Judges of scientific competitions, such as science fairs, social science fairs and robotics competitions, usually judge participants' projects based on their adherence to the scientific principles involved. These judges evaluate the degree of completion of each project, the scientific accuracy, the quality of the contestant's presentation, the functionality of the contestant's project and the level of creativity. Judges may also consider very specific criteria, such as whether the contestant's hypotheses in the project are valid.
Judges of athletic competitions, such as track meets, gymnastics competitions and wrestling tournaments, use the rules of the specific game as their judging criteria. They judge the speed of the runners, the quality of the gymnastics routine and the number of submissions in the wrestling competition. Judging in athletic competitions is often less subjective than in other school competitions, because judges in athletic competitions must use objective, concrete criteria, such as fastest time to completion and greatest number of tasks completed within a certain time.
Judging in artistic competitions, which include dance competitions, musical performances and art shows, is based on the criteria in the specific subject and the expertise of the judges. The judges of artistic competitions are often professional dancers, musicians, artists or other skilled, knowledgeable experts. The degree of creativity of the contestant and the contestant's demonstration of knowledge and skill in the subject area are two key criteria that judges often consider in evaluations.
There are other school competitions that have more specific judging criteria. For example, judges of spelling competitions consider only one criterion -- the correct spelling of the words assigned to the contestant. In speech competitions and debates, judges may consider criteria such as the strength of the contestant's argument, clarity of speech, correct grammar and creativity.