winners: Aislings Angels, Lavigny's Legion, Federal Liberal Command
Well, the previous prediction was for season 37 or 38 to have some transitional results, which Frontier avoided by delaying the Powerplay release until October. Short of another delay until early November it's therefore going to be in the middle of season 39.
Despite the impending change, activity in version 1 stays resolutely stable.
Trade (686 pages)
Winners: East India Company, The Winged Hussars, Celestial Light Brigade
Trade is also slightly up on season 36 in both participation and activity - this could be in part due to the SCO drive allowing slightly faster turnarounds, as there hasn't been a lot of activity on the CG side.
Other comments
With CGs still largely missing to focus participation at the top of the boards, and Powerplay not yet released, everything seems to be fairly stable at the moment (maybe Season 37 was big and we missed it?).
Until we see if Powerplay makes it into Season 39, and if so, what it involves, it's very hard to predict what might happen on the leaderboards next.
