2/19/18 - 1:54 CT USA
Note to Judges.

As submissions come in, feel free to judge anyone of them as time allows. To do this, simply respond to the submitter (author) and of course thank them for the submission and let them know you will be one of the judges.

Each article must be judged by at least 3 judges but all seven is fine.

Judges should scan the remarks from time to time to ensure all submissions have at least 3 judges.

Please create a spreadsheet or tabulated paper which contains your grading and comments. This will not be submitted, it is for your own use.

Rate each article with the primary criterion being:
Does the story move you to tears, laughter, suspense or awe, etc?

The goal for the author is to create a moving, passionate and/or emotional article.

Add any of these as you see fit to help with the final scores.

Give each category weight as you see fit, but let the final tally be a number between 1 and 100, with 100 being a sure winner in your books.

Once the contest closes, and all entries have been judged. I will ask you to give me your top 3 winners. These will then be reviewed by all judges, using the same criteria you already established for yourself.

In the event the top 3 winners from every judge is not sufficient to fill all winning slots, then I will ask for the top 5 or 7 etc.

Once all top entries are reviewed by all judges, I will ask you to post your final numbers. These final grades will then be averaged AFTER removing the top and bottom numbers. This result will determine the final winners.

If there is a tie, I will break it by reviewing the competing articles as required.

Please do not share any preliminary results with anyone, especially another judge.

More than anything we want to host a transparent and honest contest that adds quality and substance to our platform that ultimately rewards talent.

Craig