The method I use is as follows:  First, I look at every entry without
voting to get a feel for the caliber of entries this round.  Then I go
through them again and vote, bringing up each image again and at the
same time reading the text file.  For the scores, I consider 10 to be
my baseline, what I consider to be exactly average or what I would
expect for the given category.  I'll then add or subtract points based
on the particulars of the image, generally keeping in the range of 5
to 15 unless I want to really reward an exceptional entry, or punish
a poor one.  When I'm done, I'll sort the entries by my score and go
through them one last time, adjusting any values that seem out of
place.  I take my time and the whole voting process for me takes
several nights to finish.

For artistic merit, I look for the aesthetic properties of the entry.
I'm looking for color, lighting, textures, modeling, composition, and
generally "does it look good".  For technical score I consider what
tools and techniques were used, and how well they were utilized.  This
one is often the biggest judgment call because nobody has a working
knowledge of every single tool out there.  I base my opinion on what
I've seen in other works.  For example, I've never used Bryce but from
what I've seen I know it does good landscapes, so I'd expect any
landscape from Bryce to be a notch above.  I must admit that I also go
by the cost of the software used (I would expect more from an
expensive modeler like Maya than from freeware Spatch, for example).
This is also where I would "punish" an entry without any description
in the readme because I have no way to judge the Tech score without
some hint of what went into it's creation.  For the concept score I
look at the subject of the image and how it fits into the round's
theme.  If an idea was used a lot by others (such as the dozen water
wheels from the 'Old Technology' round) then that will rank a bit
lower, while a unique and clever idea will rank higher.  This is where
I'd take off for "gray area" off-topic images.

I only "disqualify" images by giving them 1,1,1 if they have blatant
rules violations, such as 2D Photoshop images or grossly off-topic
entries where the artist clearly had no intention of following the
topic.  Honest mistakes get taken off in the most appropriate
category.  For example, if the artist didn't know adding a lens flare
in Photoshop was illegal post processing, this would get a few points
off the tech score because there are ways to do this legally in the
renderer.

As far as comments go, I probably don't leave as many as a lot of
other voters. I'll generally only leave a comment if I think I have
something specific and useful to say to the artist that will help them
on future works.  For example "Nice work!" really says nothing, but
something like "Nice work, but the wood textures should be aligned
with the long axis of the objects." gives specific advice on how to
improve an aspect of the work.  I try not to be too negative however,
so I'll try to temper what may be taken as a harsh criticism with
something positive as well.

To get a feel for the kinds of things judges look for, check out the
comments from some past rounds.  Bring up the tabulated voting results
in one window and the viewing page in the other and start at the
bottom of the list and work your way up.  The lowest-ranked images
tend to make the same specific mistakes that keep them at the bottom.
Also be sure to check out some mid-pack entries and compare them to
the winners to see what differences separate the two groups.

Finally, I recommend using Winvote if you can.  It helps organize the
voting process and guarantees you won't miss anything.

---
Jet Jaguar
Visit my crappy home page at http://home.att.net/~chmilnir/
MSTie #54297

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