2528: Clarification on conflict in Judging process. : Robot Events

2528: Clarification on conflict in Judging process.

63366B

12-Feb-2025

I was one of the 6 judges at the vex tournament. Out of 6 judges 3 judges are from same team including a private coach and 2 parents from that team.They grouped together in one panel and interviewed other teams.

My Questions

Can judges from the same team vote for their own team during decision making?

2.Can 3 judges from same team be placed in same panel ? Since they are supporting each others .

I am asking because those 3 judges vote for their own team for awards since they had maximum voting the judge advisor approved it. I observed same private coach is Judging Middle and high school tournaments with other judges from the same team.

Answered by Competition Judging Committee

12-Feb-2025

The Guide to Judging contains answers to both of these questions under the heading "Managing Conflicts of Interest" in Section 2: Judging Roles:

Conflicts of interest occur when there is a relationship between a judging volunteer and one or more teams or organizations at the event. Additionally, that relationship could create—or appear to create—a situation where teams will not be judged fairly, and in which discussions during award deliberations will not be impartial. It is the responsibility of the Event Partner to avoid these situations whenever possible by recruiting Judges and particularly Judge Advisors who do not have these relationships. Due to the sensitive nature of the role of Judges at REC Foundation events, it is advisable for those roles to be filled selectively.

Due to the volunteer nature of most event staff, avoiding all conflicts of interest may not always be possible. If a Judge has conflicts of interest, it is their responsibility to declare those conflicts to the Event Partner and Judge Advisor. They must mindfully avoid advocating for or against the teams with which they have a relationship and not participating directly in the judging process for those teams, such as participating in Team Interviews or Engineering Notebook evaluations.