Dear iGEMers,
After the summer ends, the wikis are frozen, and you are preparing for the Jamborees, the iGEM judges will begin assessing your projects. Assessment appears to get more complex every year so we to share some helpful details about our procedure. iGEM project evaluation is organized into three main categories: medals, awards and advancement.
Medals: There are three types of medals at iGEM: bronze, silver and gold. Every team can win a medal if they meet the requirements [link to medal requirements]. Each team can only win one medal. For example, if you meet all the requirements for bronze, silver and a single gold medal criteria, you will only be awarded a gold. The requirements have changed from 2012 so please pay careful attention to the new guidelines and the [Awards page].
Awards: There are many awards at iGEM and only one team per region can win each award. Occasionally, judges will vote to split an award between the best two teams. In order to determine awards, judges score all teams at all regional competitions using a universal evaluation rubric. We developed this system in 2012 in response to the need for a standardized evaluation system across the five iGEM regions.
Advancement: There are a limited number of positions at the World Championship Jamboree and as such, only a small number of teams from each region can advance. We pick the top-scoring teams to represent their region at the World Championship Jamboree. The number of teams advancing is proportional to the number of teams from the region relative to the total number of teams in iGEM.
We provide feedback in the form of scores from the rubric and some notes from the judges, but not an overall numerical ranking. Please note – advancement is not linked to medals. Advancement is linked only to your score as evaluated by the judges using the rubric.
Awards within the undergrad and overgrad divisions
As the undergrad and overgrad divisions are distinctly evaluated this year, we can potentially award two sets of the same prizes, one set to the undergrad teams and another set to the overgrad teams. This will be at the discretion of the judges, as teams will need to work hard to be considered in regions where there are few overgrad teams.
We hope this statement helps to clarify some of the questions you might have about evaluation. If you have any further questions please email judging [at] iGEM [dot] org.
Karmella Haynes
iGEM 2013 Head Judge
Kim de Mora
iGEM Judging Coordinator
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