The following scorecard will be used for entries in Department 4 – Educational Displays and Posters
Instructions for Scoring
- Informational Posters should make viewers STOP – READ – REMEMBER
- Score each criteria below up to the “Max” points.
- Refer to “The Danish System” scoring chart to the right to award Danish earned.
- Consider exhibitor’s age, experience, and any accommodations when scoring.
- Provide feedback by circling qualities or areas for improvement; and/or write
additional comments.
The Danish System
Blue = Excellent; entry nearly meets the “ideal standard.” 90-100 points
Red = Good; room for improvement in a few areas. 80-89 points
White = Fair; many improvements are needed. 70-79 points
Participation only: Far below standards. > 70 points
Message (50 Points)
| Category & Criteria | Desirable Qualities | Areas for Improvement | Max | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Main Idea | Main idea is easy to determine | Too general; unclear; too many facts, ideas, messages | 10 | |
| Accuracy | Facts are accurate; subjective ideas and opinions are clearly conveyed as such | Subjective ideas are presented as facts or are otherwise misleading; grossly inaccurate entries may be judged but not displayed, or may be disqualified at judge’s discretion depending on risk to the public | 10 | |
| Brief and Clear | Entry can be observed and understood in a glance/moment/minute or two | Too much information; use of non-value-added words (e.g. “did you know?”) | 10 | |
| Value and Impact | Stimulates thought or teaches/shows an idea | Viewers not likely to remember/understand | 10 | |
| Appropriate for Audience | Interesting to audience; relevant for the community | Too basic or already known by audience; too complex without appropriate, succinct context also presented; content is excessively gory or “R” rated | 10 |
Design (30 Points)
| Category & Criteria | Desirable Qualities | Areas for Improvement | Max | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettering Size | Easily read from 10 ft | Too small, too narrow | 5 | |
| Lettering Layout | Neat and well-planned; consistent spacing; balanced; flow of information is clear and easy to follow | Cramped, cluttered; hand-drawn lettering is smudged; cut-out lettering is untidy | 5 | |
| Lettering Style | Readable and attractive; style adds interest or attracts viewers; spelling, punctuation, grammar are correct | Style distracts from message; use of inconsistent style that does not enhance the message; ineffective use of ALL CAPS; hand-drawn lettering is too thinly drawn | 5 | |
| Illustration Size | Easily observed from 10 ft | Too small; content of illustrations is cluttered or difficult to view or understand from 10ft | 5 | |
| Illustration Layout | Neat and well-planned; consistent spacing; balanced | Cramped, cluttered; hand-drawn illustrations are smudged, too thinly drawn, or difficult to interpret or understand; objects or cut-out illustrations are untidy; | 5 | |
| Illustration Relevance | Contributes to the main idea; adequately labeled or captioned if necessary, based on audience knowledge | Unrelated to message; too general, nonspecific; copyrighted materials used | 5 |
Overall Presentation (20 Points)
| Category & Criteria | Desirable Qualities | Areas for Improvement | Max | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | Effectively used; harmonious | Too many colors resulting in distraction or difficulty for viewer to focus; colors clash | 5 | |
| Layout | Neat and well-planned; organized; orderly | Untidy; content crams against the edges of the poster | 5 | |
| Size & Materials | Complies with entry requirements for Dept 4 and related project department; Entry is presentable, intact & sturdy; label on the back is complete per project department requirements; content is securely affixed | Entry is too big, too small, or of the wrong type/wrong department (trifolds, diaramas, etc. should be Dept Z); materials are flimsy, smudged, wrinkled, torn, or dirty; edges of cut-out materials are peeling off | 5 | |
| Creativity | Idea or presentation of idea is imaginitive, original; attracts viewer’s attention; content and/or presentation is appropriate for the age group of the member | Viewers have likely seen something similar already; content and/or presentation is comparable to the standards of a younger age group | 5 |
Each section has a section for judges comments