2026 Michigan Judges Training Dates
Saturday, 24 January 2026 @ 9:00 am
or
Tuesday, 27 January 2026 @ 7:00 pm
All Michigan Judges will need to attend
ONE of the above ONLINE trainings
Each team is required to provide a trained Judge as prerequisite for competition. Judges Training usually runs between 1 and 2 hours and is done via a Zoom meeting. Teams that do not provide a trained Judge or whose Judge is a No-Show can be fined and/or not advance to the next level of competition. For these reasons, your commitment is VERY IMPORTANT.
All Judges are required to attend a mandatory training to prepare for the coming season. Since the problems are new every year, you will need to attend ONE of the below training dates even if you have judged in previous years.
Please remember that the trained Judge is a requirement of every tournament. That means that, should your team advance, they will be expecting you to judge for them at the Michigan State Finals which is held on Saturday, 15 March 2025 @ Thornapple Kellogg Schools in Middleville, MI.
State Finals Judge requirements:
Please remember that Judges are not allowed to judge their own teams. As a result they will not see their team perform. If this is an issue for you, you will need to contact your Coach immediately and let them know that you are not able to fulfill your team's Judge requirement.
All Judges are required to attend a mandatory training to prepare for the coming season. Since the problems are new every year, you will need to attend ONE of the below training dates even if you have judged in previous years.
Please remember that the trained Judge is a requirement of every tournament. That means that, should your team advance, they will be expecting you to judge for them at the Michigan State Finals which is held on Saturday, 15 March 2025 @ Thornapple Kellogg Schools in Middleville, MI.
State Finals Judge requirements:
- Team's required Judge must have attended one of the mandatory judge trainings
- Team's required Judge must have judged at one of the Regional Tournaments
Please remember that Judges are not allowed to judge their own teams. As a result they will not see their team perform. If this is an issue for you, you will need to contact your Coach immediately and let them know that you are not able to fulfill your team's Judge requirement.
What is an Odyssey of the Mind Judge?
The Odyssey of the Mind (OotM) judge is an essential part of the volunteer staff that makes an OotM tournament a success. Judges can be parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, or anyone who has a love for children. Click below for complete description.
Judge Job Description
The Odyssey of the Mind (OotM) judge is an essential part of the volunteer staff that makes an OotM tournament a success. Judges can be parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, or anyone who has a love for children. Click below for complete description.
Judge Job Description