Judge Types

 

We could not run our tournaments without the many wonderful people who volunteer their time and effort to our organization. 

Judges are Community volunteers, family members, teachers, administrators who offer to judge our competitions. Judges register between October and January. They attend required training in February/March and then judge the Regional and State tournaments.

We currently have three Regional tournaments: Houston Region (also known as "HARO"), Central Region (in San Antonio/Austin areas), North Region (in Dallas/Fort Worth area). The State tournament takes place in the Dallas area in spring 2023.

Becoming a judge is a time commitment up to 2.5 days depending on the region, but one that most people thoroughly enjoy.  Be prepared to be amazed at how creative these children can be.  Thank you so much for volunteering to be one of our wonderful Odyssey of the Mind judges. Here are the steps to become a judge:

  • Register for the Regional tournament nearest to you.

  • Take General Training online first.

  • Attend On-Site Training for Specific Problem (In Central and Houston region, this will be conducted via online conferencing in 2022).

  • Judge the regional tournament.

  • Advance your registration for the State tournament

  • Judge the State tournament (conditions depend on regions).

 

There are two types of judges:

a) Team Judges

Team Judges are the volunteers who represent an Odyssey team.  Every Odyssey team must supply a trained judge to be qualified for the tournaments.  Different regions have different requirements.  Coaches, be sure that you understand your team’s judge requirements, which can be found in your specific region's Team Qualifications or your Team Confirmation Email. 

b) Community Judges

Community judges are volunteers from the community that judge without representing a team. These are often educators, professionals, military personnel, etc. Volunteer Service certificates are available. If you are interested, we would love to have you as a Community Judge. 

When does Registration start?

Judge Registration for Regional tournaments usually opens mid-November. Check our home page for announcements when your Region's registration is open.

Many judges from regional tournaments are required to attend the State tournament as well. Requirements vary by region. Please do NOT advance your judge registration for the State tournament until AFTER Regionals.

Click here for REGISTRATION to Regional Tournament.