2018 Reflections Local Leaders Guide:

• It is the job of the Reflections Specialist to invite people to judge. It is highly recommended that 2-3 judges per category are used. If you cannot find that many judges for each category, please be sure that you have at least (more than 3 if possible) judges for the entire program.
• Parents of students with entries in their local Reflections SHOULD NOT be judges for their school, especially if their student has an entry in the Reflections program. If you have a group of parents from your school who are willing/able to judge, find a school near you who also has parent judges and swap.
• Judges' information must remain strictly anonymous at all times. Under no circumstances should judges names or contact information ever be given to anyone other than the Reflections Specialist.

National PTA does not emphasize a spirit of competition in the Reflections Program but, rather, we spotlight creativity and originality of expression. We are looking for that unique entry that best portrays the creative use and interpretation of the given theme. National PTA and Utah PTA recognize that judging the arts is a very subjective task. Because of this we do not give first, second or third place awards. Instead we give Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit to entries that deserve special recognition.

Award of Excellence

This is the TOP award and considered the highest recognition. Entries receiving the Award of Excellence will move on to the next higher level of judging.

For each arts category this level of Reflections may advance up to four (4) Awards of Excellence from across all age divisions represented at this judging level.* One entry, the top score awarded from each age division, will be selected. The remaining Awards of Excellence will be determined by the next highest scores from across all age divisions.

Award of Merit

These entries are also considered a very high level of quality and achievement. They are the entries not chosen to advance to the next level but are deserving of high acknowledgement. Up to four (4) entries in each age group and each arts category to receive this recognition depending on the decision of the judges.

Additional Awards

If a Local (Council/Region) wants to give additional awards such as Presidents Pick or Principal’s Choice, that is up to the Board of each level of judging. These awards are not recognized by other levels of judging but are appropriate if the board approves it.

Criteria: All PTA Reflections program entries are judged on three criteria:

1. Interpretation of Theme (20 pts.)
2. Creativity (10 pts.)
3. Technique (10 pts.)

Notice how heavily “Interpretation of Theme” is weighted? This is what makes the National PTA Reflections Arts Program unique. A well-developed concept is more important than technique. If two entries are tied, the entry with the higher score for interpretation of theme receives more recognition. Use the provided rubric to keep your scores consistent.