APSE judging thread

[Diego Marquez]

I think I just saw Jim Jenks, Lynn Hoppes and some other familiar faces in the crowd at the Oscars.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

■ 1. We're considering adjusting the contest to change the categories of sections. Right now, there are four categories: under 40,000, 40,000-100,000, 100,000 to 250,000 and 250,000 and above. What we've found is that there are way more newspapers in the first two categories. Like about 300 newspapers in the first two categories. So don't be surprised if the categories get adjusted before too long.

The problem is not too many papers in the small categories, but too few in the largest. Mathematically there is about a 50-50 chance of making top 20 in a best-section category in 250K-plus. Breaking down circulation classes even further would be a complete joke; it would be like pro boxing. If you want to make it fair, add more papers to the largest categories, say 125K and above, 70K-124K, 35K-69K, 34K and under. Somehow I doubt this will happen, because nobody in the two largest categories will want more competition for prizes.

 

[Rockbottom]

If memory serves, some of the larger-circulation section categories leaked out late on the first day of judging last year (there are fewer papers, therefore less to judge, so they get out first). Things then started trickling out slowly over the next couple days. But don't expect any writing results until sometime on Wednesday when things start wrapping up. If I remember correctly, they tend to come out last.

I'm far from an expert, though. I've never participated in judging, so I have no idea how the process works. This is generally what I recall from past years. And, of course, this assumes that somebody at the judging is willing to be a mole for the rest of us.

Well, *I* am not there this year ... so count me out! Just waiting on results like the rest of us schlubs.

rb

 

[Fletch_F._Fletch]

Sorry to hear you're not there this year RB. You did a great job for us obsessives last year. I hope somebody there is ready to carry your torch.

 

[patchs]

If memory serves, some of the larger-circulation section categories leaked out late on the first day of judging last year (there are fewer papers, therefore less to judge, so they get out first). Things then started trickling out slowly over the next couple days. But don't expect any writing results until sometime on Wednesday when things start wrapping up. If I remember correctly, they tend to come out last.

I'm far from an expert, though. I've never participated in judging, so I have no idea how the process works. This is generally what I recall from past years. And, of course, this assumes that somebody at the judging is willing to be a mole for the rest of us.

If there are some SportsJournalists.com moles there, you'll start seeing some section results on Monday.
Special sections take less time than daily and Sunday because you don't have to read through 4 seperate sections.
Writing takes forever because of the sheer number of entries.
If they are short a good number of judges, it will take even longer.
I know it's tough to be patient but rest assured, they want to do the best job possible and it takes time to do that.

 

[Pendleton]

1. It seems to me that, every 4-5 years, you should just take the circulation sizes of all member newspapers and split it up so that there are roughly the same number of newspapers in each of four divisions. (Or expand to five divisions with the same philosophy). ... I do have a vested interest, but I think it's fair to say the 40,000 to 100,000 is a brutal category, especially for the Section contest, where there's a huge difference in the resources (and number of pages) available to a 40,100 circulation paper and a 98,500 circulation newspaper.

2. I think they should move forward as soon as possible with a way to honor excellence in online journalism. We're smart enough to figure out the details for how this would work. Other organizations have found ways (and rules) for honoring online journalism. ... I think we need to move forward quickly in this area, because it's a subtle way to encourage and reward something that sports sections NEED to be doing. Sports sections need to be finding ways to be excellent on the Web, because that is our future, friends.

 

[Jim Jenks]

Yep, you saw me. I was a seat filler. I was wearing a Joseph Aboud traditional tux.

 

[Ace]

Yep, you saw me. I was a seat filler. I was wearing a Joseph Aboud traditional tux.

Awesome.

 

[Lynn_Hoppes]

Yes, I was Jenks' date.
I was in my Vera Wang gown.
Backless.
That's how I roll.

 

[Ace]

Yes, I was Jenks' date.
I was in my Vera Wang gown.
Backless.
That's how I roll.

My bad. Shoulda noticed. I thought you were Salma Hayek.

 

[patchs]

Yep, you saw me. I was a seat filler. I was wearing a Joseph Aboud traditional tux.

Jenks, did you pick up a Slurpee for the Oscars?

 

[Pendleton]

Another update from the APSE site:

============

First-day judging is in the books
By LYNN HOPPES
Orlando Sentinel


Story posted on Feb. 26, 2007

The first day of judging is over and we have only one judging category finished. (And, no, I'm not telling.) We'll begin posting stuff on Monday afternoon when we get a few more results in. We've had some problems with bad weather and some judges have been snowed in, and did not make the trip. So we've moved some people around. We've also had to disqualify some incorrect entries. (I'm DEFINITELY not telling that.) We hope we have enough judges to get things finished by Wednesday afternoon.

Some people had trouble getting their luggage. Doug Tatum of the New Orleans Times-Picayune still doesn't have his luggage. We've allowed him to judge alone. I said he can wear the same clothes inside out so he can get two days out of it. He said he went to Wal-Mart to buy some clothes. Sounds like an upgrade to me after seeing what he normally wears.

The weather is pretty cool. In the 50s. For those of you from the North, it's bearable. For those from the South, it's bad. I saw a woman judge in the lobby wearing gloves and a scarf while reading someone's work. And she was sitting next to a fireplace.