Judging Process & Schedule

The judging process involves four sessions: Project Previews, Interviews, Category Caucuses and a Grand Prize Caucus.  The minimum time commitment is 8:00-2:00, with the 2:00-3:00 grand prize caucus open to all judges.  Prospective judges who cannot attend the full 8:00-2:00 judging session can still participate in the process, but registration and confirmation of availability are key to a smooth judging process.

Philosophy:   Advance the best, encourage the rest
Process: Project Previews Judges preview projects without students present, completing most of each judging sheet before interviewing students.
  Interviews Judges interview students, revise scores as needed, and complete last portion of judging sheet.
  Category Caucus Judges gather by category and use numeric scores to identify top contenders.  Judges then review top contenders within their category and rank order projects by consensus.
  Grand Prize Caucus Top projects from each category are moved to a separate viewing gallery for review by all judges.  The grand prize winner is then chosen by consensus.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Schedule:

7:30

8:00

 Judge Check-in and Breakfast
 

8:00

8:30

 Judges' Orientation
 

8:30

10:30

 Project Preview 10-15 minutes per project (max)
Judges complete most of each judging sheet
 

10:30

12:30

 Interviews 10-15 minutes per project (max)
Judges interview assigned students, finish judging sheets
 

12:30

2:00

 Category Caucus Judges:
  • Gather by category;
  • Crunch numbers and identify top projects;
  • Review top projects and rank order winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd);
  • Move 1st & 2nd place winners to judging hall for consideration for Grand Prize.
 

2:00

2:45

 Viewing of Category Winners
 

2:45

3:00

 Grand Prize Caucus
  • Project lists and abstracts for category winners are distributed;
  • Judges vote on projects by show of hands;
  • Project pool is narrowed in a series of votes and the Grand Prize Winner is identified.