1. THE WORK MUST BE SEEN IN FULL
A work can only be fairly assessed in its entirety. Partial viewing, selected excerpts or second-hand accounts are insufficient for adjudication.
These principles are not a set of aesthetic preferences, but a framework for fair, consistent and practical adjudication.
2. TASTE BEGINS WHERE SUFFICIENCY ENDS
The Adjudiciary does not seek to determine what is good or bad, but whether a work meets a minimum standard of completion, clarity and intent. Questions of taste are valid, but secondary.
3. RESOURCES ARE CONTEXT, NOT CRITERIA
Differences in budget, equipment, location or experience are acknowledged as context, but shall not affect the application of minimum standards. All works are considered on their own terms.
4. THE BURDEN OF AMBIGUITY RESTS WITH THE WORK
If a work is unclear in its intent, structure or execution, the responsibility lies with the work itself. It is not the role of the panel to infer meaning where it is not evident.
5. AUDIBILITY PRECEDES INTERPRETATION
The audio must be sufficiently clear and intelligible to allow for a reasonable understanding of the work. If the audio cannot be heard, no further assessment is possible.
6. TECHNICAL FAILURE DOES NOT BECOME INTERESTING BY DISCUSSION
Technical issues such as poor sound, incorrect aspect ratio, focus errors or incomplete files are not, in themselves, grounds for artistic merit. Discussion should not elevate technical failure to a virtue.