A practical guide
Use the published criteria, explain your scores, and give speakers one concrete improvement. A worked ballot shows how the default scoring adds up.
Default ballot
Organization & Clarity
1–5 · equal weight
Argumentation
1–5 · equal weight
Evidence
1–5 · equal weight
Persuasiveness
1–5 · equal weight
The default ballot below is the fallback used when an event has not configured its own criteria. Read your event’s ballot before the round; it may use different scales or weights.
Structure, flow, and clarity of arguments.
Can you follow the main claim, its reasons, and the conclusion?
Logic, reasoning, and strength of arguments.
Does the speaker explain the logic and answer the strongest objection?
Use of facts, examples, and supporting data.
Do the sources or examples actually support the claim being made?
Overall convincing power and impact.
Does the speaker explain why their case should decide the round?
This fictional example uses the default, equally weighted ballot. Speaker A scores better in three criteria; Speaker B uses stronger evidence. The individual totals summarize this one judge’s assessment.
| Criterion | Speaker A | Speaker B |
|---|---|---|
| Organization & ClarityOut of 5 | 4 | 3 |
| ArgumentationOut of 5 | 4 | 3 |
| EvidenceOut of 5 | 3 | 4 |
| PersuasivenessOut of 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Total | 15/20 | 13/20 |
An event may combine multiple ballots or use a different result rule. This example explains one scorecard; it does not replace the organizer’s instructions.
Record the key claim, its support, and the response. Do not rely only on confidence, speaking speed, or your own view of the topic.
Connect your score to something that happened in the round: an unanswered objection, a well-supported claim, or an unclear step in the reasoning.
Give a specific action the speaker can try next time. “Address the cost objection with a source” is more useful than “be more persuasive.”
Before judging, tell the host about any relationship or conflict that could affect your assessment. If the ballot or result process is unclear, ask before scoring.
Find a skill to practice after the roundNo. Judge the case presented in the round against the published criteria. Personal agreement with the resolution is different from how well a speaker supports a claim and answers the other side.
No. The default ballot has four equally weighted criteria scored from 1 to 5, for a total out of 20. Organizers can configure other criteria, scales, and weights. Check the actual ballot and result rules for your event.
That depends on the event. Audience voting, individual judge scores, and Community Points are different measures. Read the event instructions to see which measures contribute to its result.
Try the practice scorecard, read the judging guide, and apply for platform-wide judge access. Applications are reviewed by an admin. For a specific event, follow its organizer’s judging instructions.
Try judging a sample round