Judging the STC Competition
Welcome 2011 Judges!
Thank you for serving as a judge in the 2011 STC-ETC Technical Publications Competition! Every team consists of three judges who each review a copy of the same entry. At the end of the evaluation period, the three judges convene in person, by phone, or by electronic connection to conduct a consensus meeting, during which the team assigns an award level to the entry.
PLEASE FIND THE ENTRY ASSESSMENT FORM INSTRUCTIONS and ENTRY ASSESSMENT FORM here.
***NEW DOCUMENTS: HOW TO DETERMINE AWARDS (PDF) and JUDGE TRAINING SLIDES (2010 PWP from the international organization)***
Be ready!
Expect to receive judging materials in the near future. Entries will be mailed to judges the week of November 7. Your packet will include the materials you are evaluating.
Be electric!
Complete the evaluation forms electronically. Having the feedback entered online saves time and money for everyone involved. Completing the forms electronically allows your team to conduct the consensus meeting as late as December 19 and still provide the award decision and feedback forms on time.
Be positive!
One of the biggest benefits of this competition is to provide meaningful feedback to the participants. Please be sure to point out strengths and positive aspects of the entry. When weaknesses exist, please provide constructive comments, including suggestions for improvements. For example, instead of saying only that the entry “is hard to use”, provide a suggestion with your critique such as, “adding an index to this reference manual would make the information more accessible/easier to find.” Many participants use feedback to gain management support for changing documentation. Likewise, many participants point to positive feedback as evidence of a job well done at review time.
Be prepared!
Here’s summary of the judging process:
- Receive your assignment to a three-person judging team, one of whom is the team leader. Team assignments are emailed to you.
- Receive materials (by mail) and applicable judging forms (by email).
- Evaluate the materials before your consensus judging session.
- Complete the evaluation form electronically.
- Schedule and conduct a team consensus meeting by December 19.
- Provide award decision and completed evaluation forms to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 5 PM EST December 19.
Be proactive!
Evaluate materials sooner rather than later. Please allow sufficient time to provide feedback to the participants. Judging teams can conduct their consensus meeting as soon as all members of the team are finished evaluating the materials. I welcome award decisions and completed feedback forms any time prior to the December 19 deadline.