Hello! 

As you know, the judge community will be experiencing a lot of changes on October 1. We know many of you have questions about what these changes mean for JudgeApps. Here are answers.

What changes, if any, can JudgeApps users expect to see after Oct 1st? 

JudgeApps is staying online, and the core functionalities of the site are not going anywhere: you can still apply for and create events, use the forums, and so on. The Judge Blogs and other systems are also remaining online.

We are also working on changes to reflect the existence of Judge Academy and the Legacy Program on JudgeApps. For example, if a user signs up with Judge Academy, they will have the option to share level information between their Judge Academy and JudgeApps accounts. See below for more details on this.

In the future, we hope to write some code that lets users export their data from JudgeApps and the Judge Blogs, but this won’t be ready on October 1.

ChannelFireball Events (CFBE) mentioned in their recent AMA that they are paying for the costs of running JudgeApps. What does this actually mean?

It means that CFBE is paying for the costs of keeping JudgeApps running, nothing more. They will not receive any special access to data, nor access to our servers or code.

CFBE is supporting JudgeApps in recognition of the site’s value as a global hub for the judge community.

Will all the current features be available in the future? 

Yes; you can still create and apply for events, use the forums, search for other judges, and so on. We may revisit or reimagine features that involve confidential or sensitive information, such as reviews.

What information will JudgeApps share with Judge Academy?

We have worked with Judge Academy to build a system that lets Judge Academy members verify their identity via JudgeApps. This system is opt-in, on a user-by-user basis.

This system will send a user’s basic information from JudgeApps (e.g. name, level, and DCI number) to Judge Academy. Users will need to consent to this before any data is sent to Judge Academy. This system uses the same type of authorization prompt that you see when signing in to other sites with your JudgeApps account, such as Purple Fox or support.magicjudges.org.

I’m a certified judge. How will JudgeApps handle my level information after October 1st? 

At first, there will not be a major change. JudgeApps will show a single judge level for each user. In addition to your level, JudgeApps will start to show where that judge level comes from.

On October 1, judges in regions supported by the Legacy Program will be updated to show their level is being supported by the Legacy Program.

As announced by the Program Coordinators, for judges in other areas of the world (i.e. regions in-service for Judge Academy), their information will be updated to show that their judge level is now “Historical.”

If those judges then register and certify with Judge Academy, Judge Academy will send that information to JudgeApps. The judge’s JudgeApps data will be updated to show that their certifying body is Judge Academy, which takes precedence over any Historical Level. (Remember, some judges may need to complete additional modules on Judge Academy before they officially become certified with Judge Academy.)

What happens if I don’t sign up for Judge Academy? Can I still apply for events, participate on the forums, or write reviews?

Yes! You will retain your access to the site, and you can continue to apply for events, participate on the forums, write reviews, and so on.

What happens to users with special access to events/reviews, such as Regional Coordinators and Program Coordinators? 

These users will lose their special privileges on October 1st.

We are evaluating what access Legacy Regional Coordinators should have.

Judge Academy representatives (such as Community Consultants) will not have special access to JudgeApps. The list of Community Consultants will be shown in JudgeApps, but that will not confer any special privileges.

If I’m in the middle of my L2 / L3 checklist, and I sign up for Judge Academy, can I still complete leveling up under the “old” process?

If you’re in a region served by Judge Academy, your checklist will carry over, but actually leveling up will be done through Judge Academy. Please consult this Facebook post from Judge Academy for more information.

If I am in a region supported by Judge Academy, can I still certify new judges using the Exams and Reviews in JudgeApps?

After October 1, the functionality to certify judges in regions that are in-service for Judge Academy will be disabled. The Legacy Program does not operate in regions that are supported by Judge Academy.

Who is responsible for JudgeApps after October 1?

There have not been any changes to how JudgeApps is structured. As before, JudgeApps is overseen by Paul Baranay, with assistance and consultation from other people.