Criteria for Judging a Contest

When you enter a contest, you are required to provide an entry that demonstrates your ability to perform a certain skill. What kind of skill? Usually it takes the form of photography, writing or trivia. Within the contest rules, there has to be a set of judging criteria. Curious on How to Judge a Contest? We at RAVEN5 run a variety of contests and sweepstakes. When discussing contest details with our clients, we are often asked, “What are good criteria for judging a contest?” It really depends on the type of contest you are planning to run.

I’ve talked about photo contest judging criteria before, based on a great summary by a photographer. When considering criteria for judging a contest like this, here are a few recommendations:

1. Character
2. Creativity
3. Focus
4. Colour consideration
5. Composition
6. Light balance

There’s a whole list of more technical considerations on my previous blog Photo Contest Judging Criteria.

Writing Criteria for Judging a Contest

When considering a writing contest, the criteria for judging a contest is slightly different. Based on a few different writing contests, here are some criteria to consider:

1. Imagination / Development of Ideas
2. Writing Skill
3. Originality
4. Technical accuracy

Depending if the contest features fiction or non-fiction writing, the criteria can change, but generally the requirements are the same.

Other types of contests will have different criteria for judging. When preparing the rules for a contest, it’s important to include a guide for entrants to see how each category will be judged or scored. The criteria for judging a contest is presented as either a rubric or a scoresheet. As the contest sponsor or administrator, you’ll also have to include specific criteria, such as relevance to the theme or if the entry included all necessary requirements. Remember to think out the requirements of the contest early, as these dictate other aspects of the contest and here’s a Sweepstakes Checklist (that also covers contests) to get you started.

RAVEN5 works with our clients to find new customers, build online engagements and drive in-store sales. Contact RAVEN5 to get started on your contest today.

Jesse Bickerton, RAVEN5, July 2018

Sources

http://www.literature-study-online.com/creativewriting/judging.html

http://sparkanthology.org/contests/criteria/

https://www.hkywa.com/about-the-competition/judging-criteria/

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