Below is a basic judging rubric units may use in evaluating entries and assigning awards.

Sample Judging Rubric
All entries should be judged on artistic merit, creativity, mastery of the
medium, and, most heavily, interpretation of the theme.

With this rubric, each entry would have a total of no more than 10 possible
points from each judge. Add the points from each judge and rank the artwork
accordingly.

Judging at the National Level
All national entries are judged on artistic merit, creativity, mastery of the medium, and interpretation of the theme. Mastery of the medium in the context of the national Reflections Program pertains to the level of skill the student demonstrates in the basic principles/techniques of the arts area. However, a well-developed concept is more important than technique. Entries will be judged primarily on how well the student uses his or her artistic vision to portray the theme.

Literature, musical composition, dance choreography, and film production: Each of the four judges in the arts area receives entries from one grade division to review. Each judge selects 10 entries from his or her assigned grade division for presentation to the full panel. After the presentation, the judges collectively assign awards of excellence and awards of merit. Up to three awards of excellence and up to five awards of merit are awarded in each grade division of each arts area.

Photography and visual arts: Entries are judged from electronic files of the original artwork. The judges view all of the artwork for one grade division and select the pieces that they would like to see in a second round of viewing. In the second round, they pick the top eight and assign awards of excellence and awards of merit. Up to three awards of excellence and up to five awards of merit are awarded in each grade division of each arts area. The judges then repeat the process for the other grade divisions.

Tiebreakers: If two entries are judged as equal across all areas, the entry that best interprets the theme receives more recognition.

Outstanding Interpretation selection: All recipients of awards of excellence in each arts area are reviewed together. The piece in each arts area that best interprets the theme is selected for the Outstanding Interpretation Award. There are a total of six Outstanding Interpretation Award recipients—one in each arts area.

A local, council, or district/region judging process could have a similar design.

Establishing Judging Dates
Establish judging dates based on your student submission deadline, the deadline for submitting entries to the next level of judging, and the number of entries you expect to receive. If your unit participates in all six arts areas of the Reflections Program, expect to need at least two weeks for the judging process, and another two to three weeks to prepare artwork for the next level of judging. Refer to the earlier section “Establishing a Timeline” for additional information.

Recruiting Judges
All judges should have a working knowledge of their assigned arts area. Sources of judges might include:

• Art, literature, dance, film, journalism, and music educators or college/university professors
• Teachers from other schools participating in the Reflections Program
• Art museum directors, docents, curators, or historians
• Professional photographers and local artists
• Local symphony orchestra or choral directors, musicians, conductors, or composers
• Local dance conservatories, dance studios, ballets, or theaters
• Local multimedia/video production companies
• Newspaper journalists, editors, or photographers
• Local television stations
• Arts advocacy organization presidents or directors

As a point of reference, the national PTA office has a minimum of one judge per
grade division in each arts area. In addition to the judging rubric, give the judges the participation and arts area rules.

Inviting professionals in the arts or influential community leaders to participate in Reflections Program judging increases the exposure of your PTA, its work, and the wonderful benefits students derive from participating in the arts.

Remember to recognize judges in promotions and thank them for their participation. Some PTAs provide each judge with a small gift or certificate of appreciation.

Resolving Conflicts of Interest
If a judge knows a student participant or a student’s work, the judge should remove him- or herself from the judging process for that particular arts area to prevent a conflict of interest. Teachers from the host school may know student work and/or have a conflict of interest in judging, so it is better to invite teachers from another school that offers the Reflections Program.

Blind Judging
It is important to conduct blind judging—where judges do not see the artists’
names—in situations or settings where judges may know a student.

• Literature: Distribute photocopies of only the front side of each literature
  entry. However, send the original manuscript of each winning entry on to the next level of judging.
• Musical composition, dance choreography, and film production: It is
  suggested for each arts area, prepare a CD/DVD of all the entries, as well as a list of the entries, using a code for the students’ names. Include the grade division, title of work, playing time, and artist statement in the list of entries.
• Photography and visual arts: Cover the personal information attached to the artwork by folding the Student Entry Form. If the student has signed the artwork, cover the signature for judging.

Beyond the local PTA level, blind judging will need to occur only if there is a chance that the judges may know a student. In most situations, judges at the council and district/region levels should be able to use the original materials for judging.

Questions? Contact Joanna Vose, 1 st VP, (818) 248-3003 or joanna@pieper.com