Update July 2024 The Transition Period has ended. Please review below ways to become a judge or level up.
End of the Transition Period (30/6/2024)
1. No Judge Academy Levels
After June 30th, 2024, judges can NO LONGER join the IJP with their Judge Academy level. Anyone who was allowed to join the IJP during the Transition Period, but chose not to do it, will have to start by getting certified for Level 1.
2. No Quick Paths to L4/5
Paths 1 (automatic) and 2 (accelerated) for Levels 4 and 5 will no longer be available. Two notes about this:
- Judges are allowed to fill in the forms, even if they are missing some requirements, as long as they provide a realistic plan to meet those requirements.
- Despite the form closing at the end of the transition period, you will see some L4 and L5 through paths 1 and 2 from the forms that have been filled in during the Transition Period.
3. Testing After the Transition
Here is what you need to know to test for specific levels:
- Testing for L1 or L2: The candidate needs to find an L3+ judge to test them. If a candidate has issues finding an L3+ judge, they can email the Level 1 Testing Manager or the Level 2 Testing Manager.
- Testing for L3: The candidate needs to find an L4+ judge to test them. If a candidate has issues finding an L4+ judge, they can email the Level 3 Testing Manager.
- Testing for L4: The candidate needs to email the Level 4 Testing Manager and fill in the appropriate checklist in JudgeApps.
- Testing for L5: The candidate needs to email the Level 5 Testing Manager and fill in the appropriate checklist in JudgeApps.
Hello judges!
In this article, I would like to clarify how the transition from the former Judge Academy levels system into the new International Judge Program (IJP) levels system is going to work.
Philosophy
Here are our goals for this level transition:
- Facilitate transition clearly and transparently.
- As much as possible, avoid judges who already have the requirements to work again toward a level they might already have.
- Protect the quality of the certifications provided by the IJP.
For these purposes, the transition will follow as much as possible the requirements outlined in the level definitions but will include some exceptions. It also has a time-limited window.
Transition Period
Beginning on March 2nd, 2024, and ending on May 31st, 2024 there will be a transition period following the process described below. After that end date, leveling up will follow the standard procedure set up in the definition of each level. But until then, we’re allowing some exceptions to help relocate every judge to the level they want and are qualified to be.
What is My Starting Level In The IJP?
If you join the IJP before May 31st, 2024 you will automatically acquire the same level you had in Judge Academy in the IJP. You don’t need to do anything extra, but you will need to meet the maintenance requirements every year, according to the level definition. Now, let’s see what happens if you want to level up:
Levels 1 & 2
Any candidate aspiring to become a Level 1 or Level 2 judge must fulfill the requirements for L1 and requirements for L2 and follow the standard procedure.
Exception:
We are aware that during this Transition Period, the coverage of Level 3 judges (required to make new L1 and L2 judges) won’t be as wide as it is expected to be afterward. If you meet all the requirements to test for L1 or L2 but don’t have access to an L3 judge, please reach out to Alfonso Bueno and we will find out a solution for your situation.
If you need other assistance or clarification on any part of the procedure, please reach out to the Program Lead in charge of the levels structure, Alfonso Bueno. He’ll put you in contact with the appropriate Testing Manager and your TRA.
Level 3
We expect a significant number of judges who currently are level 2s and have experience at medium, large or multi-day competitive events to be qualified to become L3. The L3 Testing Manager will centralize and coordinate their certification during this Transitory Period. Our goal is to facilitate checklist verification and give you the rules and policy test as early as possible to reflect your level.
If you joined the IJP as an L2 and you meet all the requirements to test for L3, please fill in this form https://forms.gle/dmXJzFLHGAntTVpG9 before May 31st, 2024. We’ll make sure you are administered an L3 test. Please note, that the actual test may happen after May 31st, but you must meet the criteria and fill in the form by that day.
After that period, judges can be tested for L3 following the standard procedure by reaching out to an L4 to verify their checklist and get their test administered.
Level 4
Following our previous level’s philosophies, we would like to facilitate as much as possible the transition to Level 4. The two main criteria that we are using are previous certifications and activity to determine eligibility for one of two advancement paths. Path 1 automatically advances an eligible judge to Level 4. Path 2 gives an eligible judge accelerated access to the examination (panel and rules/policy exam). The two paths are described below for you to determine your eligibility.
Path 1 - Automatic Advancement
You are eligible for automatic advancement to Level 4 if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You joined the IJP as an L3 or as an L2 with a Team Lead Certification (Judge Academy or old Judge Program)
- You meet the “Experience as an L3” requirements of Level 4 (see below; if you joined as an L2, treat these requirements as “Experience as an L2”), only taking into account experience since January 2021
- You submit a self-review as described in the L4 requirements
- You meet the L4 maintenance requirements (see below) since January 2023
"Experience as an L3"-Requirements (since January 2021 for Path 1)
Working Events:
- Work at least six multi-day events
- Lead a team that is assigned each of the following tasks at least once. For the purposes of Path 1 requirements, acting as Head Judge of a medium size competitive event can substitute up to two of these Team Lead requirements. Refer to the IJP levels glossary for the updated definition of a medium size event.
- Pairings
- End of Round
- Deck Checks
- Any Public Events Team (scheduled/ODE/Kickstarter)
- Lead a team of at least three other judges reporting to you at least three times
- Serve as Head Judge of a headlining event at a multi-day event
- Work at a competitive event with at least 20 judges
Writing Reviews: [this section was originally omitted from the March 5 update of this article by accident]
Write at least three reviews. Recommendation and advancement reviews can be counted for this requirement. These reviews must fulifll the following criteria:
- Must be from events that the candidate and the other judge both worked
- Must include at least one review of an L4+ judge (L3+ is acceptable during the transition phase)
- Must include at least one review from a multi-day event
- Each review must contain detailed and actionable feedback
L4 Maintenance Requirements (since January 2023 for Path 1)
- Choose one —
- Pass three out of four advanced set update quizzes throughout the year (right now, advanced set update quizzes are a work in progress, but a successful Judge Academy L3 Preliminary Exam or Final Exam is accepted as a substitute for this option)
- Pass an Advanced Rules Practice and Advanced Policy Practice test
- Choose three, at least one A and one B must be chosen.—
- Lead a total of 4 teams at events (A)
- Head-judge an event with at least five judges (A)
- Work at least six multi-day events (A)
- Serve on one or more L4 advancement panels (B)
- Actively participate in an IJP core project (B)
- Create quality educational content (ex: article, conference presentation, video, etc.) (B)
- Write a self-review.
- Maintain membership in the IJP by being up-to-date on their membership dues (annual membership fee is still to be decided based on the number of members and the association’s costs. Our goal is to have it as low as possible.)
If you meet these requirements and you would like to be automatically advanced to Level 4, please fill in this form by May 31st: https://forms.gle/URqLLyQ8MCXVgvM17
After the Transition Period it will no longer be possible to be automatically advanced to L4.
Path 2 - Accelerated Examination
You are eligible for Accelerated Examination if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You joined the IJP as an L2 or L3 and you do not meet the criteria for automatic advancement before the end of the transition period
- You have been an L2+ judge for 24 months or longer
- You meet Steps 1-3 of the Level 4 advancement requirements
If you meet these requirements before the end of the transition period and you would like to take the tests and panel for L4, please fill in this form by May 31st: https://forms.gle/G5tfru9VuiEBgvgw9
Upon submission of the form above, the L4 testing manager will schedule your tests and panel. Please note that the examinations may happen after May 31st but the criteria must be met and the form must be submitted by that day.
After the Transition Period it will no longer be possible to advance from Level 2 to Level 4.
The following two rules apply for either L4 path throughout the transition period:
- Any requirement relative to a review/recommendation from or about an L4+ can be substituted by L3+.
- A recommendation for the Judge Academy L3 process that covers all 7 Pillars (Leadership, Presence, And Charisma, Development Of Other Judges, Logistics And Tournament Operations, Stress Management, Self-Evaluation And Maturity, Teamwork, Diplomacy, And Conflict Management, Penalty And Policy Philosophy, Investigations) will count as both the Tournament and the Community Involvement Recommendations
Find the outdated (before March 5, 2024) version of the L4 section here for transparency.
Following our previous level’s philosophies, we would like to facilitate as much as possible the transition to Level 4. The two main criteria that we are using are previous certifications and activity to either: automatic leveling up (1 below) or speed up access to the examination (panel and rules/policy exam) (2 below). You can choose the path that fits better you personal circumstances:
Path 1) If you joined the IJP as an L3 or an L2 with a Team Lead Certification (Judge Academy or old Judge Program) and you meet both the “Experience as an L3*” (but as an L2), your Self-Review and the L4 maintenance requirements**, please fill in this form https://forms.gle/URqLLyQ8MCXVgvM17 and you will automatically be relocated to L4. After the Transition Period, it will no longer be possible to be automatically relocated to L4.
Path 2) If you joined the IJP as an L2+, (including if you’re an L3 not meeting the criteria for the automatic level up explained above) you have been an L2+ judge for 24 or more months, during this Transition Period, you can test for L4 without ever having been an L3, provided you meet the advancement requirements. If this is your case, please fill in this form https://forms.gle/G5tfru9VuiEBgvgw9 before May 31st and the L4 Testing Manager will schedule your tests and panels. Please note, that the actual test/panel may happen after May 31st, but you must meet the criteria and fill in the form by that day. After the Transition Period it will no longer be possible to jump from L2 to L4.
During this Transition Period any requirement relative to a review/recommendation from or about an L4+, can be substituted by L3+.
A recommendation for the Judge Academy L3 process that covers all 7 Pillars (Leadership, Presence, And Charisma, Development Of Other Judges, Logistics And Tournament Operations, Stress Management, Self-Evaluation And Maturity, Teamwork, Diplomacy, And Conflict Management, Penalty And Policy Philosophy, Investigations) will count as both the Tournament and the Community Involvement Recommendations
Level 5
As with the other levels, we want to offer experienced judges the opportunity to transition smoothly to an appropriate level in the new structure. Like with Automatic Advancement and Accelerated Examination for level 4, there are two paths to L5 outside of the full process listed above. The two main criteria that we are using are previous certifications and activity to determine eligibility for one of two advancement paths. Path 1 automatically advances an eligible judge to Level 5. Path 2 gives an eligible judge accelerated access to the examination (panel and rules/policy exam). The two paths are described below for you to determine your eligibility.
Automatic Advancement is best suited for L3s who have been active since the pandemic, while Accelerated Examination is best suited for L3s who have not been to as many events.
Path 1 - Automatic Advancement
You are eligible for automatic advancement to Level 5 if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You joined the IJP as an L3 (Judge Academy or old Judge Program)
- You meet the “Experience as an L4” requirements of Level 5, only taking into account experience since January 2021
- You submit a self-review as described in the L5 requirements
- You meet the L5 maintenance requirements (see below) since January 2023
If you meet these requirements and you would like to be automatically advanced to Level 5, please fill in this form by May 31st: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wjmGhiPPLruYFB82I694Z4nuPFShXnGXc7CJRxlrG7Q/edit?ts=65f8861b
Path 2 - Accelerated Examination
You are eligible for Accelerated Examination if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You joined the IJP as an L3 and you do not meet the criteria for automatic advancement before the end of the transition period
- You meet the “Experience as an L4” requirements of Level 5 (in your career as a judge)
- You submit a self-review as described in the L5 requirements
If you meet these requirements before the end of the transition period and you would like to take the tests and panel for L5, please fill in this form by May 31st: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/190X-UTiIrEYKCImHvisxZy4XuoaHFEGcMPxSH1DLe_4/edit
Experience as an L4 Requirements (Since January 2021 for Path 1, Lifetime for Path 2)
- Work at least six multi-day events, acting in any of the following roles at each of them (there is no time constraint on these events):
- Team lead five or more judges
- Shadowing, to provide feedback and evaluation, an L4 candidate in the L4 certification process
- Serve as head judge for a medium-sized competitive event
- Serve as a support judge, a head judge with a support judge, or one of multiple head judges for a single tournament.
- Choose three. You may choose the same mode more than once.
- Write a review as an L4, in the previous year
- Must be from events that the candidate and the other judge both worked
- Each review must contain detailed and actionable feedback.
- Participate as a panel member or practical evaluator for a Level Four process, in the previous year
- Perform a Level Three advancement interview, in the previous year. Regardless of the result, a review documenting the interview is required
- Actively participate in an IJP core project
- Create quality educational content (subject to approval)
- Write a review as an L4, in the previous year
L5 Maintenance Requirements (Since January 2023 for Path 1)
- Choose one —
- Pass three out of four advanced set update quizzes throughout the year (right now, advanced set update quizzes are a work in progress, but a successful Judge Academy L3 Preliminary Exam or Final Exam is accepted as a substitute for this option)
- Pass an Advanced Rules Practice and Advanced Policy Practice test
- Choose three, at least one A and one B must be chosen. —
- Lead a total of 6 teams as a Team Lead at events (A)
- Head-judge an event with at least twelve judges (A)
- Work at least six multi-day events (A)
- Serve on one or more advancement panels (B)
- Actively participate in a core project (B)
- Create educational content (ex: article, conference presentation, video, etc.), subject to approval (B)
- Write a self-review
- Maintain membership in the IJP by being up-to-date on their membership dues
Any requirement relative to a review/recommendation from or about an L4+ can be substituted by L3+ for either of these advancement procedures.
After the transition period it will no longer be possible to be automatically advanced to L5.
Clarifications
After receiving some feedback and questions on the above system, we would like to clarify several points.
- During this transition period, any level requirement for recommendations and reviews from/for an L4+ judge can instead be treated as a recommendation or review from/for an L3+ judge. This is only relevant for Level 4 and Level 5.
- Recommendations and reviews need to be from/for judges that hold a certification from any of the following certification bodies: International Judge Program, Judge Academy, and Judge Foundry. They still need to meet the level requirements (if any) for the certification in question. Judges with a certification from before the establishment of Judge Academy who did not join Judge Academy but remained active can claim their level in the IJP as described in this article here.
- We are aware that the vast majority of judges has not created any written reviews during the last few years. Judges who aspire to a certification that requires one or more reviews are encouraged to write these reviews retroactively. We are aware that the quality of these retroactive reviews will in most cases not match the quality of a review written by the same judge when they are well practiced at writing reviews and write them immediately after an event. However, they will serve as a starting point for getting judges used to writing reviews again. It will also get judges who haven’t as actively given feedback in recent years back into the habit of evaluating the performance of their peers and putting their ideas into actionable words.
- There are no time limits for the experience required to become a judge of any level, with two exceptions, which are the automatic advancement to L4 and the (forthcoming) automatic advancement to L5. For any advancement that includes a test and is not automatic, the experience requirements can be met over any stretch of time.
- It is acceptable to fill in the form including experience from future events as long as the position is confirmed and the schedule is public. This means, if you already have a schedule where you’re assigned to do “role X”, you can include it in the Transition Period form and we will schedule your test/levelup for after that event takes place.
