The OpenWater Blog

Learning Series: Creating Judging Criteria

The judging criteria is the system you create for judges to evaluate each entry. And, quite frankly, you can have the best judges in the industry and it doesn’t matter if the criteria you provide isn’t.

But, what makes judging criteria effective vs. ineffective? Below, we detail 4 objective parameters you should consider when creating or re-evaluating your current criteria.

1. Measurable

One of the simplest ways to keep criteria objective is to make it measurable. You must create a scale, ideally one that is more specific than a generalized, 1 to 10 scale, and you must do so with specificity so all scores are measurable.

It’s important when you’re considering measurability to consider judging biases as well. The smaller your scale, the less chance there is for bias.

For example, you may want to use only a 3-point scale: (1) being an indication of a poor entry, (2) being an indication of a neutral entry, and (3) being an indication of a good entry. It’s important to determine which scale works for you but measurability is key, regardless of how you arrange your program.

2. Unbiased Questions

How you present questions to the judges should also be unbiased.

There should be no leading questions that will prompt judges to give a particular answer. Moreover, every question should be as neutral as possible to ensure judges are able to offer as much of an unbiased opinion in the circumstances.

3. Isolated

Each criteria must be isolated. If you start muddying questions with more than one judging criteria, you won’t receive an accurate measure of an entrant’s merit from each judge.

Keep each question as straightforward and basic as possible to avoid this issue in your program. You may also want to proofread the judging criteria multiple times before making it public to ensure nothing slipped through the cracks.

4. Comprehensive

Taken together, each of the judging criteria should work with others to offer a comprehensive idea of each entry. Most importantly, each of the criteria should analyze a different dimension of the entry so when taken together, nothing is redundant and no features were left out.

Is it Time to Reevaluate Your Judging Criteria?

Whether the criteria you used in previous years has fallen short or there’s room for improvement, the parameters above are a great way to ensure you’re doing everything possible to reward the proper entrants in your program.

Fair judging criteria is another indication of a prestigious organization. Learn how to focus on your own by signing up for our free online course Awards 101: The Missing Manual for Awards Professionals!

Ashley Surinak

Ashley Surinak is the resident OpenWater expert on all things content. From the blog to guides and beyond, you'll find her at every turn in your OpenWater journey.

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