What did you learn when you competed in the STC competition?

[Beth Agnew]

I have competed, and judged.

When I competed quite a few years ago, I submitted a multimedia project. 
I later heard one of the judges say "I had never seen any multimedia 
until I judged this competition. I learned a lot!"

When I judged, I was required to evaluate submissions based on a list of 
specific criteria. Each submission either met the criteria, or it 
didn't. There was no room for subjective evaluation on the part of the 
judge. The total score determined whether the submissions received an 
award of excellence, and award of merit, or whatever.

I think the competition awards submissions that are fomulaic rather than 
innovative. If a submission departed from the stated judging criteria, 
it got zero for that category -- even if it might have been better than 
what was expected.

If you want to win an award in the competition, get a judge's form from 
the previous year and make sure your project meets all of those points 
in the way they are stated.

Good luck!