FaithWriters.com-Christian Writers Forum

Hi again,

Still roaming forums and finally asking questions I've been meaning to ask:

Are there ever double or 3 way ties? And if so how do judges determine final outcome?
I understand there are 1/10 of a points difference many times, but if tied, what criteria do judges use? Do they bring in another judge for that level.... Which brings me to the next question...

is there one judge for each level, or do all the judges read every single entry beginner to masters?

And final one which is really bugging me:
How would one bad grammatical error be judged if clearly an oversight but not obvious "poor grammatical writing" mishaps in the whole article; if writing was ok, just an overlooked edit? Would I lose many points for missing an error?
I guess procrastinating on finding my challenge buddy serves me well here, a buddy would have caught that!
Thanks for input!!
Blessings,
Mar
(Maura J)

There have been ties in the rankings (not the top 10 overall or the top 5 in each level) but there might be a tie for 7th place in level 1 and both people are acknowledged. If there is a tie in the others, I believe the judges decide which one would be first or second.

The same judges read every entry. As soon as an entry is submitted it gets sent to the judges so they can read and score them as they come in and not be totally overwhelmed on Thursday. (Although, there are people like me who wait until the last minute that might make Thursday their busiest reading day.)

As for the grammar, they are aware that it's virtually impossible to submit a perfect piece in just one week. One or two little errors won't impact your score too much. If it's riddled with errors that's another story. They also look at predictability, transitions, and flow too.

If you're still looking for a buddy, I'd encourage you to read entries and find someone you respect and who seems to like the same genres you do and send them a PM asking if they'd like to be buddies.

Hope this helps.

merrimj1122 wrote:Hi again,

Still roaming forums and finally asking questions I've been meaning to ask:

Are there ever double or 3 way ties? And if so how do judges determine final outcome?
I understand there are 1/10 of a points difference many times, but if tied, what criteria do judges use? Do they bring in another judge for that level.... Which brings me to the next question...

is there one judge for each level, or do all the judges read every single entry beginner to masters?

And final one which is really bugging me:
How would one bad grammatical error be judged if clearly an oversight but not obvious "poor grammatical writing" mishaps in the whole article; if writing was ok, just an overlooked edit? Would I lose many points for missing an error?
I guess procrastinating on finding my challenge buddy serves me well here, a buddy would have caught that!
Thanks for input!!
Blessings,
Mar
(Maura J)

Great questions, Maura!

There have been occasional ties, but it doesn't come up very often. There are 9 judging criteria, and each is rated from 0 - 5, with decimal points between. So final scores are frequently numbers with 2 or 3 numeral s after the decimal, and ties are rare. When they occur, they're listed as ties.

The judges read all of the entries on each level. There is a rotating panel of judges, so that they don't get weary of reading that many entries week after week, and they are also paired up randomly, so the same judges don't always work together.

A single error would have very little--if any--effect on your score. The judges are aware that these things happen, even to the best writers. In fact, several errors might occur in an otherwise excellent piece without a significant reduction in its score. When the errors start to accumulate to such an extent that they interrupt the flow of a piece, or the readers' understanding, or its overall effectiveness, then the "craftsmanship" criterion would be downrated.

I hope I answered your questions to your satisfaction--feel free to ask if you have more!

Thanks much for replying so soon :thankssig Mar