Halloween costume contest rules and fair judging rubric

Actual tested output. The notes used for this result are an example, not a real event. This box is not copied. Replace the notes above with your own before you paste the prompt.

Adult community gathering. Original costumes. Three volunteer judges. One supplied gift basket. No entry fee. Prize value, basket contents, judge names, date, place and entry deadline were not supplied. Those stay blank. Lines marked "Idea" are not confirmed bookings.

Open questions
- What is the date, start time and place?
- Where, and by when, does an adult enter?
- Who receives a photo opt-out?
- Are any photos planned at all? If yes, on which platform?

Rules
- Who may enter: adults at this community gathering.
- Costumes: original. Store-bought, reused and handmade costumes are all allowed.
- Fee: none.
- Prize: the one gift basket already supplied. No value is stated. No sponsor is named. No second prize is added here.
- Judges: three volunteers. Names were not given.

Entry
Write your name on the entry list at [place not supplied] by [time not supplied]. Idea, not a confirmed plan: keep that list at the entrance.

Photos
Entering is not consent to be photographed or published. If photos happen, publishing is a separate consent. Opt out by telling [organiser not named] before any photo, or by marking a "no photos" column if you add one to the entry list. Do not photograph a person who opted out. No platform is approved, because none was named.

How judging stays fair
Score the idea, how clearly it reads, the visible making or adapting, and how the materials serve the idea. Do not score body shape, attractiveness or money spent. A store-bought costume, a reused one and a handmade one can all score 5 on interpretation. Craftsmanship is the visible work of making, altering or combining, so an unaltered purchase can score low on craft and still score high on the idea. Spending more does not add points.

Four criteria, equally weighted, each scored 0 to 5. Maximum per judge: 20.

How to score 1, 2 and 4 on every criterion
- 1: nearer the 0 anchor than the 3 anchor, but a small sign of the criterion is visible.
- 2: short of the 3 anchor, and closer to 3 than to 0.
- 4: past the 3 anchor, and short of the 5 anchor.
Use 0, 3 or 5 only when that anchor itself fits.

1. Interpretation
- 0: no readable idea.
- 3: a stranger can name the idea after a short look, and there is some original twist.
- 5: one distinct idea is carried through the costume as a personal interpretation, not only an unaltered bought look.

2. Craftsmanship
- 0: no making, altering or arranging is visible.
- 3: some fitting, altering or arranging gives part of the costume a deliberate finish.
- 5: several parts show careful making, altering or combining, and the finish holds together up close.

3. Coherence
- 0: the parts fight each other, or the idea cannot be grasped.
- 3: most visible parts support one idea.
- 5: the visible parts support one idea, and nothing major distracts from it.

4. Materials, not cost
- 0: the materials do not serve the idea.
- 3: bought, reused or handmade materials support the idea in a visible way.
- 5: the choice and adaptation of the materials clearly serve the idea, whatever they cost.

Aggregation
Add the three judges' totals. The highest combined total wins. The maximum combined total is 60.

Tie-break, declared now
1. Higher combined craftsmanship score.
2. If still tied, higher combined interpretation score.
3. If still tied, higher combined coherence score.
4. If still tied, higher combined materials score.
5. If still tied, a joint result.

Do not use a popularity vote. Do not invent another prize. What happens to the single basket if the result is joint was not stated. Should joint winners share that one basket?

Score sheet (print one per judge)

Judge: ____________________
Entrant: ____________________

Interpretation (0-5): ______
Craftsmanship (0-5): ______
Coherence (0-5): ______
Materials (0-5): ______
Judge total (max 20): ______

Combined total of the three judges (max 60): ______
Tie-break notes: ______