JUDGING:
Judging is always difficult. You can only do your best. Be fair, try to be impartial, and above all, please make all criticism in a constructive manner, and do try to write something. Remember, you must sign your name, and you may be asked to explain your comments.
Please judge each entry on an individual basis. Do not compare one entrant against another. Also, judge each section of the entry separately. Do not carry one section over to another [example: documentation, whether poor or excellent, should not influence any other section of the entry, except as it applies to whether or not the entrant succeeded as stated in documentation].
All entries will be judged against a fixed set of criteria, each worth a maximum of 10 points.
DOCUMENTATION
TO THE ENTRANT:
As you can see when you read through this information, documentation is very important. It is the guide with which a judge will use to determine how well you succeeded in your entry. If you do not have information for the judges, they will be forced to rely on their own knowledge of your endeavor. While we try to have informed judges, sometimes new judges (who are unfamiliar with your particular area of expertise) may have to be relied on for judging. We do want new judges to learn, but it is certainly preferable to have informative documentation for them to use when judging your project
TO THE JUDGE :
In this criterion, you are expecting the entrant to tell you all about his or her entry. S/he should tell you how it was made, what and when such combinations of technique and material would have been used in period. If an entrant used modern materials and methods, s/he should explain why s/he did so. There should be a list of sources. The documentation should also tell you what the purpose or function of the item is. Without knowing this, you cannot tell how well the entrant achieved his or her goal. The documentation should be neat, readable, and presentable.
Worst
Item will have no documentation at all and must therefore be disqualified. Notify the autocrat. The next worst case is the item that has a hand-scribbled label on a torn scrap of paper.
Neat, concise, and informative documentation that really impresses you with the entrant's efforts. It will have a list of wonderful primary and secondary sources. The entrant will have fully explained all of the techniques, tools, styles, and materials s/he used and why.
S/he will have justified the use of modern materials, tools, techniques, and styles or the mixing of periods. There will be examples of period work to compare with the item. Diagrams, drawings, recipes, musical scores, and such will also be included, as well as a bibliography. If the text is lengthy, there will be an outline or preface to guide you to the parts of the documentation you need to see.
COMPLEXITY AND/OR DIFFICULTY
TO THE ENTRANT:
This criterion deals with the scope, ambition, and difficulty of your piece. This criterion does seem to favor the complex and difficult projects. In other words, if you do a complex, difficult project, it will probably get more points. Be aware that this particular criterion has nothing to do with how well you achieved your results. If you do a simple, easy project, you might not get as many points as for a complex or difficult project, but a well-done job will still bring you satisfactory points.
All the research that you did on your entry will help you in preparing for this criterion. The more effort you make in producing a period piece, the more points you will gain here.
TO THE JUDGE:
Remember that you are judging on the scope, ambition, and difficulty of the project in this criterion, not how well the entrant succeeded. Ask yourself how much time and effort was put into this piece by the entrant.
Project is very simple; not at all ambitious, with minimal effort invested in it.
A complex project with many details, parts, and steps using difficult techniques, which clearly took ambition and has a lot of effort invested
WORKMANSHIP
This is the criterion where your success at achieving your goal is judged. Here, you are expected to display skill and mastery of the craft/art you are displaying. Your entry should be your best work to date. Since there is no such thing as a perfect piece; just do the best work you can and enter it proudly.
This criterion also evaluates how well the item fulfills its purpose as stated in the documentation.
TO THE JUDGE :
In this criterion you are to look at how well the entrant's goal was achieved. Does the item work as stated. Also in this criterion, the details that finish a project and demonstrate skill are important. Don't forget the time or length limits.
Worst
Work that clearly demonstrates entrant's mastery of the art. There is obvious attention to all the details of the piece and the item truly fulfills its purpose.
AESTHETIC QUALITY
TO THE ENTRANT:
This is a purely subjective criterion. Will the judge be pleased with your work? Make your best effort in preparation and presentation of your entries so they will display to advantage. Be aware that the judges tastes and opinions will differ from yours.
If you have done a project that your research indicates would have impressed a period person, but you feel a 20th century judge might have a problem with it, be sure you educate the judge. In your documentation, explain to the judge what it is s/he is observing.
This is the criterion where presentation is part of the judging. Presentation of an item is important. It is the first thing a judge will see about your item. The best presentation in the world will not save a poorly-done piece; however if the piece is well done, good presentation will enhance it.
Here is your chance to really express your subjective feelings about an item. However, you should not allow your
You are going to have to make an effort, at times, to terminate your 20th century aesthetic values and let period values take over.
Presentation is important, but it is also important that you separate the item from its presentation to judge other criteria. The emotional impact of the item's presentation can affect your judgment in other areas.
Worst
Item has no redeeming artistic value to our modern tastes nor to period tastes. It is not appropriate for use in the SCA.
CREATIVITY AND/OR AUTHENTICITY
In this criterion you can be creative and authentic with your piece. The SCA allows for a lot of creativity. The spirit of the SCA, however, cannot be achieved unless concession to authenticity is made. This criterion does not decide whether creativity or authenticity is better; just to what degree you used creativity to achieve an authentic look to your work.
In your documentation, explain where you took creative license with authenticity and where your item is really an "authentic" reproduction. This is where your sources justify your creativity and support your belief that your entry is as authentic as you can make it using modern methods.
TO THE JUDGES :
The SCA values both creativity and authenticity. An authentic reproduction of an SCA product requires the use of creativity. It is unlikely that an entrant will raise the sheep, shear it, card the wool, spin it, and then weave it. But it could happen. And even if the entrant does this, the likelihood of the sheep being an exact replica of a sheep found in a particular time period is chancy at best. Therefore the exact duplication, i.e. "authentic" production is truly unlikely. An exact authentic "reproduction" on the other hand, is easily obtainable, using creative methods. The documentation will aid you in knowing how well the entrant used creativity to achieve an authentic appearance or result.
Worst Case
Item is neither creative nor authentic, nor any combination of the two. The item is in no way appropriate to the SCA.
Best
Item is generally accepted within the SCA creative context and/or looks as if it had actually been done in period.
As you can see when you read through this information, documentation is very important. It is the guide which a judge will use to determine how well you succeeded in your entry. If you do not have information for the judges, they will be forced to rely on their own knowledge of your endeavor. While we try to always used informed judges, sometimes new judges (who are unfamiliar with your particular area of expertise) may have to be relied on for judging. We do want new judges to learn, but it is certainly preferable to have informative documentation for them to use when judging your project.
