Strengthening Our Judge Program for the 2026–2027 Season
Following the ecstatic response to our Judge Training Program last year, we're further strengthening the program with new judge guidelines for the upcoming season.
To keep the process smooth for everyone, judges will complete these steps in order, starting with the quickest and most essential:
Training & Certification. All judges, hired or volunteer, must complete judge training and certification once every two seasons. These trainings will ensure that every judge knows how to navigate our platform, ForensicsTournament.Net, as well as how to evaluate the events they may be assigned to judge. This program helps our judges run rounds with more confidence and creates a fair environment for NOF competitors. NOF trainings and certifications are free of charge.
Interview. All hired and external volunteer judges will complete a short interview with one of our team leads. We want to get to know our judges, celebrate them, and recognize them whenever we can.
Youth Safety Training. As part of our commitment to student safety, hired judges will complete a short youth safety training covering how to interact appropriately with children and help create a safe environment for all competitors. The cost of this training will be covered by NOF.
Background Check. Hired and external volunteer judges will complete a background check once per season. The cost of background checks for US-based judges will be covered by NOF; international judges should get in touch for assistance.
Morning-of Check-In. On the day of each tournament, judges complete a quick check-in with our team so everyone is set and confident before rounds begin. This meeting will allow our Tournament Director and tabulation staff to ensure that judges receive all essential information, and to answer any questions before the competition begins.
A note on volunteer judges: these guidelines apply both to the judges we hire and to community members who volunteer to judge for NOF. Parent and student judges entered by their school are not required to complete the interview or background check, but training and certification (step 1) still applies to them.
A safe, accessible, and competitive environment for our students is, and always will be, a core value at NOF. We hope these new policies inspire even more confidence and excitement for the season ahead. We'll see you there!
Have questions, or want to send us that ecstatic response? Email me at anika@nationalonlineforensics.org.