criteria for judging essay competition

The Scholastic Awards Writing Rubric: What Is It and How Can It Improve Your Writing?

When jurors review writing works during the awards selection process, they must keep in mind the Awards’ three judging criteria:

Originality

Work that breaks from convention, blurs the boundaries between genres, and challenges notions of how a particular concept or emotion can be expressed.

Technical Skill

Work that uses technique to advance an original perspective or a personal vision or voice, and shows skills being utilized to create something unique, powerful, and innovative.

Emergence of a Personal Voice or Vision

Work with an authentic and unique point of view and style.

We’ve used the same judging criteria since the Awards began in 1923 and have found it useful for identifying works that show promise. But how are those criteria used when reviewing teen writing? To assist our judges with making their selections, we’ve put together a rubric that offers guides to help the jurors determine which works meet the criteria and which works exceed them.

Students and educators may want to review the rubric to see where their works fall and what they can improve. For instance, rambling sentences can drown out a strong voice, and works that are grammatically correct can fall short of the originality criteria if they don’t present any new ideas. Like any skill, writing can be improved with practice, and reviewing the rubric may help.

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Zoya Makkar, Awake from an Ignorant Slumber , Photography. Grade 10, Plano East Senior High School, Plano, TX. Karen Stanton, Educator ; Region-at-Large, Affiliate . Gold Medal 2021

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Criteria for Judging Essays in the Creative Writing Competition 2013

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Elaine Sharplin

Saeed Rezaei , Mary Vz

Drawing on a modified version of Delphi technique, the researchers in this study tried to develop a rubric comprising the main criteria to be considered in the evaluation of works of fiction. Review of the related literature, as well as the administration of a Likert scale questionnaire, and a series of unstructured interviews with experts in the fields of literature and creative writing, led to the identification of ten elements which were used in the construction of the first version of the rubric. To ensure its validity, a number of distinguished creative writing professors were asked to review this assessment tool and comment on its appropriateness for measuring the intended construct. Some revisions were made based on these comments, and following that, the researchers came up with an analytical rubric consisting of nine elements, namely narrative voice, characterisation, story, setting, mood and atmosphere, language and writing mechanics, dialogue, plot, and image. The reliability of this rubric was also established through the calculation of both interrater and intrarater reliability. Finally, the significance of the development of this valid and reliable rubric is discussed and its implications for teaching and assessing creative pieces of writing are presented.

Lawrence Rudner

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Journal of Technology Learning and Assessment

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International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education

The most widely used creativity assessments are divergent thinking tests, but these and other popular creativity measures have been shown to have little validity. The Consensual Assessment Technique is a powerful tool used by creativity researchers in which panels of expert judges are asked to rate the creativity of creative products such as stories, collages, poems, and other artifacts. The Consensual Assessment Technique is based on the idea that the best measure of the creativity of a work of art, a theory, a research proposal, or any other artifact is the combined assessment of experts in that field. Unlike other measures of creativity, the Consensual Assessment Technique is not based on any particular theory of creativity, which means that its validity (which has been well established empirically) is not dependent upon the validity of any particular theory of creativity. The Consensual Assessment Technique has been deemed the “gold standard” in creativity research and can be ve...

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yakup gökhan çetin

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By submitting your essay, you give the Berkeley Prize the nonexclusive, perpetual right to reproduce the essay or any part of the essay, in any and all media at the Berkeley Prize’s discretion.  A “nonexclusive” right means you are not restricted from publishing your paper elsewhere if you use the following attribution that must appear in that new placement: “First submitted to and/or published by the international Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence ( www.BerkeleyPrize.org ) in competition year 20(--) (and if applicable) and winner of that year’s (First, Second, Third…) Essay prize.” Finally, you warrant the essay does not violate any intellectual property rights of others and indemnify the BERKELEY PRIZE against any costs, loss, or expense arising out of a violation of this warranty.

Registration and Submission

You (and your teammate if you have one) will be asked to complete a short registration form which will not be seen by members of the Berkeley Prize Committee or Jury.

REGISTER HERE.

Additional Help and Information

• Welcome to High Sierra Writers
• Critique Groups
• HSW Authors
• HSW Membership
• Dues Payments

2021 Writing Contest Judging Criteria

For all categories,  the judges are asked to write comments on winning submissions,. This is optional on any other entries, but the judging form will be returned to the submitter.

HIGH SIERRA WRITERS’ 2021 WRITING CONTEST: FLASH FICTION

Please rate the author on each item on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “needs a lot of work”, 5 being average, and 10 being outstanding. Add up the points for a total rating. In the case of a tie, you may be asked to determine which story is more compelling.

____    Originality : The piece shows a freshness of imagination, creativity, and individuality.

____    Plot Structure: The piece is a complete story with beginning, middle, and a satisfying conclusion.

____    Characterization: Characters are vivid and compelling.

____      Quality of Writing : Organization is logical and effective. Voice is individual and appropriate. Sentence fluency is smooth and expressive.

____    TOTAL POINTS

HIGH SIERRA WRITERS’ 2021 WRITING CONTEST: SHORT STORY

Please rate the author on each item on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “needs a lot of work”, 5 being average, and 10 being outstanding. Add up the points for a total rating.  In the case of a tie, you may be asked to determine which story is more compelling.

____    Plot Structure: Enough information is provided to understand the story. Conflict emerges early and builds toward resolution. The sequence of events, dialog, and emotional movements are well crafted. Situations needing resolution are closed. Subtle undercurrents (if any) emerge during resolution.

____    Character Development and Dialog: The reader can relate to the characters; they are able to hold the reader’s attention. Actions and interactions are consistent and well-motivated. Dialog shows the characters to the readers for who they really are.

____     Quality of Writing : Organization is logical and effective. Voice is individual and appropriate. Sentence fluency is smooth and expressive.

HIGH SIERRA WRITERS’ 2021 WRITING CONTEST: CHILDREN’S STORY

____    Age Appropriate: Does this story seem appropriate for a 6 to 10 year-old child?

____   Originality : The piece shows a freshness of imagination, creativity, and individuality.

____    Plot Structure: Enough information is provided for a child to understand the story. Conflict emerges early and builds. The sequence of events, dialog, and emotional movements are well crafted.

____     Quality of Writing : Organization is logical and effective. Voice is individual and appropriate. Word choice is specific and memorable. Sentence fluency is smooth and expressive.

Profile in Courage Essay Contest

Getting started.

The 2024 Profile in Courage Essay Contest opens for submissions on September 1, 2023. The contest deadline is January 12, 2024.

Contest Topic and Information

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation invites U.S. high school students to describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F. Kennedy was born.

Eligibility and Requirements

The contest is open to United States high school students in grades nine through twelve attending public, private, parochial, or home schools; US students under the age of twenty enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program; and US citizens attending schools overseas.

Recognition and Awards

The first-place winner receives $10,000. Second-place receives $3,000. Five finalists receive $1,000 each. Ten semifinalists receive $100 each. Eight students receive honorable mention.

Past Winning Essays

Read past winning essays to see examples of excellent submissions.

Criteria for Judging

Submissions are evaluated on content (demonstrated understanding of political courage, originality, supporting evidence, source material) and presentation (quality of writing, organization, conventions.) Includes information about disqualifications.

Prepare Your Essay

Resources to help you prepare an excellent essay: Elements of a Strong Essay, Helpful Tips for Writing, Guidelines for Citations and Bibliography, and Criteria for Judging.

Submit Your Essay

The contest opens for submission on September 1st.

Teacher Information and Curriculum Ideas

Frequently asked questions (faq).

Answers to frequently asked questions about the contest topic and requirements, citations and bibliography, the role of the nominating teacher, and more.

Essay Contest Partner: The Boeing Company

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation gratefully acknowledges Boeing for its generous support of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest.

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How to Judge a Contest: Guide, Shortcuts and Examples

What is a Co ntest?

A contest is an activity where skill is needed to win. Unlike a Sweepstakes where a random draw identifies the winner, in a contest the participants has to take an action that requires some degree of skill . That degree of skill depends on what the promotion or event is asking the participant to do. For example; in an essay contest, participants enter and compete by submitting original writing.

The Legal Contest Formula 

Prize + consideration (monetary fee or demonstration of skill) = legal contest (in most jurisdictions)

Are Contest Legal in the US?

Yes. All 50 States allow contest promotions. All contests are allowed as long as the sponsor awards the prize based on skill and not chance.

See Contest Rules and Laws by State.

The Judging Criteria

Contests also have an element of competition that requires the Sponsor or agency to set clear contest judging criteria so participants know how their entries will be judged. This criteria will also tell the judging body what to look for and how to assign value or rank entries.

As a marketer, you can save yourself a lot of potential trouble, and complaints, if your judging criteria is clear to all participants and judges. For example: “ Es s ay Submissions must be in English, comply with Official Rules, meet all requirements called for on the Contest Website and be original work not exceeding 1,000 characters in length.”

The “How-To” Guide for Judging

In a contest, the judging criteria is an attempt to focus the participants, as well as the judges, on the expected outcome of the entry. Properly designed judging criteria aims to minimize the judges unconscious biases and focus their attention on the qualities that are going to be weighed and assigned a value or score. For example, a judging criteria score sheet may rank values as “ 33.3% for creativity, 33.3% for originality; and 33.3% for adherence to topic .”

Judges (ideally more than one) should be experts or have some degree of expertise in what they are judging. This is not a requirement, but it helps the Sponsor or contest administrator select the winner. The contestants also gain a sense of fair play when they see the winner was chosen by experts.

How to Pick Judges for the Contest

If you can’t find expert judges, then individuals or a group with a clear understanding of the judging criteria and no conflicts of interest or bias could serve as judges. Beyond the judging criteria, the judges should have seen enough examples of the work being judged to determine what is considered poor, average and exceptional within the criteria.

Judges Goals

Ultimately, judges aim to assign a total value or points to each entry and select the winner based on total amount of points earned.

Judging Shortcut

A shortcut to judging large numbers of entries is to use social media networks to judge on your behalf up to a certain degree. For example, you can run your contest on Facebook and have the fans vote for the top five entries. From there a more formalized judge or contest administrator can select the winner based on the criteria. This can work well, but there are risks associated with fan voting. One of the risks is that participants can simply ask their friends to vote for them regardless of the quality of the work. It undermines the promotional effort when a poor entry gets lots of votes. This is why we don’t recommend that fan votes make the final decision on who wins.

Protect Your Contest With Judging Criteria

Having your judging criteria set will also protect the integrity of the contest and guide judges if there is a tie. A well-articulated judging criteria will explain what to do in the event of a tie. For example; “ In the event of a tie for any potential Winning Entry, the score for Creativity/Originality will be used as a tiebreaker.” Or “If there still remains a tie, Sponsor will bring in a tie-breaking Judge to apply the same Judging Criteria to determine the winner .”

Rules for Social Media Contests

Contests are allowed in all social media platforms as long as you follow state laws and the social media platform’s own set of rules.

• Facebook Contest Rules you should follow, along with a few Facebook contest ideas to help you get started. See Facebook Contest Rules
• Instagram has some strict rules that you need to be aware of and follow closely if you want your promotion to be successful. See Instagram Contest Rules
• Pinterest can help you connect with your customers, especially if your business is related to the types of content that often trend on Pinterest like fashion, food, and beauty. See Pinterest Promotion Rules 
• For Twitter see Guidelines for Promotions on Twitter (sorry, we haven’t written a rules article on Twitter yet.)
• For Youtube see YouTube’s Contest Policies and Guidelines (sorry, we haven’t written a rules article on Youtube yet.)

Can You Charge Participants an Entry Fee?

Yes, as long as the winners are chosen by skill and not chance (randomly).

Remember: Prize + consideration (monetary fee or skill) = legal contest (in most jurisdictions)

Contest Official Rules Examples

Better Homes & Gardens America’s Best Front Yard Official Contest Rules

Bottom Line: Contests are a Great Marketing Tool

Contests are worth the effort and repay the sponsor handsomely. They’re fun and generate a lot of buzz, awareness and potential sales for the sponsor. Just make sure your judging criteria are set in place.  If you need any help with your contest let us know at [email protected] .

Need help witha Contest? See our Contest Management Services

Want to build a sweepstakes by text?  See our features and pricing .

JRMSU – ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION Mechanics and Rules

• The Board of judges shall provide topic of the essay at the venue of the competition.
• The contestants shall be given two (2) hours to develop the composition.
• The contestants shall be provided with a pen and a long bondpaper marked with the assigned number duly signed by the contest master. They are prohibited to write their names and the University they are representing.
• No printed materials, electronic gadgets, or storage devices shall be utilized.
• The contestants are prohibited to wear their university uniform or any symbol/s (e.g. ID lanyard) that mark distinction of their respective university.
• Each contestant shall be assigned a number.
• The result of the contest shall be posted on the tally board immediately after the judges have finished rating the contestants’ manuscripts.
• The judges’ decision is final.

CRITERIA FOR JUDGING

DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM

DOWNLOAD CONFIRMATION SLIP

*Adapted from PASUC Guidelines and modified by the host university.

2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Unveils Rum ‘Best in Class’ Finalists

What are the criteria, best white rum, best dark/gold rum, best extra-aged rum.