Judge Roles and Responsibilities

This article describes the people involved in judging a VEX Robotics Competition event, including the requirements for each role and the responsibilities and professional expectations of Judges. It is written for judges, Judge Advisors, Event Partners, and volunteers.

Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central Glossary.

For an overview of judging, awards, and advancement, see the Competition Judging Overview.

Judge Roles and Requirements

Judge Advisor

The Judge Advisor manages the entire judging process and ensures it is carried out consistently and fairly.

Requirements

• Must have completed the current season's official VEX Competition Judge Certification.
• Must have no or minimal conflicts of interest with attending teams.
• Must be at least 21 years old.
• May not be part of a team competing at the event.
• Facilitates award deliberations and submits final award winners to the Event Partner.
• Assists the Event Partner with Code of Conduct and Student-Centered concerns.
• Assistant Judge Advisors, when used, must meet the same requirements.

Judge

Judges evaluate teams and determine eligibility for Judged Awards and must have completed the official VEX Competition Judge Certification (coming soon).

Minimum Age Requirements

Exception: Volunteers ages 16–17 may serve as VEX IQ Robotics Competition Judges only when paired with a Judge who is at least 18 years old.

World Championship Requirement: All Judges must be at least 21 years old.

Event Partner

The Event Partner manages the planning and operation of the event and supports the judging process.

Requirements

• Recruits and supports the Judge Advisor and Judges.
• Works with the Judge Advisor to develop the judging schedule and ensure adequate judge staffing.
• May not serve as a Judge or Judge Advisor at their own event.
• May not recommend or assign Judged Awards.

Note: For in-person judging, plan for approximately two Judges for every 8–10 teams. Students may not serve in assistant judging roles or have access to judging materials, deliberations, or confidential information.

Judge Responsibilities

Judges play an important role in creating a fair, positive, and student-centered experience. The goal of judging is to recognize teams that best demonstrate the values and award criteria of the program while ensuring every team is treated with respect and consistency.

Be Confidential

• Do not share scores, rankings, deliberations, notes, or award decisions.
• Do not provide specific feedback about interviews, notebooks, or award considerations to teams.

Be Fair and Impartial

• Judge teams only on what you observe at this event.
• Avoid personal bias and disclose any conflicts of interest to the Judge Advisor.
• Do not interview or evaluate teams with whom you have a conflict of interest.
• Must wait until all qualification matches are completed before finalizing award winners.

Be Consistent

• Evaluate all teams using the same standards and processes.
• Ensure every team has an equal opportunity to participate in judging.

Use Professional Judgment

• Rubrics are tools to guide evaluation, not automatic award calculators.
• Consider the complete picture when determining award recipients.

Maintain Integrity

• Select the team that best exemplifies the award criteria.
• Do not negotiate awards or attempt to influence outcomes for or against any team.

Protect Students

• Work in groups when interacting with students.
• Conduct interviews in public spaces and maintain a safe, respectful, and positive environment.

Recognize Student Ownership

• Reward evidence of student learning, decision-making, and engineering design process.
• Greater consideration should be given to teams that demonstrate student ownership of their work.

Consider Team Conduct

• A team's positive, respectful, and ethical behavior is an important consideration in judging.
• If you observe a potential Code of Conduct or Student-Centered concern, report it to the Judge Advisor. Do not discuss it with the team.

Professional Expectations of Judges

Effective judges:

• Serve with integrity and professionalism.
• Respect different perspectives during deliberations.
• Work collaboratively with fellow judges.
• Remain open-minded and willing to learn from students and other volunteers.