What is the time commitment of an Aurora judge?
We ask that you judge entries twice a year and each time takes 60 to 90 minutes. So, up to 3 hours a year total max. That’s 3 of your 8,760 hours a year. Many judges tell us that this is very reasonable, even with their packed schedules.
Do I need to pay anything to judge entries or be part of The Aurora Awards elite judging group?
We will not require you to pay for anything. We are grateful for the time you will contribute in lending your talents to make this recognition program work.
Do I need special equipment to judge?
Most qualified applicants already have necessary equipment available. All entries are to be reviewed on judge’s own personal or work high-resolution large screen/monitor with a quick computer processor, quality speakers and high-speed internet access. (No mobile reviews.) We expect you to have active virus protection software. If a commitment cannot be made with this requirement, please do not accept to judge. Our proprietary system allows judges to complete judging with its high degree of customization and communicates with our judging team administrators without any extra communication devices.
What are the rewards of judging for The Aurora Awards?
The rewards are seven fold: -1- International recognition -2- Inclusion as part of an elite group representing excellence in work and values. -3- Credibility and honor -4 Upholding a high industry standard for others to reach. -5- Ability to experience what creators are currently creating and innovating. -6- Contributing to something much larger than self. -7- Position to influence peers – encourage, praise, acknowledge positives Gaining different perspectives of creators worldwide through their work Earning a stipend, trade or opportunity to pay it forward
Who qualifies as an Aurora judge?
Creators, working professionals, experience of 15 or more years but fewer years if exceptional talent is exhibited. We do not qualify just anyone, as our competition does (ie. managers, executives, critics, radio personnel, print media specialist, etc.), but have a higher qualification which will accurately reward excellent works and produce high-quality feedback for entrants. We accept talented creators from the United States who are creators of film and video. We primarily utilize our own award-winners, but we welcome other outside excellent talent.
How do I maintain my standing / What are the expectations of Aurora Awards judges?
The Aurora Awards expects you to respond to ALL calls for judging or announcements of open judging windows. These are sent via email. The judging generally occurs May 1-June 10th and November 1-December 10th but may vary pending on specific deadlines we set. This is generally a 5-6 week window. The earlier you get online once the call is announced, the better the selection you will be able to review. We understand that you may not always be able to judge both competitions and we won’t remove you right away if you don’t. Simply jet us a simple email that you are unable (out of town, bogged with a major project, or other) and we will not continue to send requests for that specific window. It’s your communication with us that helps us to acknowledge that you value this opportunity and wish to continue to be included. If we notice that you are not responding to us or getting online to judge for a year, we will move you to an inactive or unpublished list. If we notice that you are not opening emails, or no response is returned, we may or may not contact you before removing you from our list of judges – but we would love to have you respond and keep you active as so we may continue our mission of recognizing excellence.
How many entries do I need to review?
We would like you to review at least 12 entries (or 6 entries per 2 sittings). That is approximately one to one-an-a half hours per competition. Through our experience and studies, we have found that a judge does not provide effective results past one hour of continuous reviews. We would like you to find a time that is focused. However, our online process is flexible enough to allow for distractions and separate judging sessions by each judge should it become necessary. We do not have a limit on the number you may judge. You may judge as many entries as you wish allowing yourself breaks as needed to provide quality.
Are Aurora judges paid?
Judges may receive a stipend for their time or elect to pay it forward. A stipend is a cash amount comparable to a nice dinner or evening out if 12-15 entries are judged. Should you choose to pay it forward, we will use that amount toward any of the following at our discretion: improving services, scholarships for submissions, or promotion of judges. Paying it forward really helps us move forward. Stipends and certificates generally will be sent within a few months after the competition is complete. There is always an option to trade judging for an entry fee if pre-arranged and with our administrator’s approval.
How will I receive public acknowledgement that I am an Aurora Awards judge?
You may list that you are a “Current Aurora Awards judge in the Aurora Awards International Judging Committee”. Or you may call it "Aurora Kp9 Talent group". If you wish to list years judged, you may list years following this designation. Places you may list this recognition include: -- Personal resume -- Linkedin profile -- Social media posts after you have judged some entries each time. These would be personal posts from you. (You may express the great quality of work you see from the entrants or let them know you’ve learned something to use in your own creations or say how honored you are to be part of this elite group.) Please no posting about specific entries as these are confidential. Wherever you post, please use hashtag #AuroraJudge so we may learn where you share. We would like to recognize you by name online without affecting the integrity of the judging process. We have compiled a list of judges since our inception, and we have placed it online for those who request to see it. The list includes judge’s names and state they are from. It is in your best interest to get online and review entries before the judging queue gets emptied. We are planning other ways in which to recognize our judges in an innovative way on the Aurora Awards website. This will be announced later. It involves storytelling of your experience as a creator and will be beneficial in the lives of those learning the trade and industry as well as promote you. After each year that you judge with us we may produce a personalized certificate and mail that to you. This is another form of acknowledgement you may display publicly.
May I review entries in an arranged group?
Yes, with you as the lead judge/creator providing a space and producing the results. This option provides you an opportunity to gather other respected creative colleagues in your community for a social and may offer teaching moments to your in-office creators. We love the additional feedback and believe the entrant does too. We hold the group members to the same terms and conditions as you and you will be the responsible party to see that others acknowledge and comply with these terms.
Can you provide details on how I judge?
We have an online judging system with many qualified judges in a large pool who have accepted this responsibility. When a judging window opens, judges respond to our email and get online to review entries in a timely manner. You ultimately have the flexibility when to judge when you wish and how much time you will put towards it.
Do I need to sign a contract with Aurora Awards?
There is no formal contract to sign. By using our online proprietary system, you must agree to our terms each time prior to judging. Terms protect the entrant, Aurora Awards and the judge. Contents of these terms include honesty in personal representation, Aurora Awards representations, confidentiality of entries and judging processes, judgement of good values, non-bias with content, non-competitive nature, compensation, liability on links from entrants, and legal review allowance. If you wish to review all terms before committing to become an Aurora Awards judge, please let us know so we may provide them to you. You will also be accepting our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for online access to our website when creating your online account.
Who else reviews entries for Aurora Awards?
All Aurora judges are our own contacts. We do not subcontract our judging but hold this operation crucial to our processes and client confidentiality requests and maintain it all under our care. We have multiple judges and judging groups from across the U.S. review each entry and produce scoring results as well as provide written feedback about each entry which is then sent to our office for final tabulation and review. Once the entry has been judged enough times or it reaches specific limits (as defined by Aurora Awards), the entry disappears from each judge’s view. There are parameters which align each judge’s talents to the kind of work to be reviewed and restrictions on locations which a judge can review to protect the integrity of the process. That is why many responsive judges in our talent pool is an asset to both the entrant and the process of selecting excellence. The Aurora Awards has provided guidelines as well as comments on each judging sheet to help create a more concrete and less subjective review of each entry. We have multi-talented judges who have experience in many aspects of filmmaking. We also have specialist who review for a specific purpose in our Individual/Creative Achievement categories.
Are there any other things required of judges?
(1) We may occasionally ask you for feedback about your experience as a judge – this will come in a simple survey to the completed randomly. (2) We may ask you to provide a testimonial of our services of which we may use in promotional or branding materials. (3) And, (optional) we would expect that you let your colleagues and friends know of our deadlines for entries. We will invite you to enter each competition too. (4) We hold our judges in high regard and work so that same regard is reciprocated in communications with others.
What would be my first step in becoming an Aurora judge?
You would begin by creating an account on our website and from the Dashboard select Request to Judge. We also welcome you to phone us and we can proceed without having you complete the form described above. We will need to activate you from our office in order for you to judge and see any entries.
What if I have more questions about judging for The Aurora Awards?
Please contact our office at 801-twozerofive-5836 or email us at office(at)AuroraAwards.com. We would love to chat with you today.