The Fabulous Opportunity to Be a Judge!

Contest Chief Judge Bonne Stroman briefing the judges before a contest.

Wow, what a contest season! It was a marathon of speech contests.  Thanks to all members involved especially our judges and Chief Judges

Our contest season consists of the 38 contests with at least 242 judging opportunities followed by 38 Chief Judging positions. With 2 contests happening simultaneously, we need a lot of judges. Up to 16 judges combined total are needed for just one time slot.  On the super Saturdays of the Area Contest season, multiply the judges needed for the day by 3!

You might be asking yourself, “Why should I be a judge? What will I get out of it?” Here are some reasons you should “jump on” the opportunity to be a contest judge.

Meet Toastmasters outside your club!

• You get to meet Toastmasters outside of your club from all over District 25.
• You get to hear lots of great speeches.
• You get credit toward the D25 Star/Elite award.
• Let’s not forget all the refreshments!
• One of the biggest benefits of being a judge is learning what the judges are looking for in the speech contests.

Tasty treats at a contest!

Judges training is open to all members but there are a few qualifying items to become a contest judge.

• You must be a Toastmaster in good standing and have been a Toastmasters member for 6 months. 
• You must have completed at least six Competent Communicator manual projects. 
• In our Area, Division, and District contests, judges at a contest should not be from the same club as a contestant that is competing. 

How do I become a Contest Judge? The District is making it easy for you!

During the upcoming Winter TLI season, we will hold several Judge and Chief Judge training sessions. The Contest Judge is a 2 hour training session that goes over the basics of judging, and how to avoid bias. Only 1 hour is needed for re-certification and Judges certifications are good for 3 years. Come join the training and get an edge up on the competition.

Are you already trained as a judge? Did you get the email requests asking if you were available to judge or chief judge? If not, maybe we have your email incorrect in our judge’s database. Please send me an email to LarryHarmon@d25toastmasters.org and we will correct the problem. Let’s judge some great Tall Tales and International Speech contests in the Spring.

Submitted by Larry Harmon
District 25 Chief Judge