SC - Contests bring out the worst in me
LrdRas at aol.com
LrdRas at aol.com
Thu Jan 20 07:23:01 PST 2000
In a message dated 1/20/00 12:34:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, lcm at efn.org
writes:
<< I have seen (and been one) people be incredulous when their carefully
researched, long toiled-over, skillfully made thingie is denigrated
while a slap-dash glittery thingie gets the kudos. >>
Been there, experienced that. At the A&S exhibit a couple of Pennsics ago, I
entered an Aztec tapestry, worked on hand woven materiel, with the
appropriate natural fibers, dyed with appropriate natural dye materials.
Documentation was provided. The work was incomplete but displayed in a manner
that obviously showed it in a state of being worked upon (threaded needle,
etc.). Not only was it given a general 'everyone who enters gets this color'
ribbon, but also no comments were left by any of the judges.
Later I found out that NONE of the judges even looked at the documentation
which resulted in their not knowing what it was but also it was dissed
because it was 'New World' (imported to Spain during that period though),
incomplete (such work was encouraged to be entered supposedly without
penalty), and too 'different' from the other entries.
The winning entry was done with modern commercially made fibers and, although
hand done so far as the embroidery was concerned, all seams and finishing was
machine done.
I haven't entered a competition since. However, my reason for not doing so is
not because I think competition is bad. I don't enter because I think the
ability of the judges to strictly judge entries according to the criteria is
oftentimes seriously impaired by their inability to completely block out any
personal ideas. Having once been involved in the judging at Ice Dragon, I
know that some judges are not this way and can use the written judging
criteria fairly but those who do not, far outnumber those who do.
Competition is a healthy thing and oftentimes spurs people on to heights they
never would achieve without it. The better route would be to write down a
specific set of criteria that any given category can be judged by and bar
judges who stray outside that criteria from ever judging a competition again.
Also items should be judged by people who have some expertise in the area
that they are judging. For instance, a person with costuming expertise cannot
be a good judge of cookery or vice versa. The holding of a Laurel or any
other funny hat is not any assurance that the person holding it is an expert
in their chosen field so the number of accolades a person has should never be
basis for making him or her a judge.
Good judges, chosen from all walks of life, who show expertise in their given
fields and are willing to remain within the bounds of the written judging
criteria is the key.
It is just as ludicrous to dismiss competition off the battlefield as it is
to suggest that fighters not 'compete.'
Ras
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