How Judges Score

How Judges Score

Here’s what judges experience when they score entries, so you know what to expect and can answer their questions.

Before you start

• Required permission: scoring:view (to monitor progress from the dashboard)
• You need rubrics created and work assigned to judges

Steps

1. Judges log into the portal

Judges visit your faire’s site and go to /judging. They log in with whatever credentials they set up during registration.

2. They see their assignments

The judge portal shows a list of entries assigned to them. Each assignment displays the entry name, category, and scoring status — whether it’s unscored, in progress, or done.

3. They open an entry to score

Clicking on an assignment opens the rubric for that entry. The rubric shows every criterion you defined, with performance levels laid out as selectable options.

4. They rate each criterion

For each criterion, the judge picks a performance level. They click the level that best matches the entry — “Excellent,” “Good,” “Fair,” or whatever labels you set up. The point value fills in automatically.

5. They leave a comment (optional)

Below the rubric, there’s an Overall Comment field. Judges can write feedback about the entry. This is optional but encouraged — comments give students actionable feedback.

6. They save as draft or submit

Two options at the bottom:

• Save Draft — saves their work without locking it in. They can come back and change scores later.
• Submit — locks in the scores as final. Once submitted, judges can’t edit their ratings.

Most judges score several entries in one sitting, saving drafts along the way and submitting once they’re confident.

7. You monitor progress from the dashboard

Back on the organizer side, go to Judging in the sidebar. You’ll see scoring progress across all judges — how many entries are scored, how many are still pending, and which judges haven’t started yet.

Good to know

• Judges only see entries assigned to them. They can’t browse other entries or see other judges’ scores.
• A draft score is invisible to everyone except the judge who created it. You won’t see partial scores on the dashboard — only submitted ones count.
• If a judge has trouble logging in, check that their account exists in your judges list and that they’re using the right email.
• Judges can score from any device with a browser. The portal works on phones and tablets, though a larger screen is easier for rubrics with many criteria.
• You can’t un-submit a score on behalf of a judge from the dashboard. If a judge submits by mistake, you’ll need to handle it at the database level.

Related

• Creating Rubrics
• Reviewing Scores
• Assigning Work to Judges