Competitions – five minutes or five pages

It’s great to see so many people participating in the Lochac Kingdom A&S competitions, learning new skills, perfecting old ones, exploring themes and expanding their interests. So much enthusiasm! It can be difficult to filter that down to a manageable size for entering, while still showing off all those fascinating points. Equally, competitions require a concentrated input of time and focus from all the judges.

Volunteer judges give up their day, at an important Crown event, to deal as thoroughly and thoughtfully as they can with a wide range of entries. They need to wrangle a disparate selection into order, assign meaningful scores and offer useful feedback for each item. There might be ten items to judge, or twenty, and each one needs a fair assessment. Some people have been judges many times over the years; others may be frantically reading the guidelines to find out what they need to do.

Until the job is done, judges are not able to move around the event. They are missing out on courts, the tournament finals, the chance to socialise with their friends, and maybe even lunch! Judging is a big job, and we can’t have a Championship without people willing to offer this service.

Obviously, making their task easier and more pleasant is a high priority. Some of this is achieved by the event organisers, who provide tables, chairs, writing equipment, and sometimes even drinks and snacks (much appreciated). Some of it can be achieved by competition entrants – you!

The easiest way you can help is to be prepared. Have your entry and paperwork on the table early, ready to be assessed whenever the judges are able. If you want to know more about how to document your work, start here.

Keep your text down to five pages – the judges won’t have leisure to read more than that.

Of course, some entries don’t fit this ideal!
If you have written a book, or absolutely can’t do without fifty pages of documentation, consider making use of the online or early entry options, so that your item can be examined more slowly. Of course, this means having your entry ready well before the actual event.

If you wish to present verbal docco on the day, or if your entry is a performance, or clothing being worn, you need to remain at the judges’ disposal until they are able to give you their attention. This means letting them know you have a presentation, and then waiting within sight of the judges so they can get hold of you fast when the moment comes. Keep an eye out for their signal.

Judges can’t chase around the crowd looking for you – they probably have seven other items waiting to be assessed. Be easy to locate and ready to do your thing.

Aim for five minutes of presentation. Less is fine. 😉

Judges are fabulous people, doing a tricky task on a day with many other amazing things to do…
Do the Five and keep our judges happy!