Volunteer

Seasonal Judges

Help with recruitment of additional Judges to support The Tech Challenge Showcase, design and facilitate Judge Trainings, serve as Judges in Test Trials (Feb-Apr) and Showcase Days (April 30 and May 1, 2027), and provide feedback to Judges to ensure a successful challenge experience for teams and volunteers.

Qualifications:

• Seasonal Judges must have prior experience as an Event Judge for The Tech Challenge.
• Judges must be at least 18 years old and have graduated from high school.
• Engineering experience is desired but not required.
• Judges must be able to speak with and listen to the teams during the interview sessions. 
• The venue is loud. This may not be the best role for volunteers with hearing difficulties or sensitivities. 
• You cannot be a Judge and a team adviser or if you have a child on a team in this year’s Tech Challenge.
• A phone screen and background check are required.

Level of commitment:

• This is akin to a "Seasonal" commitment. Support judging at a minimum of two Test Trial days at The Tech Interactive (dates run Feb. 7, Feb. 13, April 3–4, April 17, and April 24, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and dates in March TBD), plus full-day shifts on both Showcase days (April 30 and May 1). A minimum of 2 test trials is required, and more days are encouraged. 
• Help with recruitment and training of additional Judges
• Act as a lead for other Judges on both Showcase Days April 30 and May 1, 2027.

What to Expect

• The Tech staff will train all volunteers in their roles
• Bring a refillable water bottle and wear comfortable clothes. You may be required to walk a distance to your volunteer location.
• A few days before the Showcase, details of when to arrive and where to park will be emailed to the address you registered with.
• Snacks will be provided.
• All day volunteers will be provided with lunch.
• The event will be busy and noisy. 
• If you have issues with noise levels or mobility, read the volunteer descriptions carefully. There are roles that may better suit your circumstances.

Judges

Sign up to Volunteer

You can also become a judge for our showcase in the following ways:

• Showcase Event Judge: Volunteer judges observe teams as they operate their devices, interview team members to understand their design process from brainstorming through to testing and final preparations for the event.
• Team Journal Judge: Volunteers review team journals against provided rubrics. This is done asynchronously in the days leading up to the Showcase.

Requirements and restrictions for judges:

• Must attend a 60-90 minute training session.
• Judge training occurs on the same days as test trials, so you can stay and see test rig operations first-hand.
• Judges are strongly encouraged to volunteer for more than one shift.
• Engineering experience is not required.
• You cannot be a judge and a team adviser the same year.
• You cannot be a judge if you have a child on a team in this year’s Tech Challenge.

Judge Training

Judges must attend a training session to learn about the challenge, see the test rig and learn how to evaluate teams during the judging process. Training sessions are scheduled on the same days as test trials, so you can stay to see the rig operations.

Please note, you may not serve as both an adviser and a judge in the same year. You also cannot be a parent of a current team member.

Please check back for more information on training dates and times. For questions contact [email protected].