 Contests & Activities: June 01, 2016 Issue [#7670] |
  Contests & Activities
This week: Judging Your Contest Edited by: NaNoKit  
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You are running a contest. You have received entries. The time has come to judge them. Now what?
This week's Contests & Activities Newsletter is all about the judging process.
Your guest editor: NaNoKit |
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You've created a contest. People have entered it. Great! You have inspired people to write something, which is pretty cool, as it makes you their (temporary) muse. Or, if your contest accepts older items, you have inspired them to search for something that they feel you'll enjoy. Now it's down to you to choose your winner(s). The entrants are counting on you to be fair. How do you go about it?
First of all, you need time. It doesn't do to rush the judging process. An exception is if you have chosen to run a daily contest – obviously, this severely limits the amount of attention that you can give each item, as you will be announcing the winners along with posting that day's prompt. The best thing you can do in that scenario is to give the entries a proper read through. If you are running a monthly event, however, you can be more thorough. You can go back to items several times, if needs be. You can even review the entries, which begs the question – should you?
Whether or not you review the entries is down to you. Many entrants appreciate a review, both for the valuable feedback it offers and as a sign of reassurance that you have given their entry real consideration. Most people understand, though, that reviews aren't always possible. This is especially the case if you run a contest that attracts a lot of entries. We all have offline lives to lead. Besides, there is a trade-off – reviewing the entries can delay the judging process, and whilst I said above that you need time to judge, people do like to learn the results within a reasonable amount of time. A week is a fair time period for a monthly event. If you can squeeze reviews in there, excellent. If you cannot, or if your reviews wouldn't be to the standard you set for yourself, it's okay to skip them.
What you do need is to set judging criteria. Each entry should be subject to the same criteria, to keep the process fair. If you are holding a short story contest, character development and plot are key considerations. Are the characters believable? Did you care about what happened to them? Could you follow the story? Did it make sense? Was there anything missing? Did the ending feel suitable? Was the piece original and creative? Did you enjoy the author's style and tone? For poetry entries, did the piece flow? Was there some interesting imagery? How did it make you feel? If the author used a specific form, did they follow it properly? What about spelling, grammar and punctuation (for all item types). Did the item follow the rules you set out, and any theme or prompt you specified?
Sometimes people enter contests with items that do not follow the rules. This is unfortunate. What do you do in such a case? As harsh as it may sound, I recommend disqualification. That is what would happen in an off-site contest. Also, allowing items that do not follow the rules can make the playing field unfair for those who did pay attention and wrote or chose accordingly. And once you allow through entries that could reasonably unqualified, it may encourage other people to try submit entries that do not fit the rules, too.
Of course, if you happen to spot an entry that does not follow the rules or the theme/prompt, before the contest deadline, you could contact the author and allow them to either alter their item to the standards you set, or to submit a different piece. Especially for newer members, this is a kind thing to do. Generally, though, I feel that if you set out your requirements clearly, there is no reason for people not to follow them. They are responsible for reading the requirements and acting accordingly.
You may find yourself in a situation where you have three or more prizes, and only three or four entries. It can even happen that you only have one or two entries. If you have not specified what you will do in such a situation, it is best to award your prizes anyway. In case of there being only one or two items, you would award according to the number of entries received. If you are designing a contest now, or you are preparing for a future round, I recommend specifying a minimum amount of entries for each prize. For example: “If five entries or fewer are received, only first place will be awarded. If six to eight entries are received, first and second place will be awarded. If nine or ten entries are received, first, second and third place will be awarded. 10+ entries means that there may be honourable mentions.” Such a statement makes the contest more exciting, and it also means that there is less of a chance of awarding prizes to entries that you don't actually like.
What if you have several items you really like, though, and you can't choose your winner? If that happens, it's time to be very picky. Alternatively, you could contact other authors to help you choose – perhaps make a call for one or two other judges on your Newsfeed. Many members are happy to help out. They have probably found themselves in the same situation before.
Judging can be hard work, but it is very rewarding, too. If you have placed in a contest before, you know what it feels like – it is wonderful to receive that recognition of your efforts. That is the feeling you will give your winners. And if you are the contest holder, you get to hand out the prizes. That is good fun, too.
Best of luck!
NaNoKit
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Some contests that might inspire you:
Some fun activities:
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And don't forget that the nominations for the 2016 Quill Awards have opened!
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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The Contests & Activities Newsletter welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
the Contests & Activities Newsletter Team
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