We will begin accepting applications for judges on December 2, 2025
You can serve our profession by volunteering as a peer judge for the prestigious Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards.
As a judge, you are considered an expert in your field. You can give praise and constructive feedback on award submissions from all levels of government—plus gain valuable inspiration for your own projects. By volunteering, you learn from
your peers while providing a vital service to the field of government.
Hear what a previous BP&GS judge has to say about their experience:
Judging Period
Judge registration opens on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. The deadline to sign up as a judge for the 2026 program is Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.Central Time.
Judging is scheduled to occur from Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, to Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
The amount of time required varies depending on the number of entries and the number of judges. We do our best to not overwhelm you.
Eligibility
Communications professionals are invited to apply to serve as a judge. While all entries represent government organizations, judges do not necessarily need to be employed with a government agency to serve as a judge.
Please note that you can both enter the awards program and serve as a judge; you would just recuse yourself from categories that you and/or your organization are entering or that could pose a conflict of interest.
Judging Process
All judging is completed individually online. Approved judges receive access to the online judging portal to review, evaluate and score the entries. Judges review entries from a variety of categories.
NAGC has established a judging criteria and scoring method.
Training
No prior experience is necessary to serve as a judge. NAGC offers a virtual training session with judges before the judging period opens, and the session is recorded for future reference.
About Blue Pencil and Gold Screen
You can learn more about the awards program on the Blue Pencil and Gold Screen webpage. Winners are recognized each year during the NAGC Communications School. Neither winners
nor judges are required to be present, but we always hope you will join us.
