For Judges

Serving as a judge in the Graduate Exhibition is an excellent way to learn about research, scholarship, and creative activity taking place at the University while helping students build their research communication skills. For the Video category, judging can be done online remotely. For the other categories, judging takes place in person.

Judge registration for the 2026 Graduate Exhibition has now closed.

Guidance for Judges

To make sure that your feedback to students is beneficial, we encourage all judges to be curious, open, respectful, and constructive. Graduate students have spent months or years developing the projects that they are presenting. Learning to communicate technical and scientific ideas to a general audience can be challenging. Our goal is to make Graduate Exhibition a comfortable and safe space in which graduate students can share about their work and gain new perspectives from the judges.

Remember that all Exhibition attendees—presenters, judges, and others—are expected to uphold Penn State's values, which include integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence, and community.

Michael Verderame, senior associate dean in the Fox Graduate School, shares more tips:

Judging Categories

: Join us and serve as a judge for a delightful evening of music from Penn State’s talented School of Music graduate students. Judges will evaluate all performances using paper evaluation forms provided at the event, which will be turned in at the end of the performances. Judges will also receive guidance before the performances begin.
: Presentations are assigned to judges at random and may come from the research poster, design, and/or visual arts categories.

Judges will complete an online evaluation for each assigned presentation, which can be completed on a laptop, smartphone, or other mobile device. Several iPads and laptops will be available for judges.
: Video judging will take place throughout the week of the competition and can be completed any time during that window.

Rubrics

Review the rubrics below to understand the judging criteria.

Category	What to look for
Communication of Objective and Significance	The student clearly and concisely conveys the project’s objective and significance, using accessible language. Technical terms are explained in a way that an educated non-expert can understand.
Explanation of Project Design and Methodology	The project design and methods are logically presented, clearly explained, and understandable to a general audience.
Explanation of Innovation of Design Product and Actualization of Design Goal	Innovation is clearly and concisely explained, and actualization of the design goal is well done.
Visual Presentation of Poster	The poster is visually appealing, uses engaging graphics and text, and is easy to read, while supporting the understanding of the project.
Overall Presentation	The student communicates clearly and professionally, staying concise and responding effectively to questions.

Category	What to look for
Artistry	Demonstrates expressive artistry and emotional engagement throughout the performance.
Technique	Shows technical accuracy, rhythmic fluidity, and clarity in phrasing.
Stage Presence	Displays poise, confidence, and professional presentation.
Introduction of Performance Piece	Clearly and effectively explains the choice of piece in a way that is understandable to a general audience.
Overall Presentation	Performance is cohesive, polished, and reflects preparation.

Category	What to look for
Communication of Objective and Significance	The student clearly and concisely conveys the project’s objective and significance, using accessible language. Technical terms are explained in a way that an educated non-expert can understand.
Explanation of Project Design and Methodology	The project design and methods are logically presented, clearly explained, and understandable to a general audience.
Explanation of Results, Conclusions, and Potential Impact of the Research	The research results are clearly presented, and the conclusions are clearly articulated based on the results; the potential impact or implications of the research are communicated in a way that is understandable to an educated non-expert.
Visual Presentation of Poster	The poster is visually appealing, uses engaging graphics and text, and is easy to read, while supporting the understanding of the project.
Overall Presentation	The student communicates clearly and professionally, staying concise and responding effectively to questions.

Category	What to look for
Communication of Objective and Significance	The student clearly and concisely conveys the project’s objective and significance, using accessible language. Technical terms are explained in a way that an educated non-expert can understand.
Explanation of Project Design and Methodology	The project design and methods are logically presented, clearly explained, and understandable to a general audience.
Explanation of Results, Conclusions, and Potential Impact of the Research	The research results are clearly presented, and the conclusions are clearly articulated based on the results; the potential impact or implications of the research are communicated in a way that is understandable to an educated non-expert.
Technical Appeal of the Video	Strong technical quality; visuals are clear, appropriate, and appealing; text, music, and/or narrations are clear and enhance understanding.
Overall Presentation	The student communicates clearly and professionally, and remains engaging. The presentation is easy to understand and adheres to timing and guidelines.

Category	What to look for
Communication of Objective and Significance	The student clearly and concisely conveys the purpose of their work and its significance in a way that is understandable to an educated non-expert.
Explanation of Relevance to Contemporary Art and Visual Culture	Connections to contemporary artistic practice and cultural context are well-articulated and understandable to an educated non-expert.
Technical Execution	Technical skill and craftsmanship support the work’s intended effect; installation/presentation enhances rather than distracts the viewer’s experience.
Creativity	The work demonstrates originality and innovation; form, subject matter, and content reinforce one another effectively.
Overall Presentation	The student communicates clearly and professionally and responds to questions effectively; artistic concepts are coherent and well articulated.

Category	What to Look For
Visual presentation	The visualization is visually appealing, well-organized, and uses color, fonts, and graphics effectively to enhance understanding.
Effective communication	The visualization clearly communicates the intended message and presents results in an understandable way using appropriate chart types.
Creativity and innovation	The visualization demonstrates originality and creativity, offering a compelling and unique approach to presenting data.

Contact

Graduate Exhibition Committee

exhibition@foxgradschool.psu.edu