NOF Judge Academy
Frequently Asked Questions

Other Frequently Asked Questions

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  • The ballot will be sent to the email you used to register for the tournament. It will be sent out 15 minutes before the start of the round.

    Check the SPAM folder or go to the judge’s room if you did not receive a ballot 15 minutes before the scheduled round time.

  • If there are competitors that have not had a chance to perform, DO NOT END THE ROUND. You cannot deny paying, participating competitors the chance to compete.

    While we try to keep the tournament running on schedule, the competitors performing is our top priority. The round can run late if necessary. Please COMPLETE the round regardless of the scheduled time.

  • While we try to assign judges to events they signed up for, there are often a lack of judges. This means we have to assign judges that are available at that time, regardless of the event.

    Please note that there are no unqualified judges! Speech and debate are educational events open to everyone, including you. We are simply asking for your opinion.

    To help the judges administer the round, there are event tutorial videos and rules embedded into the ballot. Please watch the video and read the rules before the judging the round!

  • If you received a ballot, but the link is no longer available, it means the ballot has been pushed to someone else.

    Please accept the ballot as soon as possible, or it will be sent to another judge!

  • Notify the coach / school you are registered with. Then go to the judge’s room and notify the tournament staff. Please do not leave without notifying anyone.

    If you leave without early notice, there will be a fee.

  • First try:

    • using a different browser (preferably Google Chrome)

    • restarting your laptop

    • reconnecting to your mic / camera

    • resetting your browser permissions (make sure to allow access to your mic and camera)

    If all fails, go to the judge’s room and notify the tournament staff.

  • If possible, have another competitor go first. (This would not be possible for debate events such as LD and Public Forum).

    If they cannot resolve their tech issues before the end of the round, send the competitor to the help room to notify the tournament staff.

    If the competitor cannot go to the help room, please click the ‘Need Help’ button on your ballot, and a tournament staff will check in the room.