Judge Foundry Judges are tournament experts who will help you bring your events to the next level. They receive training and certification on rules and policy knowledge, creating a welcoming environment, and focusing on player experience. Whether you’re hosting Friday Night Magic or your Face-to-Face Regional Championship Qualifier, your players will feel more likely to come to an event where there’s a certified Judge on staff.
Here are some ways you can find a judge:
- Ask your players! Do you have a group of players who can’t wait to sign up for your RCQ? They’re probably connected with the local community and can put you in contact with a certified Judge. Judges are players too, and it’s possible that a judge already attends your events and you just didn’t know it.
- Advertise your event on JudgeApps. JudgeApps is the hub for the Magic Judge community. Every certified judge has an account there, and many check it frequently or receive email alerts when new events pop up. Tournament organizers can create accounts, letting them post their events. When you post your solicitation, make sure you note when and where your event will be held, what type of event it is, and what sort of compensation you’re offering to judges. If it’s your Fall RCQ, make sure to mention that you have a Judge Foundry as a special gift for your judge!
- Talk to your Regional Advocate. Regional Advocates are connected with the community and may know a judge in your area or one who’s willing to travel to you. For stores in Eastern Canada, contact your Regional Advocate is Dom Barrieau. For those in Western Canada, your Regional Advocate is Tobias Vyseri. If there isn’t a judge in your area, your Regional Advocate might be able to help mentor and train a new judge who can work with your store.
- Get certified. Whether it’s you as the organizer, one of your employees who loves in-store play, or a player who’s always helpful and fun, there’s probably someone already in your store who’d make a good judge. When you’re contacting judges, mention that even if they’re not available to work your event, you’d love if they’d consider mentoring someone else to become a judge to work with your community. And make sure you hand out the postcards you received with your event kit to players whom you think would make great judges so they can look into it themselves.