Judges

Not always. What I look for in a judge is a desire to encourage kids and the ability to apply the judging guidelines to a project fairly. Most adults can evaluate a 5th and 6th grade level project without a college degree.

I have seen judges take anywhere from 3-6 hours to judge their assigned projects. My minimum requirement is to have each project seen by at least 3 judges. How much time it takes depends on two factors, 1) how many volunteer judges I have in relation to the total number of entries and 2) the quality of the student’s projects (it takes more time to rank them).

I ask for your preferences but I have to distribute the workload based on the entries in each category. First time judges will most likely be in the lower divisions to gain experience. I do try my best to fit you into where you feel comfortable.

Only the high school students have an interview as part of the judging process. I have considered interviews at the 7-8 level but some of the students live 70 to 100 miles away and that makes it virtually impossible for them to get to an interview session.

YES! We have an online judge’s manual that explains the process step by step. I also have a Judges Appreciation Dinner on the Monday prior to the Judging day to review the process and answer any questions. You can also e-mail questions to the Fair Director at yesfair@ssvec.com

Absolutely! I can use volunteers on set-up, judging, and public viewing days. I don’t have the ability to pay volunteers but I can provide a meal for anyone who works a four hour “shift”.

We can always use people to help in registration, crowd control, clerical, etc… for the full three days of the YES Fair. See the Volunteers page for details.