Volunteer as a Judge
Your willingness to listen, evaluate, and encourage is all we need! Our competitors reach new levels when they get feeback from new people and new perspectives.
No experience is necessary, and you can get started with very little training. We provide the resources you need and more to explore if you choose.
Step 1 - Find a Tournament
Look for a tournament in your area or online and register for a time you'd like to join us.
Step 2 - Learn about Your Events
Spend about 30 minutes learning the basics about the process and the events you plan to judge.
Step 3 - Listen and Enjoy
Show up to listen, enjoy, and offer your feedback to students who are eager for fresh voices.
See Judging in Action
Watch this two-minute video to see what the volunteer judge experience with NCFCA will look like
Choose Your Judging Category
GET STARTED
You can select the kind of event you'd like to judge based on your schedule and preferences. We offer two styles of debate and ten speech events at most of our tournaments. If you have a legal background, we'd love to have you join us for one of our online Moot Court tournaments. No matter which event you pick, you'll find the instructions and resources you need to feel confident about the process.
Quick Links
Speech Judge Overview & ResourcesRequired Child Safety VideoSpeech Intro Video (coming soon)
Apologetics
Presents a well-reasoned defense and thoughtful application of basic tenets of the Christian faith.
Extemporaneous
Analyzes news and other sources to prepare an evidence-based speech on a current-events topic.
Impromptu
Presents a unique and meaningful speech on a topic drawn from abstract words, phrases, quotations, or table topics.
Duo
Explores a published literature selection and is presented by a team of two competitors.
Open
Explores a published literature selection and is presented by one competitor.
Original
Presents an original literary work or a derivative work.
Digital Presentation
Informs or persuades the audience, accompanied by digital visual aids.
Informative
Explains a significant topic.
Persuasive
Influences the audience to consider a particular point of view or course of action.
Biblical Thematic
Presents three or more literature selections, including one from Scripture, and visual aids to develop a biblical theme
Learn About Judging SpeechOur competitors can choose from ten different speech events. The options range from expository to dramatic and from fully prepared in advance to topics drawn in the competition room. Each kind of speech challenges students to learn new ways to connect with an audience.
Preview Speech Events You Could Judge
Speech judges can judge any of the events pictured below. for more information, visit our speech judge orientation page using the button above.Quick Links
Debate Judge Overview & ResourcesRequired Child Safety VideoDebate Intro Video (coming soon)
Lincoln-Douglas Value Debate
One debater affirms the resolution while another opposes or negates it. This style of debate, named after the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, explores a philosophical clash of competing but morally defensible values.
Team Policy Debate
A team of two debaters affirms the resolution while another team of two debaters negates the affirmative position. This form of debate simulates argumentation in a legislative body.
Learn About Judging DebateOur two debate styles help students learn to support and defend ideas within the bounds of a specified value or policy topic for the season. They learn to listen well, think on their feet, and argue graciously.
Preview the Debate Styles You Could Judge
Quick Links
Moot Court Judge Overview & ResourcesRequired Child Safety VideoBench Brief (coming soon)Moot Court
Moot Court simulates oral arguments before an appellate court. Students present legal arguments regarding a fictional case as they focus on convincing the judge(s) to either uphold or overturn a lower court’s ruling.
Learn About Judging Moot CourtMoot Court simulates oral arguments before an appellate court. Students present legal arguments regarding a fictional case as they focus on convincing the judge(s) to either uphold or overturn a lower court’s ruling.
Moot Court competition provides students with the unique opportunity to strengthen their reasoning and persuasion skills while increasing their understanding of the US Constitution and the judicial system.
See an Overview of Moot Court Competition
Judge Policies
We value the perspectives of caring adults from a variety of backgrounds. If you are willing and qualified, we can provide the orientation and training to help you feel equipped.
Find a TournamentJudging Philosophy
In order to offer competitors varied feedback and encourage them to be universal in their impact, NCFCA values a diverse judge pool. In addition to our parent judges, we actively recruit people from all walks of life who may or may not have judging experience. We intentionally extend judging invitations to judges with worldviews which are both similar to and different from those of NCFCA competitors.
Judge Eligibility Policies
Age
A judge must be at least 18 years old, must not be currently enrolled in high school, and must not have been eligible to compete in any NCFCA event during the current season. Please direct any questions regarding a judge’s eligibility based on age, graduation, or competition eligibility status to the National Judge Coordinator at gro.ACFCN@segduJlanoitaN.
Relationship
Judges must be unrelated to the competitors they are assigned to judge and may not have coached them in that event.
Re-Judging
A judge should not judge a specific speaker more than one time in the same prepared speech or on the same side of a debate round in any given tournament. The same judge may judge a speaker in a different event or more than one time in limited preparation speeches.
Judging Conflicts
Our ability to employ best practices for avoiding judge conflicts beyond our stated eligibility policies is dependent on the number of judges available for each round. Our system will prevent most judging conflicts, but there are some factors we ask judges to keep in mind when choosing to accept a ballot.Â
- Please do not take a ballot with a student you know very well or have coached in the event.
- Do not take a ballot for a room where a family member is also judging. If this happens inadvertently, please contact Tournament Administration.
- Judges who have a question or have difficulty finding a ballot that seems suitable should contact tournament administration for help.
Parent judges should follow additional guidance contained in our tournament prep instructions.
Judge Decisions
All judge decisions are final as they apply to assessment of the round; however, adjudication determinations by the National Adjudication Team supersede judge assessments. All adjudication decisions are final.
Ballot Completion and Deadlines
At the end of the round, please exit the competition room to finish filling out your ballot. For in-person tournaments, please remain at the facility until your ballot is complete.
You will receive a notification indicating the time when ballots are due. We want judges to provide ample and excellent feedback; however, for the tournament to proceed in a timely manner, the ballot deadline must also be honored. Until we have all ballots returned, we cannot begin processing the next round. Therefore, please prioritize essential items on your ballot like your win/loss decision for debate and ranking speakers for both speech and debate, then provide as much additional feedback as time allows.
FAQs
Do I need prior experience to judge an NCFCA tournament?
As an NCFCA judge, you don’t need prior judging experience. NCFCA provides comprehensive training and resources to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate student performances effectively.
The organization believes that a passion for communication and a willingness to learn are the most important qualities for a successful judge.