Consensus Judging

Judging with a group of fellow professionals is the heart and soul of the STC competitions. It is where each judge comes together with others who have evaluated a particular entry to decide what award to grant the entry. At this point, the judges also fine-tune the comments they pass along to the entrants. These comments provide praise and support for the well done elements of the entry and offer suggestions for additional enhancements.

Criteria are provided for making award decisions in each competition, but during this interaction judges are called upon to articulate their views and listen to the views of others. Judges can't help but come away from this exercise enriched.

Each competition has its own consensus gathering. Read the sections below to learn about the particulars of the competition in which you are participating.

For details about judges' orientation, see: Dates and Locations.

Online Communication Competition

Judges are assigned to one of two options, depending on their preference and type of experience:

• Online documentation judging: Judges attend on-site Consensus Judging. Electronic documentation and help system entries will be set up before judges arrive and will remain available throughout the day.
  

  View the Consensus Day Schedule

• Web site judging: Remote judging from the end of October until the beginning of November. Web site entries will be available via URL for judges to judge on their own. Judges must have access to the Web using the most recent versions of major browsers. Web judges attend half-day on-site Consensus Judging.

Technical Art Competition

Judges attend on-site Consensus Judging. Multimedia entries will be set up before judges arrive and will remain available throughout the day.

Technical Publications Competition

Each judge comes prepared to discuss their assigned entries with the other two judges who also judged that entry.

If the judging team can't arrive at consensus on individual entries, the entries will be further evaluated at a second round of judging. Each of these entries needing further judging will be represented to the expanded panel of judges by a representative from the original judging panel (usually the lead judge).