Judging Policy and Requirements

JUDGING POLICY

Novice Division

Each school must provide one full commitment judge per team. “One full commitment judge” means having a qualified individual available for every preliminary round and any elimination rounds for which the program is obligated.

Students in their third or fourth year of competitive policy debate may judge in this division. Any student judge in the novice division will only be used in novice.

Junior Varsity Division

Each school must provide one full commitment judge per two teams. “One full commitment judge” means having a qualified individual available for every preliminary round and any elimination rounds for which the program is obligated.

Students in their fourth year of competitive debate may judge in this division only if they are brought as “extra” judges. Please see the description below for clarification.

“Extra Judges,” Divisions, and Strikes

Programs are encouraged to bring experienced fourth year debaters to evaluate JV debates. However, an experienced senior considered an “extra” may not fulfill any portion of a program’s judging obligation for junior varsity or novice.

A fourth year debater fulfilling a portion of a school’s commitment in novice will not be used in the JV pool. "Extra judges" in the JV pool could be used in the novice pool. 

All fourth year seniors eligible to evaluate junior varsity rounds will appear on a strike sheet prior to the tournament. Schools may strike as many of these student judges as they wish without penalty. Fourth year judges who are not struck by a school may evaluate JV debaters from that respective program.

We trust that if there are any conflicts between a particular student judge and a JV debater, each coach will use their discretion and strike that judge.

For tabulation purposes, if a senior judge is entered in the JV division, coaches must mark them as "first year out" - this is the easiest way for us to accommodate electronic strikes. 

Hired Judging

We strongly encourage schools to fulfill their tournament judging obligations. However, there will be a very limited number of judges available for hire. The cost to hire a full judge is $375.

Obligation

All judges are required to judge one round beyond their team’s elimination.

Ballots

All judges must have functional tabroom account. All ballots and pairings will be distributed electronically. Please make sure that judges are familiar with this process.

Post Round Disclosure

Oral critiques/disclosure is encouraged after a round. We believe judge accountability and the educational value of a post round discussion strengthens the quality of debate and maximizes its value for students, coaches, and judges. 

Please fill out, submit, and confirm your ballot prior to giving oral critiques.