Information for Judges and Moderators

Judges and moderators are incredibly value members of the SDSU Student Symposium. We encourage faculty, staff, and community members to participate in the event as judges. The success of S³ is realized when the entire university community comes together to demonstrate their commitment, investment, and enthusiasm.

We are incredibly grateful to the mentors and judges and who have participated in the Symposium for several years in a row.

Judges

Judges help identify winners for awards and provide constructive feedback for student presenters to grow professionally and improve their projects.

How to Register as a Judge

Thank you for your interest in serving as a judge! Links for judge registration will be provided in the middle of fall semester.

1. Create an Account: You’ll be prompted to create an account on both Whova (to view the sessions) and RocketJudge.
2. Complete Whova Judge Registration Form: Fill out the Judge Registration Form with your contact information, area of expertise, and availability during the symposium. This information helps us match you with presentations relevant to your field.
3. Select Judging Preferences: You’ll have the option to specify preferred presentation categories. Please choose the categories most aligned with your background to ensure an engaging judging experience.
4. Review Key Dates:
   
   • Event Date: Friday, February 27, 2026
   • Award Ceremony: Friday, March 6, 2026
   • Note: Judges should be available on February 27 for live presentations, which may include Q&A sessions with students.

Familiarize Yourself with Judging Criteria

After registering, please review the presentation types, scoring guidelines, and judging instructions which will be when after registration opens. Presentations are evaluated based on research quality, presentation skills, and overall impact.

Each presentation type has a different scoring rubric that will be completed within the judging platform.

Judge Guidance for Oral Presentations, Performances and Films

Judge Guidance for Posters and Exhibits

2025 Rubrics:

Oral Presentations Scoring Rubric

Poster Presentations Scoring Rubric

Performance & Visual Arts Rubric

S³ Judges Training Sessions

To support our judges in navigating the judging process in our event software and understanding the scoring submission process for presentation day, we provide training sessions.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our team at [email protected].

Contact and Updates: Judges will receive email reminders and updates before the event. Make sure the email address you use for registration is active.

Support and Questions: If you have any questions or need assistance during registration, please reach out to our S³ team.

Moderators

Moderators are judges who also ensure the proper timing and conduct for presentation sessions. They assist in the transition between presenters and keep track of time remaining in a presentation so that presentations start and end when they are supposed to.

Instructions for how to register to serve as a moderator will be announced in fall semester.