Hello, judges!
Let’s cut to the chase: if you wrote or received a particularly great review this year, you can now nominate it for the Judge Foundry Review Contest! Here’s the link!
Feedback is one of the cornerstones of judging. At its best, our community knits itself together with every event as judges lift each other up. Judges share knowledge, give each other tips and tricks, and invest time in helping each other grow. Reviews are a key part of that.
Earlier this year, Judge Foundry approved a community project grant for a year-long review contest. The initial article laid out the details for three prizes – individual quality, individual quantity, and regional quantity.
Now, as the end of the year is swiftly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about family gatherings, New Year’s resolutions, and, of course, catching up on writing reviews. When this contest wraps up in a few short weeks, judging the quantity winners will just be a matter of a bit of math – but the quality portion requires some reviews to be read.
That’s where you, dear judge, come in. No one at Judge Foundry is reading any reviews without explicit signoff from both parties. That means that to give away the quality awards, we need judges to voluntarily nominate reviews for consideration.
Here is the link for nominating any reviews from this year you thought were particularly wonderful.
After a review is nominated we’ll reach out to the other judge involved. Only after both judges involved – the writer and the recipient – give consent will anyone else read the review.
FAQ
Who will read the reviews?
I (Brook Gardner-Durbin) have collected a couple of volunteers to assist, and the four of us will be the only ones to read any nominated reviews. Hats off to Adam Blaylock, Jim Guggemos, and Khailyn Schaefer for volunteering to help out with this project!
What if there’s sensitive information in the review?
We will not read reviews directly through JudgeApps; we’ll ask judges to copy-paste the text and pass it along to us. That will give folks a chance to edit for privacy if desired.
When will the winners be announced?
The contest is still going on through the end of the year so we can’t close things off in 2025. We hope to have everything wrapped up and winners announced in early January, 2026.
Can a judge nominate themselves?
Yes! Nothing wrong with being proud of your work. You can nominate both reviews you received, and reviews you wrote.
What kinds of reviews count?
Any and all! There’s no wrong way to write a review for someone. Levelups, certifications, and general feedback are all great.
How long are nominations open?
The form will close on January 3, 2026.
