Judges: How to Judge

STEP 1: LOG IN with your computer

Using a desktop computer or laptop, log in on the website using your judge username and password. The judge dashboard has not been optimized for mobile, nor is mobile recommended. 

STEP 2: Log in to your account

• Use the username and password fields to log in to your judge dashboard. Please note if you are a teacher, your judge account is separate from your teacher account. If you don't remember your judge username, please email [e-mail]

STEP 2: From your Judge Dashboard, click Volunteer to Judge. 



STEP 3: Click "Get New Scoresheet"

STEP 4: Review the Judge Guidelines and consent to the Judge Oath

• Review the Judge Guidelines COMPLETELY. You can access the Contest Rules and Judge Guidelines by clicking the buttons in the dashboard.
• Once reviewed, please click and confirm the judge oath. If you need to recuse yourself for any reason, please select 'opt-out' or email us at [e-mail]

STEP 4: Start Judging

• Once the judge oath is confirmed, you can view and score the entries in your dashboard. Your dashboard should look similar to the image below, although colors may vary.
• The first entry will be expanded for you. To view the next entry, click anywhere in that entry's row. 
• Please review each entry and assign score values according to the judging criteria. Additionally, please provide feedback to the student under the "Student Feedback" section. You can use the "Writing Assistant" to help you curate positive feedback that highlights strengths and suggestions. 
  • You can utilize the split screen viewing window by selecting the arrows on the middle bar. If you select the right arrow of the middle bar, it will expand the entry. Similarly, if you select the left arrow, it will expand the feedback section. 
  • To review an entry in a separate tab, select 'View in separate window' under the entry's title. This will open a new tab per entry. 
• We recommend periodically saving your scoresheet by hitting “Save Draft.” The scoresheet also auto-saves after the user completes any field, such as inputting a score or entering feedback.
• Keep each entry (and your opinions about each entry) confidential, and NEVER attempt to contact a student associated with an entry. We have pre-screened essays to prevent disclosure of student personal information that may have been included within their paragraph, but if you feel like you have been provided information that could identify a student, such as first and last name, please stop and contact us immediately at [e-mail]. 

Below is a judge dashboard glossary to help you understand how your dashboard works. 

• Title of the Challenge: On the top of your Dashboard, you should see the name of the Challenge you are judging in bold, underlined letters. 
• Scoresheets: List of your assigned scoresheets. You may be assigned one or multiple scoresheets. All scoresheets in your list are labeled with the Challenge name. 
• Judging Criteria: Review the judging criteria and point values per category. 
• Contest Rules: Click on this button to view the Contest Rules.
• Judge Guidelines: Click on this button to view the Judge Guidelines. 
• Point Entry Fields: Type in the points you are awarding for each criteria category here. Click inside your desired field and type in your point value. You can always go back and edit these points before you submit them by clicking on them again. 
• Entry Details: This column lists the titles of your assigned entries. Click on 'View in separate window' to access the entry you want to review. Clicking it will take you to a separate web page displaying the entry. (See photo below)
• TotalScore: The total sum is the total amount of points you have assigned to an entry. This field auto sums. You cannot enter a value. 
• Student Feedback: React to the entry with up to 4 emojis, and write a few sentences under "Judge Feedback." If you need assistance writing feedback, select 'Click Here for Writing Suggestions.' To turn off this feature, uncheck the 'Enable AI writing assistance' button above your scoresheet. 
• Sort Entries: The CATEGORY dropdown sorts entries by name, judging criteria category, or total sum. You can also use the ORDER dropdown to sort by "high to low" or "low to high." If you are sorting by name, it will sort the entry's title alphabetically. 
• Save Draft: Click on the SAVE DRAFT button to save your scores. Once your scores are saved, you can log out and complete the judging at a later time. 
• Submit: To submit your scores, click the SUBMIT button. All submissions are final.
• Certificates: List of Downloadable certificates as a THANK YOU for judging. :) 

STEP 5: Review Score Sheet

• Sort your scores by “total score: high to low” and conduct a final review to ensure that your scores are consistent from beginning to end. Make any adjustments necessary. 

STEP 6: Submit the Scoresheet

• Once ALL scores are inputted, click the SUBMIT button to submit your scores. Submission is final.

STEP 7: Judge Certificate

• At the conclusion of judging, all judges who submitted a scoresheet will receive a digital certificate.
  

Tips:

• If you have trouble viewing your judge dashboard, try resizing your browser. Depending on your browser, this can be done by dragging the corners of the screen and/or selecting the View Menu and zooming in or out.
• We have implemented an accessibility feature for all users. Click the blue circle (pictured) at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen to adjust the settings of this feature.   

If you have any questions or need to recuse yourself, please email us at [e-mail]