Judge Communication & Competitive Integrity

To protect our volunteers and ensure a fair playing field, the following rules regarding judge interaction are strictly enforced.

• Advisors, students, and parents are strictly prohibited from contacting judges regarding scoring results, placements, or feedback. Judges are volunteers who dedicate their time solely to the conference; they do not consent to unsolicited communication regarding their decisions once the event has concluded.
• Attempting to determine the identity of a judge (if not explicitly known) for the purpose of challenging results, obtaining insight into a judge's preferences or specific scoring methodology, or any other reason that compromises the integrity of the event is prohibited.
• Receiving private feedback or explanations from a judge constitutes a Competitive Integrity Violation. Obtaining insight into a judge's preferences or specific scoring methodology outside of the official feedback provided to all teams creates an unfair advantage for future competitions (e.g., advancing from Regionals to State, or future years).
• Communication is permitted only if a judge explicitly and personally invites a student to reach out (e.g., for mentorship or professional networking). In this instance, the student must still obtain approval from their Chapter Advisor and parent/guardian before engaging. This exception does not authorize the discussion of specific scoring decisions from the recent competition.