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Reflections
Judging Process
Finding Judges
You may already have a judging system in place that works well for your program. However, if you are having difficulty recruiting qualified judges, here are some ideas of others to invite to participate:
- Art, literature, and music educators; college/university professors
- Teachers from other schools participating in the Reflections Program
- Art museum directors, docents, curators, or historians
- Professional photographers and local artisans
- Local symphony orchestra or choral directors, musicians, conductors, or composers
- Newspaper journalists, editors, or photographers
- Arts advocacy organization presidents or directors
Inviting professionals in the arts or influential community leaders to participate in Reflections Program increases the exposure of the PTA, its work, and the benefits students derive from participating in the arts.
If a judge knows a student participant, the judge should remove himself or herself from the judging process for that particular arts area to prevent a conflict of interest. Teachers from the host school serving as judges would also have a conflict of interest, so it is better to invite teachers from another school that also offers the Reflections Program.
Remember to recognize judges in promotions and thank them for their participation. Some PTAs provide each judge with a small gift or certificate of appreciation.
Blind judging
It is important to conduct blind judging¾where judges do not see artists’ names¾in situations or settings where judges may know the student or the work. The number of judges you use is up to you.
Literature: Distribute photocopies of only the front side of each literary entry. However, send the original manuscript of each winning entry on to the next level of judging.
Musical compositions: Prepare a master audiocassette or CD of all of the entries and a list of the entries using a code for the students’ names. Include the grade division, title, playing time, and optional statement if one is submitted. Or, play the pieces for the judges so they don’t see the information.
Photography and visual arts: Cover the personal information attached to the artwork. Sticky notes work well, or, hang the work first so the personal information is facing the wall. Identify the pieces by number until the judging is complete.
Beyond the local PTA level, blind judging will need to occur only if there is a chance that the judges will recognize a student’s entry. In most situations, judges at the council, district, and state PTA levels should be able to use the original materials for literature and musical composition.
National PTA Judging
All national entries are judged on artistic merit, creativity, and interpretation of the theme. A local, council, or district PTA might want to use a similar process.
Literature and musical compositions: The four judges each receive entries from one grade division to review. The judges select eight entries for presentation to the full panel. After the presentation, the judges assign awards of excellence and awards of merit.
Photography and visual arts: Entries are judged from electronic files of the original artwork. The judges view all of the artwork for one grade division and select the pieces that they would like to see in a second round of viewing. In the second round, they pick the top eight and assign awards of excellence and awards of merit. They then repeat the process for the other grade divisions. A state-level judging system could have a similar design.
Tiebreakers: If two entries are judged as equal in all areas, the entry that best interprets the theme receives more recognition.
Outstanding Interpretation selection: All of the awards of excellence in each arts area are reviewed together. The one piece that best interprets the theme is selected for the Outstanding Interpretation awards.
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