This week: The Judgement: an art of opinion Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Contests & Activities Newsletter by Dawn
We look at the concept of judging a contest. Most decisions are based in large part on personal opinion and choice, which can vary depending on the moment. Each judge will have their own approach, just like each contestant will respond in their own way. |
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There are many aspects to hosting a contest. It takes a lot of time and thought to set everything up, create the forums, come up with prompts if they are used and get everything available for people to enter. After the deadline ends, hopefully people have submitted entries, then comes the next challenge: judgement.
Each step has its own difficult points and also elements that make this all fun. Getting to judge a contest includes a variety of emotions and experiences. I've judged a variety of contests that have included ones I created, ones I inherited, challenges that other people own and the WDC official contests. As a judge, I have gotten the joy of reading a variety of entries. Some have been great, a few not so good and some no where near the expectation of the prompt. Having this experience now helps, but when I first started, the act of judging was new and different. I've also entered many contests, so I can understand the questions people may have when the results don't match their expectations.
The fact of the matter is this... Judges are human. We make decisions based on a variety of factors, depending on contests and the rules, but in the end there is a large influence on the decision. That influence is also known as personal opinion.
Seems obvious, right? However, it can be easy to forget how different we all are when it comes to the wide ranging connection made through this web site.
For example, I manage a contest where, for the time being, I am the judge. That has not always been the case. I first started by entering the contest, then was a co-owner before taking over. We have had a variety of judges take rounds for The Weekly Quickie contest and I can guarantee the preferences for romance and beyond are different for each judge. I am someone who identifies as Ace but write m/m romance. Other judges have had a greater interest in the physical interactions between characters. Back when we had an active WDC chat room, I got to hear in detail from at least one about what he liked to read in the genre, which was mor on the side of discomfort in my perspective.
The site official contests are another good example, but it is also true of any contest that uses more than one judge at a time. Any contest that has a group, or even just a duo, of people voicing opinions over which entry gets ranked higher or should win a prize, there is a high chance that something will be different. Sure, we take general writing technique and, if relevant, prompt usage into consideration. Some thoughts and judges will come to similar results. Others can be near opposites.
So, why the reminder? Whether you place or not in a contest. If you get a review that doesn’t match an expectation. I am just suggesting take this thought into consideration: this is based on their opinion.
Take it for what you can and keep on writing. And please, keep entering contests. Even when we take time responding, trust that as judges, we appreciate every entry.
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What is your approach when judging a contest? How do you view judges when you enter one of the contests?
Months ago, when I last did a contest newsletter, I received a response. The topic involved writing challenges, which can range in time frame, item type and expectations. Here is the comment sent for that topic:
Comment by Elfin Dragon-finally published  :
I've often taken part in a variety of contest challenges lasting weeks and months.
OctPrep
NaNoWriMo
NaPoWriMo
I Write
And a few others
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Contests & Activities: June 21, 2023 Issue [#12023]
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