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Should competitions be judged anonymously?

edited April 2012 in - Writing Problems
Some writing competitions ask for manuscripts to be anonymous (with a separate cover letter or form from the author), but most don't. Is it unfair for judges to know the names of the authors they are judging? Is a story or poem by A. N. Established-Author more likely to do well than one by A. N. Other (where the two pieces are of similar quality)? I'm not suggesting judges are deliberately biased, but that there might be unintentional effects of name recognition. From the point of view of those holding a competition, there is also the question of how fair the competition is perceived to be by entrants. Wouldn't it be best all round for submissions to be judged anonymously? Then it's clearly just down to the quality of the writing and nothing else.

Comments

  • As a relative beginner, certainly in respect of never having had anything published as yet, I would tend to agree, as I am also one of those who is confused somewhat by the conflict between the advice we are often given; i.e. the various do's and don't's, and the fact that a number of established and well known authors openly flaunt many of the don't's, and yet still sell thousands or more of their books. But I know that many may disagree, and those who have had material published will know more about the way things are judged than someone like myself.
  • [quote=JohnWho63]I am also one of those who is confused somewhat by the conflict between the advice we are often given; i.e. the various do's and don't's, and the fact that a number of established and well known authors openly flaunt many of the don't's, and yet still sell thousands or more of their books.[/quote]

    Now this is where the writer who has sold lots of books can go against the rules and get away with it, because they are a proven commodity. A new writer isn't.
  • Yes indeed. I guess that is what puts some potential new authors off. I can only say that I will not give up, and am willing to learn whatever it takes.
  • That's the best attitude, John.
  • I would guess anonymous judging is fairer. When I did my uni course recently, they were scrupulous about marking examination scripts and examined coursework scripts anonymously. It makes sense, because other emotional factors could come into play if you know the identity of the author. If the script is anonymous, the emphasis is purely on the concept and the quality of the writing, and not the kudos or otherwise the writer could possibly bring to the hosting organisation.
  • [quote=JohnWho63]that a number of established and well known authors openly flaunt many of the don't's, [/quote]

    I think it would be fairer.

    But as to flouting rules - I think judgement comes into play here. An autor who is proficient in their art will know when and how it is ok to flout rules. You have to know a rule to be able to flout it successfully.

    This is particularly true of poetry I think.
  • [quote=Liz!]as to flouting rules - I think judgement comes into play here. An autor who is proficient in their art will know when and how it is ok to flout rules. You have to know a rule to be able to flout it successfully.

    This is particularly true of poetry I think.[/quote]

    I think I understand. You mean presumably that an experienced author will know what works, even if it perhaps doesn't look right to the inexperienced? My wife sometimes experiences something similar in flower arranging, where something might break the rules, but it still looks good to the eye.
  • [quote=JohnWho63]You mean presumably that an experienced author will know what works,[/quote]

    Absolutely.
  • OK, so why aren't they judged anonymously? I can see that in some cases, like our very own OWC it would be too difficult, but for say the WM comps, maybe not.

    Webbo, do you have a comment? Is there a technical or financial reason?
  • I'd not considered that some competitions weren't judged anonymously.

    I prefer competitions to be done that way, as it's fairer.

    The competitions we run at the writers' club I attend, requires all entrants to use a pseudonym- and if they should put in more than one entry to have a different name for each.
    Now I have to say that when any of the older writers fill in to judge, they sometimes have a good idea of who some of the entrants are, but only because those writers have a very distinct 'voice'.
    Even then the judge is expected to ignore that and judge only on the work before them, and they do.
  • [quote=Carol]The competitions we run at the writers' club I attend, requires all entrants to use a pseudonym- and if they should put in more than one entry to have a different name for each.[/quote]

    As a judge for various writing competitions, (I don't mean the OWC either) but including one for Carol's group a while back, I PREFER to judge anonymous entries. I don't know who they are, whether male or female, established well knowns or unknown talented writers, and I judge not on the kind of writing I like, or what my favourite authors write, or my preferred genre (as so many judged competitions do have, which I disagaree with strongly), but on established criteria such as style, voice, description, plot/theme, cohesion, grammar, and something that really leaps out at you.

    The standard of some 'winning' stories recently really makes me wonder, and as John pointed out, it must be terribly confusing for new writers to try to follow the 'rules' and then find that established writers wantonly flout them. But it's because they are established that they can. It's like driving a car. After 20 years driving, a driver will pick up bad habits. It's the same for writers. Rules tend to fly out the window and bad habits creep in.

    As a judge, I'm pretty strict on a lot of stuff. I really hate basic rule breaks. I just wish competition judges would raise their standards too.
  • The only comps I've been privileged to judge have been for our OWC and I always judge them anonymously.
    I think anonymous judging is best.
  • edited April 2012
    [quote=tunna]OK, so why aren't they judged anonymously? I can see that in some cases, like our very own OWC it would be too difficult, but for say the WM comps, maybe not.[/quote]

    I always took it for granted that WM / WN comps were judged anonymously, and that they were referenced back to the front page with the authors name on after judging. I suppose that's not necessarily the case. I never put my name on text pages for comp entries.
  • [quote=snailmale]I always took it for granted that WM / WN comps were judged anonymously, and that they were referenced back to the front page with the authors name on after judging. I suppose that's not necessarily the case.[/quote]

    Why isn't it the case? Is there a comment somewhere that states that?
  • Nothing clear either way in the rules, but I would naturally expect it to be anonymous.
  • I think a lot of entrants must do what I do, though, where the text of the story starts on the front page just below the title and my name - and I have my name on all the page headers, as for a magazine submission. Perhaps that's my naivety, but I don't think there are any guidelines for WM/WN competitions to say that the text should not be marked with author name, are there? At least not in the version of the rules given in the magazine.
  • edited April 2012
    Tunna, my experience is the opposite of yours and I find that most competitions DO expect a front/cover page giving title and author details - the text of the story would then be started on a fresh page. Similarly, unless otherwise stated, it is usual procedure for there to be nothing identifying the author on the actual story pages ie unlike a magazine submission, the author should NOT be identified in the header/footer but the title of the story should be there so that it can be linked to the author when judging is completed.

    That said, there seem to be a lot of competitons online where rules/guidelines are far from clear as was highlighted on a recent thread about "the write place" competition - hopefully you wouldn't be disqualified for not following rules that are ambiguous or not stated. If in doubt, ask before submitting so that you can avoid throwing your money down the drain.
  • Blimey! It looks like I've been doing the wrong thing then - but if it's not stated, how's a poor chap supposed to know? Thanks for setting me straight.
  • [quote=claudia]The only comps I've been privileged to judge have been for our OWC [/quote]

    I've only had that pleasure once and I copied each one into a word document when it was posted - by the end of the month I really didn't know who had written what.


    [quote=Libby]That said, there seem to be a lot of competitons online where rules/guidelines are far from clear as was highlighted on a recent thread about "the write place" competition [/quote]

    Rules need to checked by someone not associated with the comp - to see if they make sense. That would solve the problem. I'm still trying to find the Aerial font on my PC - as specified in one comp!
  • [quote=Baggy Books]I'm still trying to find the Aerial font on my PC - as specified in one comp! [/quote]
    That would be near the Wing Dings, then, BB!
    All comps should be anonymous: it's the work that's being judged, not the author. You are tasked to write a story or a poem, and that's all that should be scrutinised: whether you have fulfilled the brief, held the attention of the judges, challenged them, made them laugh or cry or want to know more about your characters. Not, 'Oh look, So-and-So has entered, put theirs straight on the shortlist.'
    If however you enter by email, and you are asked to put the story in the body of the mail, surely your identity is therefore attached to the whole?
  • [quote=bertiebear]If however you enter by email, and you are asked to put the story in the body of the mail, surely your identity is therefore attached to the whole? [/quote]

    Are they copied to another document, perhaps?
  • [quote=bertiebear]All comps should be anonymous: it's the work that's being judged, not the author[/quote]

    I would think most comps are, provided they ask for something along the lines of this:

    "As all entries will be judged anonymously, ensure the entry form is completed and do not mark the story pages with any details that will identify entrant."

    as mentioned in this comp:

    http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/

    (which closes Wednesday 27th June btw).


    Usually a comp that states as such will have a designated person to receive the entry, payments and entry form. This person will administer the banking of the payment, separation of an entry form away from the entry itself and then pass the entry on to the judging process from there.




    [quote=bertiebear]If however you enter by email, and you are asked to put the story in the body of the mail, surely your identity is therefore attached to the whole? [/quote]

    In the case of http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/ all entries are judged anonymously. The identity of the writer is not sent on to the judging process whether received by email or by post.
  • edited April 2012
    Libby said: That said, there seem to be a lot of competitons online where rules/guidelines are far from clear as was highlighted on a recent thread about "the write place" competition - hopefully you wouldn't be disqualified for not following rules that are ambiguous or not stated.


    I think you mean this one Libby?A final shout! Modern Fairy Story Competition




    I often look at the T & Cs of other competitions, being a big fan of entering comps myself and some are very difficult to understand.

    The T&Cs of http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/ are clearly set out and defined, but as stated in the "About Us" section of this competition website, if anyone has any questions about the competition they are invited to contact the competition organiser.
  • [quote=Baggy Books]Aerial font on my PC - as specified in one comp![/quote] LOL!
  • [quote=Liz!] LOL! [/quote]

    I know - but would you really want your writing judged by them? And pay for it too?
  • Looks like we need to be a bit clearer with our rules too. For WM comps, stories and cover sheet are separated, and the files are not initially handled by the people who are doing the judging, so the only problems are the (rare) people who put their name in the header and footer, which is inconvenient at best!
    Tunna, you're right, we don't explicitly state that your name shouldn't be in the header, just that it should be on the cover page, so that needs clarifying.

    As everyone has said anonymous judging is definitely fairer to the story, but it can result in looking like the opposite is happening! Sometimes we end up with winning or shortlisted stories that come from the "usual names", purely because those writers are doing something right rather than any bias in selection.
  • edited May 2012
    I think the safest rule of thumb for competitions where the rules aren't clear would be to use a cover sheet with all your details and use an anonymous page format for the actual work you're submitting. That way the organisers have the option of stapling the cover sheet to the story/poem/etc if they want your name and work kept together, or separating them.

    I've only judged one competition - for young writers - and that was anonymous. I found at the awards ceremony that in both age categories I'd given the first and second prizes to girls, with the two third places going to boys. The organisers made sure everybody knew the judging had been done anonymously, but still, it did seem a little strange and I think if I'd been aware of the pattern when I was picking the winners it may well have influenced my decision, if only on a subconscious level. That wouldn't have been fair to the writers.
  • I think anonymous is fairer, but that generally it wouldn't make any difference if the names were known.

    It's possible that having the name on could be a disadvantage in some cases. If a really well known name were spotted the judge might be expecting a higer standard and therefore mark more harshly.
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