Reflections Judging Guidelines

Reflections Judging Guidelines

Once entries are collected, your next step is to arrange judging and prepare the top entries to advance to Council. Follow the steps below to stay on track.

1. Arrange Judges

Select individuals with arts experience to judge each arts category and grade division (e.g., Visual Arts, Literature, Dance Choreography, etc.).

• Ensure judges have no conflicts of interest (no student relatives participating in Reflections). 

• If possible, avoid judges from your own campus.

• Blind judging is recommended, especially if you must use judges from your campus.

• Each arts category and grade division must be judged separately, including the Accessible Arts division.

Tip: Great judges can often be found among:

• Local artists, teachers, professors, and librarians

• Dance, theater, or music instructors

• College arts and English students

• High school students who are advanced in that arts area (may judge younger divisions, not high school)

 TX PTA Reflections Leader Resources – Judging guidelines and more ideas for finding judges

2. Provide Judges With

Before judging, share these materials:

• The Category Rules, Detailed Rubric, and Scorecard

• The number of awards allowed per division (round up):

  • ~20% → Award of Excellence (advances to Council)

  • ~20% → Award of Merit

  • ~30% → Honorable Mention

  • Remaining entries → Participation

• If fewer than 5 entries, advance one if it meets standards.

Judging Criteria (TX PTA):

• Interpretation of Theme: How closely the piece relates to the theme, based on the artwork and artist statement – up to 20 pts

• Artistic Merit / Creativity: How creative and original the piece is – up to 12 pts

• Mastery of Medium: Level of skill in the basic principles/techniques of the arts area – up to 8 pts

National PTA uses the same criteria with slightly different weighting.

Resources:

• TX PTA Reflections Leader Resources – Rules, Detailed Rubric, & Scorecards

• National PTA Reflections Review Packet (English | en español)

3. Host Judging

If judges are working separately, ensure each judge records their scores so totals can be combined later. Judges working in groups should also have scorecards but may choose award levels without fully scoring each piece.

In-Person Judging

For large groups of Visual Arts or Photography entries, try a color-coded sticky note method (different color per judge) to flag top pieces before scoring.

Online Judging

If judging digitally, these tools can help:

• Slides, spreadsheets, or Google Drive folders for viewing entries

• If using Google Forms, create a Google Sheet that includes:

  • An entry number, title of work, artist statement, and a link to the entry file

• Consider hosting a virtual judging session via Zoom or Google Meet if judges prefer discussion-based scoring

4. Confirm Eligibility for Advancing Entries

Before advancing to Council, verify that:

• Each advancing student has someone in their household who is a current member of your PTA

• Entry forms are complete and legible

• Entries follow all category rules and meet file type/size requirements

Council submission deadline: November 13 (Online submissions only, no physical drop-off) 

Judging Summary

Judge each arts category separately by grade division. Advance up to the top 20% of each arts category and grade division to Council (Award of Excellence).

Interpretation of Theme: How closely the piece relates to the theme, based on the artwork itself and the artist statement – up to 20 pts

Artistic Merit/ Creativity: How creative and original the piece is in its conception of the theme and its presentation – up to 12 pts

Mastery of Medium: The level of skill demonstrated in the basic principles/techniques of the arts area – up to 8 pts

Reflections Judging in Eight Easy Steps

Links to resources at www.txpta.org/reflections-leader-resources

1. Download the Local PTA Reflections Leader Checklist

2. Recruit volunteers and judges (preferably not from your campus)

3. Verify eligibility of all entries and resolve any issues before judging

4. Host judging – read guidelines, prepare scorecards, and review rules & rubric with judges

5. Download, complete, and save the TX PTA Advancing Entry Spreadsheet

6. Complete the Local PTA Participation Summary

7. Advance entries to Council via Online Submission by Nov. 13

8. Celebrate your students and volunteers!

   • Send judges a thank-you note or certificate

   • Printable Reflections certificates  and themed ribbons are available