The Open Judging System
Central Arkansas Scale Modelers uses the "Open Judging System" during their Annual Rock-Con Contest. Developed by the Military Miniature Society of Illinois (MMSI) we have found it to be a unique style that recognizes ALL entrants as well as the best among us that day. Below is an excerpt from MMSI's page that explains the judging style. You can find the entire article here.
The basic premise of the Open System of Judging as developed by Shep Paine and other top modelers from around the world in the 1980s is to recognize the good modelers and encourage the promising ones at a “juried exhibition” (not a contest). No deserving work should go home without having been assessed and possibly rewarded. Anything done to further this goal is a good idea, and anything that impedes it is a bad one.
The system is intended to counter the weaknesses we've seen in other shows, particularly those which use category systems, with first-, second-, and third-place awards in each category. The problem is that the competition is always stiffer in some classes than others, and the fourth-place loser in a crowded category is often much better than the first-place winner in another. Thus, a first-rate piece goes home empty-handed, while a mediocre work gets recognition it does not necessarily deserve. And the majority of modelers get no sense whatsoever where their work fell in terms of all the pieces on display and the state of the hobby in general.
The Open System reduces the categories to a minimum and eliminates the fixed number of awards, allowing the level of work on display to determine the number and type of awards given at the show.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this system is that it is not a competitive one. Because the number of awards is expandable, no piece wins an award at the expense of another. Each exhibitor's work is evaluated on its own, and he or she receives the level of award the judges feel the work merits, without regard to the awards given to other pieces in the hall. Painters can thus judge the progress of their work from show to show, without worrying about what other modelers may bring.
The standard against which the exhibits are judged is set by winners in previous years as well as the overall standard of the current show. An experienced judge can look at a piece and say, "That is as good as the pieces that won Silver Medals last year," and score it accordingly. Judges have, of course, different opinions, which is why we use a team of three of them.
A disadvantage of this system is that one really has to see it in operation to appreciate some of its subtler aspects. Nonetheless, we hope this detailed explanation of its workings will help those interested in learning how it works. Meanwhile, this document has been compiled with three goals in mind: First, to provide a uniform set of criteria for judging figures, dioramas, and ordnance at shows such as those presented by the Military Miniatures Society of Illinois, the Miniature Figure Collectors of America, the Atlanta Military Figures Society, the World Expo, and others; Second, to form a sound basic text for the training of judges in the future, and Third, to give exhibitors specific information about what the judges will be looking for.
These are not rules; they are a set of artistic criteria, by which judges can compare models uniformly and fairly. As such, they can effectively be applied to virtually any exhibition, regardless of the rules under which it may be run. The key element in fair judging is that the judges work to the same set of criteria in assessing the entries. That said, the criteria presented here offer few absolutes. Qualifiers like "sometimes," "often," and "can be" are frequent. This is both appropriate and inevitable. Judging is ultimately a matter of personal opinion, and while that opinion can be guided, it cannot be dictated. In the final analysis, these criteria should therefore be viewed more as guidelines than a checklist.
The system is intended to counter the weaknesses we've seen in other shows, particularly those which use category systems, with first-, second-, and third-place awards in each category. The problem is that the competition is always stiffer in some classes than others, and the fourth-place loser in a crowded category is often much better than the first-place winner in another. Thus, a first-rate piece goes home empty-handed, while a mediocre work gets recognition it does not necessarily deserve. And the majority of modelers get no sense whatsoever where their work fell in terms of all the pieces on display and the state of the hobby in general.
The Open System reduces the categories to a minimum and eliminates the fixed number of awards, allowing the level of work on display to determine the number and type of awards given at the show.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this system is that it is not a competitive one. Because the number of awards is expandable, no piece wins an award at the expense of another. Each exhibitor's work is evaluated on its own, and he or she receives the level of award the judges feel the work merits, without regard to the awards given to other pieces in the hall. Painters can thus judge the progress of their work from show to show, without worrying about what other modelers may bring.
The standard against which the exhibits are judged is set by winners in previous years as well as the overall standard of the current show. An experienced judge can look at a piece and say, "That is as good as the pieces that won Silver Medals last year," and score it accordingly. Judges have, of course, different opinions, which is why we use a team of three of them.
A disadvantage of this system is that one really has to see it in operation to appreciate some of its subtler aspects. Nonetheless, we hope this detailed explanation of its workings will help those interested in learning how it works. Meanwhile, this document has been compiled with three goals in mind: First, to provide a uniform set of criteria for judging figures, dioramas, and ordnance at shows such as those presented by the Military Miniatures Society of Illinois, the Miniature Figure Collectors of America, the Atlanta Military Figures Society, the World Expo, and others; Second, to form a sound basic text for the training of judges in the future, and Third, to give exhibitors specific information about what the judges will be looking for.
These are not rules; they are a set of artistic criteria, by which judges can compare models uniformly and fairly. As such, they can effectively be applied to virtually any exhibition, regardless of the rules under which it may be run. The key element in fair judging is that the judges work to the same set of criteria in assessing the entries. That said, the criteria presented here offer few absolutes. Qualifiers like "sometimes," "often," and "can be" are frequent. This is both appropriate and inevitable. Judging is ultimately a matter of personal opinion, and while that opinion can be guided, it cannot be dictated. In the final analysis, these criteria should therefore be viewed more as guidelines than a checklist.