How GBA Scoring Is Done
The Georgia Barbecue Association has a unique method of scoring barbecue entries using modern scoring software to ensure fair and consistent results.
Scoring Methods
The GBA uses blind scoring for both Preliminary and Final judging rounds.
The Double Blind Entry Submission System
The GBA has adopted a “double blind” system of entry submission. The double blind system is designed to hide the owner of the entry (i.e. the team turning that box in) so that the judging process is completely fair and impartial. The double blind system has proven to be an effective and easily implemented system.
The double entry system consists of a “front table” and a “back table”. Both work in concert with each other and are critical components of the double blind system.
The main responsibility of the front table is to accept the initial entry from the teams. The front table has a team check list and will note when each teams entry has been accepted. A GBA representative works closely with the front table staff to ensure that entries arrive during the allotted time, and to assist the front table crew as needed.
Once an entry has cleared the front table it is passed to the “back table”. The primary role of the back table is to properly encode and route the box to the correct judging table. The back table uses a “code sheet”, which is a document containing the names of all teams in the category as well as a code assigned to each of those boxes (codes are randomly assigned by the scoring program). The GBA representative at the back table will accept the box, lookup the code from the code sheet, and then remove the label and write that code in permanent marker on both the box and the label, which is then affixed to a separate sheet of paper for tracking. The box is then moved to a staging table which has been prepared with sheets that list the boxes on each table – for example, table 1 may have boxes 3, 5, 12, 16, and 21, while Table 2 may have boxes 8, 13, 17, 20 and 24.
It is important to note that when the back table process is complete the owner of the box can only be determined by comparing the box number to the code sheet and only the lead GBA representative and the representative working the back table has access to the code sheet. No one else – no volunteer, judge, other reps, or table captain, not even the contest organizer – has access to that sheet.
After all boxes are turned in and coded for the category, the reps review the box placements at the staging table once more before calling for the table captains. Table captains retrieve their boxes and place them on their table. After boxes are placed on each table, the contest reps conduct one final review to ensure everything is in place as expected
During this process judges are not allowed to be in the judging area. This helps to maintain the integrity of the double blind system.
Table Captains
The GBA uses table captains to assist during the scoring process. Table Captains are chosen by the lead rep from the Judging pool. Table captains are experienced judges who agree to take on additional responsibilities. Among other duties, the table captain helps determine if an entry is valid, verifies that judges are seated and setup correctly, assists the judges to ensure they’ve input the correct box numbers, and collects judges score cards. The table captain also reviews each judge’s scores to ensure they make sense – for example, if a judge has awarded an entry 10’s in Appearance, Taste, and Tenderness, but then gives that entry a 9.5 in Overall Impression, the table captain would review the score card with that judge to ensure those scores are correct. The Table captain also helps to facilitate discussion between judges after the Contest Rep has verified all judging scorecards and released the table from their duties, helps maintain cleanliness and order at their table, and restocks their table for the next category.
Judging
After all boxes have been routed to their assigned tables the GBA representative will call for Judging to begin, and judges will enter the judging area and select a seat. There is no particular order to judge seating, although “trained” judges are seated first to ensure they are evenly distributed among tables. Judges are instructed to avoid sitting at a table with a spouse, companion, friend, or relative, and to also avoid sitting with the same group of judges during successive scoring rounds, but otherwise it’s up the judge where they sit.
When all Judges are seated the table captain will verify that the judges have their scoring cards and scoring mats, and have filled in those cards (Judge name, entry category, and box numbers). The boxes will all be opened, and the judges will enter scores for Appearance. After all judges have filled in Appearance scores, judges will take samples from each box and place them on their scoring mats. Samples are removed from entry boxes using forks supplied by the contest. Each box has a single fork that is used for that box only to ensure sauces and/or rubs from one entry are not transferred to another entry. Scoring mats are marked out with 6 distinct sections, and the judge will place a sample from each box in the appropriate section, making sure not to mix entries from different boxes.
After each judge has obtained samples from each box they will begin to judge the Taste and Tenderness of each entry. The judge will often make notes on the scoring mat to denote specific characteristics of each entry, and will refer back to those notes when considering the score to give each entry. Judges may also sometimes re-sample an entry, and will sometimes retrieve additional product from the entry box. A judge may ask the table captain or GBA representative questions regarding an entry, but there is no discussion among the judges until every judge at the table has completed scoring and turned in their score cards.
After the judge has scored Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste for each entry the Judge will then compare each entry to the rest to determine their Overall Impression score for each entry. While the GBA allows duplicate scores in Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste, the judge must award a unique Overall Impression score to each entry. Overall Impression is the only Preliminary Round criteria where a judge can award decimal scores. Judges may award any score between 10.0 and 9.1 in the Overall Impression criteria.
Judges may fill out comment cards for entries where they feel the team needs more information. These comment cards can contain anything the judge feels may be of benefit to the team. Judges are required to issue a comment card for their lowest Overall Impression score, and are encouraged to award additional comment cards to provide appropriate feedback when needed.
After all cards are turned in, Judges may discuss the entries on their table. This is often a very informative session, especially for newly trained judges.
Scoring Criteria
Judges score each entry based on 4 distinct criteria or attributes listed below:
- Appearance: The general appearance of the product in the container.
- Tenderness: The general texture and feel of the product.
- Taste: The flavor of the product, including any sauces or rubs applied to the product.
- Overall Impression: The overall impression of the product, taking into account all other criteria.
Each entry is judged by a panel of 6 judges, and each of those 6 judges will score each product in the above criteria.
Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste are all awarded scores between 7 and 10. In preliminary judging, those scores are all whole number (7, 8, 9, or 10). Judges may award more than one 10 in any of these criteria, although it is rare that Judges will award multiple 10s in Tenderness and Taste.
Overall Impression is awarded scores between 9.1 and 10. Judges are not allowed to duplicate Overall Impression scores, and must award each entry on the table a distinct Overall Impression score.
Weighting
The GBA adds “weighting” factors to each criteria score depending on that criteria’s importance to barbecue. The GBA’s motto is “It’s all about the Taste”, so the Taste score is given the highest weighting factor. Those factors are shown here:
| Criteria | Weighting Factor |
|---|---|
| Appearance | 2 |
| Tenderness | 3 |
| Taste | 4 |
| Overall Impression | 3 |
When a judge scores an entry, the GBA multiplies that criteria score by the weighting factor above. For example, if a team is awarded 10 in Taste, that would translate to a 40 (4 X 10) in the final score. If a Judge awards a team a 9.7 in Overall Impression, that would translate to a 29.1 (9.7 X 3) in the final score.
Dropping Scores
The GBA currently drops the lowest criteria score for each team entry. There are 6 judges per table, so each team would receive 6 distinct scores for each criteria. The GBA scoring system drops the lowest score from among those 6, so if a team was awarded the following scores in Taste:
| 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
|---|
The scoring system would drop one of the 9 scores awarded that team 192 points in Taste (10 + 10 + 10 + 9 + 9 = 48 X 4 = 192).
How Scores are Entered
Scoring at a GBA contest is done by a person specifically trained to operate the scoring software. The scorer receives the judging score cards from the GBA representative and then enters each score into the scoring software. Generally scoring is done by a two person team – one person calls out the scores while the second person enters them into the system. For each entry, the person entering the scores will call back the scores entered into the system, and the person calling out the scores will verify those match the scores given by that judge to that specific entry. This helps to ensure scores are entered accurately.
It is important to note that scoring is also performed using the double blind concepts discussed earlier. Since the only identifier is the box number (coded earlier by the back table), persons entering the scores have no idea which team earned those scores.
Breaking Ties
See How the GBA Breaks Scoring Ties for information on how the GBA handles ties.
How Scores are Calculated
Scores are calculated by the scoring program using methods adopted by the GBA. Essentially, each score is multiplied by a weighting factor dependent on the criteria, and then all those are added together to arrive at the Judges score. Since the GBA drops the lowest score in a criteria, the scoring system would do this for the top 5 criteria scores only. The scores of all 6 judges (minus the dropped lowest score) are then added together to calculate the total score for that entry.
Determining the Finals Teams
When the scorer has finished data entry in a category, the scoring system will calculate the results for that category to determine the top 3 finishers in the category. After this calculation the lead representative (or someone delegated by the lead rep) will verify the rankings are correct by reviewing the scores and making sure they are ordered in descending order, with the highest on top. The reviewer will also concentrate on any ties and further review how those ties were broken. Once the reviewer has verified the rankings the scorer will then generate the Team Finals Sheets, which are the sheets that name the top 3 finishers in the category. The GBA representative then informs each finals team of their finish and provides them with a new entry box.
Finals Judging
Prior to the start of judging, the lead GBA representative selects 6 judges to be Finals Judges. Those judges do not participate in the preliminary judging rounds – in fact, the finals judges are not permitted to be in the judging room during preliminary judging.
Finals Judging uses the same criteria and weighting factors as preliminary judging. Finals judges have a much more difficult job, however, since they are essentially comparing all 9 entries to determine the best product of the day. As with preliminary judging, the finals judges do not discuss any of the entries until all finals judging has been completed. Loin is judged first, and even when loin judging has completed the finals judges do not discuss the loin entries.
Finals Judges initially compare the 3 entries in each category and rank them with a score of 10, 9.9, or 9.8 in Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste. Unlike preliminary judges, finals judges are not allowed to duplicate these scores in a specific category. For example, in the Loin category each finals judge must award one entry a 10, one a 9.9, and one a 9.8 in the Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste criteria. The process is repeated with the Pork and Rib categories. The end result is that each entry in a category is ranked within the category, allowing finals judge to determine their favorite Loin, Pork, and Rib entry.
When scoring is complete for Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste for all finals entries, finals judges then rank them according to Overall Impression. Using the scores from the above criteria, each finals judge will determine their favorite entry of the day and award that entry a 10.0 in Overall Impression. Each judge would then determine their next favorite entry and award that entry a 9.9, with the next favorite awarded a 9.8, and so on until all 9 entries have been ranked.
When each finals judge completes their score card they confer with one of the contest representatives to ensure their scores adhere to GBA regulations. The reps look for the following:
- The finals judge has awarded a single 10, 9.9, and 9.8 in Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste in each distinct category.
- The finals judge has awarded a unique Overall Impression score to each of the 9 finals entries.
- The Overall Impression score makes sense when compared to scores in the other criteria for the entry. For example, if a judge scored a loin entry with a 9.8 in Appearance, Tenderness, and Taste, that Loin entry would not be their favorite entry and should not be awarded a 10 in Overall Impression.
When finals judging is completed, the score cards are turned over to the scorer for input to the scoring system. This process is identical to the Preliminary score entry process, with two people working to enter and verify scores. After all finals scores are entered the scoring system then ranks the 9 finals entries to determine the Grand Champion for the contest. This process also ranks each entry to determine the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes for each category.
The Grand Champion of a GBA contest is determined by the finals entry with the single highest score. Determining the Grand Champion does not take into account any Preliminary Round scoring. However, the GBA does recognize the team with the highest cumulative Preliminary Round scores as the Reserve Champion – but the Grand Champion cannot be also named the Reserve Champion, regardless of their preliminary round scores.