JumpStart
If you just want to get started, here is the quick-start guide:
- Visit this page on your JudgeApps profile: https://apps.magicjudges.org/checklists/
- Create your checklist by clicking the Create New Draft link
- Fill out the checklist with information from the last year
- Submit, and you’re done. Your Regional Advocate will reach out if there are any issues.
Who needs to complete their checklist in 2026?
All Judge Foundry judges need to complete their checklists, with a few exceptions. These haven’t changed this year.
- Judges who certified or gained a level since October 1st, 2025.
- Judges who were deployed overseas by the government and couldn’t judge events for at least four months in 2025
- Judges who were on parental leave during 2025
If you don’t fall into one of those categories, you will need to fill out your checklist for 2025.
What do I need to know while filling out my checklist?
First, create your checklist
Create a checklist for your level on JudgeApps. Thanks again to the JudgeApps team who have made some small upgrades in the checklist feature for this year to make things more clear.
Some requirements are optional
Some requirements are also mandatory, but some aren’t required or have options. Level One Judges have to complete the L1 refresh exam. Each L1 also has to show how they are active as a judge, but that might be judging events, or explaining their involvement in their community.
Some requirements are modal – you get to choose which one you list on the checklist. For example, as a Level Two, a judge who judged two competitive events need not also list that they worked six events total.
JudgeApps will help!
The site does a reasonable job filling out checklists with things it knows already. If a judge has written reviews, or judged at events listed on the site, or taken update quizzes, they will appear on the checklist already.
If your events aren’t listed, that’s okay. Apps gives you an opportunity to manually list events you judged right on the checklist page.
Not everything is Magic
Experience judging is valuable in all games, so if you judged for a different collectible card game this year, you can count that judging work towards your checklist.
Refresh Exams
Level One judges, and any higher level judges who didn’t complete their refresh exams will need to complete a refresh exam for their 2026 maintenance.
You can create exams here:
Or visit the Exams page on JudgeApps.
Like Update Quizzes, Refresh Exams are open-book and online. Each exam is 10 questions, and has enough questions in the pool for two attempts per judge. Its advisable to set aside some time to take the exam.
What happens if I don’t complete the checklist?
Judges who don’t complete the checklist will be treated as if they didn’t complete the maintenance items.
There will be a short grace period following the March 31st deadline. Judges can’t complete new requirements during the grace period, but will be able to finish their refresh exam if necessary.
How does not completing maintenance work?
Judges fluctuate their time and commitment to judging all the time, so it’s completely reasonable that some judges will not meet the maintenance requirements each year. Judge Foundry expects judges who level up and are highly involved to eventually fall back, and have their level reassigned to match their current involvement level.
When a judge doesn’t complete maintenance they don’t stop being a judge. We reassign their level to one level below their current level, or they become affiliate members of JF if they were Level One.
Can I get my level back?
Yes, as much as we expect some judges to step away from time to time, we also expect them back. The advancement rules for judges who previously had a level are significantly simpler than the advancement rules for judges achieving the level for the first time.
You can read more about the process in our article about regaining lost levels.
What if I have more questions?
Additional questions can be directed at the Levels and Testing managers at testing@judgefoundry.org, or by reaching out to your Regional Advocate.