How to Pick Judges for a Talent Show
With the explosion of reality TV, "America's Got Talent," "American Idol" and other national programs, talent shows are huge hits. Judges for these programs like the critical Simon Cowell are household names. Likewise, local competitions and the need for competent and knowledgeable talent show judges are also on the rise.
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Instructions
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Determine the size and scope of the talent show. In addition to the national ones, these events range from small single school or organization competitions to more elaborate city or state wide productions. (To learn how to put one together, see "How to Organize a Talent Show" under Related eHows.)
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Form a judge selection committee especially for large-scale events. Generally, committee members include the event chair and the head of the school, business or organization hosting the competition. In lieu of a selection committee, the talent show chair or host recruits the judges.
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Decide how many judges the talent show warrants. A panel of three to five judges is the norm, but at least have two to prevent favoritism and increase objectivity. Smaller events without judges are called variety shows.
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Get the word out that you need judges. Ideas include personal recruitment by the committee, a formal selection process and advertisements in appropriate local, education and trade publications. For example, if a school is sponsoring the event, place an ad on the website, school newspaper and alumni magazine.
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Evaluate each candidate according to set standards. Criteria should include education, professional training, objectivity and past public speaking, entertainment and/or judging experience. The best judges are professional performers, public speakers, drama coaches and fine arts teachers.
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Select the most qualified candidates. Choose a music teacher with a degree and 10 years of experience, for example, over a non-degreed amateur musician.
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Vary the members of the talent show judge panel. Because most events will feature a variety of acts, judges must be qualified to evaluate a wide range of performing arts. A sample panel might include a professional singer, college communications professor and a drama director.
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Tips & Warnings
Provide each judge selection committee member with an evaluation form to interview candidates.
Include a local celebrity in the panel to increase the crowd size.
Inform the chosen judges that their relatives can't enter the competition.
Avoid favoritism when picking judges; choose candidates based on set criteria instead.
Don't select unobjective individuals as talent show judges.
