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Judging Coordinator

Time Estimate

  • 20 - 30 Hours a year

Overall Responsibility

  • Communicate with the judges prior to the event to enlist their support
  • Assign judges to groups and map them to project categories (i.e. 7th grade life)
  • Manage follow-up ‘best of show’ judging
  • Tally the results and prepare a report (spreadsheet)

Support Required

  • In the past a second person can be helpful to check in judges and help with miscellaneous duties.

Tasks

  • Estimate number of judges required based on previous year and any other factors, then add 5-10% more than for no-shows and last minute cancellations.
  • Review last year’s list for deletions and additions.
  • Write ‘judging request” for judges. Include request for Best of Show judges.
  • Work with communications coordinator to send email notice (through email blast ~6 weeks prior to event).
  • Maintain a list of judge responses. Send out second email notice and/or call judges until number of judges desired is reached, …including 8ea Best of Show judges (experienced).
  • Connect with registration late Monday or early Tuesday to obtain list of registered students/projects
  • Assign judges to groups and to the grade/type they will be judging. Assign judges using judge list information like desired grades, project class, grade conflicts and teaming experienced judges with less experienced.   Assign team leaders where more than one team is used for a grade level…choose these based on their past experience doing this, overall judging experience and personal knowledge of judges.
  • Print name tags and prepare Project Evaluation Sheet for each judge.
  • Check in judges
  • Give a talk at the judges dinner outlining the rules and some tips about judging (see below)
  • Answer judge’s questions during the evening and perhaps settle disputes
  • Place judges list near check-in area and ask judges to review before leaving and update any information as required.
  • Tally results and call first place winners for ‘best-of-show’ judging. Schedule them using Best of Show interview schedule form.
  • Coordinate ‘Best-of-show’ judges and get their results. This includes providing name tags again for Best of Show judges, Best of Show interview schedule, and Project Evaluation Sheets.
  • Complete final report (spreadsheet) of results and hand off to:
    • Chair
    • Communications Coordinator to generate awards night PowerPoint & email winners asking them to come to awards night.
    • Website Coordinator to post on website
    • Awards Coordinator to generate checks/ribbons/medals/etc.
  • With help, phone winners to tell them they have won something and to please come to the Awards Night (did you want to do both email and call as currently noted?)
  • Complete final spreadsheet of judge’s attendance and update judges list for next year.
  • Provide a quick review of how things went, notes for next year, and any other ways to improve things

 Forms

  • Project Evaluation Sheet (with rubrics on back side)
  • Judges Final Decision Sheet
  • Best of Show interview schedule

Records

  • Judges Lists (potential, current, past & attendance)*
  • Judging Results*
  • Project Evaluation Sheets should be discarded
  • Judges Final Decision Sheets should be kept till awards night is complete

 *Found in the Dropbox folder 

Judging speech notes:

  1. Ensure team leaders check in with their other teams. The team leader is responsible for turning in Judges Final Decision Sheet.
  2. When unsure of content of parental involvement, error on the side of the student and/or check with judging coordinator.
  3. No ties for first place. Avoid ties for second and third.   Be liberal with honorable mentions, especially in grades with large project sizes.
  4. Do not feel that every grade must have a first, second, third place if it is not a complete or worthy project. Check with judging coordinator in these situations before turning in final judging sheet.
  5. Encourage use of rubrics on back of Project Evaluation Sheets.