Adjudicators, also known as “judges,” serve the important role of providing educative feedback from which participants in WISDAA activities learn and grow. An adjudicator is not merely a critic who expects participants to meet a certain degree of standard, and certainly not an arbiter of taste or preference. An adjudicator meets students where they are, and appraises how well contestants meet the outcomes expressed on evaluation sheets. While an adjudicator will evaluate multiple contest entries in succession, they do not compare them against one another; they evaluate each entry on its own merit.
Activity-Specific Information
We currently have training and certification available for Speech (middle/high) and Theatre adjudicators. We have guidance available for Debate and Film, but will be building training courses and certification in fall 2023.
State Festival/UW System Campuses
If you will be adjudicating a contest at a UW System campus, you must furnish proof of a criminal background check (CBC) within the past four years (or WISDAA may be able to conduct a CBC upon your consent), and complete the following free course offered by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS):