Registration instructions will be made available when Judge Registration opens on Februaary 4, 2026

What is Involved in Being a Judge?

1. You will be assigned to a "judging circle" where you and 2 other judges will be judging 5-7 inventions from students in the same grade band (Grades K-2, 3,4,5,6-8,9-12).

2. APRIL 12th - We request that the judges review their assigned inventions prior to the event. You will receive an email allowing online access to your projects .  Please review (NOT SCORE) each invention. We estimate no more than 20 minutes time per invention.

3. APRIL 18th - At the actual event at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento on April 18th, you will meet with the inventors assigned to your judging circle then score each invention.

   ​Requirements of being of judge:
   - You are 18 or older.
   - You must be registered through our registration system.
   - You commit to reviewing the materials of your assigned projects between April 12 -April 17.
   - You commit to attending the event on April 18
   - The main requirement is that you are interested in what these inventors have created and are willing to review the assigned invention materials, attend the event on April 18,  and complete your scoring by 1 PM on that day.
   - You have internet-access capable device that you can bring to the event   - required to use the online judging system.

What About Training?

1. Judge Training will be on April 18th from 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM at the venue.  All judges are expected to attend even if they have previously been a judge.
   And take a look at the Judge Rubric to familiarize yourself with the scoring sheet.

Judge Schedule

1. April 12 - 17: Review assigned inventions online.

2. April 18:  The event will take place on April 18 at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Note that there are parking garages near the venue - estimated cost is $20. Judges will be at the event from 8:00 AM - 1 PM.
   - 8:00 AM -8:30 AM: - Judge check in.  Coffee & tea and continental breakfast will be available
   - 8:45  AM - 9:45 AM -  Presentation from our Executive Director includes  information on how to use the scoring system as well as guidelines on evaluating the projects, scoring and providing feedback.
   - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM-  Meeting with your assigned inventors in the judging circle on the convention floor
   - 11:00 AM- - 1:00 PM  - Review your evaluation with the other 2 judges in your judging circle, then each judge enters scores into online scoring system. We will provide a light lunch.